Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
Two presidents who had a significant effect on upholding slavery in the U.S. during the mid-1850s were Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce. Fillmore, who served as the 13th president from 1850 to 1853, supported the Compromise of 1850, which included the Fugitive Slave Act.
This law strengthened the rights of slaveholders and required the return of escaped slaves, thereby bolstering the institution of slavery. Pierce, the 14th president from 1853 to 1857, further deepened the divide by advocating for the expansion of slavery into new territories, including through the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. These policies contributed to the intensification of tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the lead-up to the American Civil War.
Hope it helps!