Rank the following antebellum developments in order of most important (#1) to least important (#6) in precipitating the sectional crisis of the 1850s.

• Religions and moral reform movements
• Industrialization and technological innovation
• Expansion of voting rights
• Intensification of slavery in the South
• Increased political polarization
• Territorial expansion

Now explain your decision-making process in a short essay (approx. 600 words). For each of the 6 “developments,” shares at least 2 specific events with a definition (who, what, when, where) and statement of significance as supporting evidence for your ranking choices and why you thought that development was more or less important.