There were many various reasons for this tension, although three incidents in particular increased the strain between the sections. The Dred Scott Decision, John Brown's raid, and the election of 1860 all created more anxiety within the Union. They encouraged sectional interests and helped people to feel more strongly about their specific positions on the issues of slavery. While the issues concerning slavery led to sectional interests, these three events heightened the tension by becoming sectional issues.

On March 6th of 1857, the Supreme Court made a decision that caused extreme amounts of controversy among the sections. When the slave Dred Scott sued his owner for his freedom in Missouri on the basis that he had been taken into and inhabited two free states, it was up to the Supreme Court to make a clear opinion of slavery. It did just that by declaring that blacks were not citizens, but...