The aging Thomas Jefferson remarked in 1820, when the Missouri Compromise was finally passed, that "like a firebell in the night had awakened and filled me with terror, I knew it at once as the knell of the Union." Clearly the Union dissolved as the 36-30 parallel divided the country half free, half slave with little success of compromise. In 1850, however, a distinguished group of politicians met for the last time to settle the issues of sectionalism and slavery. Based on your knowledge, what brought about the need to compromise and why was the Compromise of 1850 such a turning point leading to the Civil War? Why did the compromise come about when it did, what were the provisions, who comprised the 31st Congress, and what was the outcome? As a correspondent to the London Times, you have been assigned to report the causes of the American Civil War. More specifically, your editors want to know what happened in the 1850's to drive the Americans toward war. Therefore, in your view, what were the critical events of the decade prior to 1861 that divided the Union? Who were the major political leaders? What were the social and economic considerations in the 1850's? In Battle Cry of Freedom, McPherson devotes two chapters to what he calls "The Revolution of 1860," and "The Counter Revolution of 1861." After your careful reading of these chapters analyze and discuss what was revolutionary about 1861 and more importantly what was the counterrevolution? Why did it come about? What were the major issues and who were the major figures in causing these revolutions to come about when they did? Finally, what were the results?