Chapter 16: Slavery Divides the Nation

16.1 – Slavery in the Territories

• From the days of Jefferson and the Founding Fathers, slavery was a major issue for politicians

The Missouri Compromise• By 1819, there were 22 states (11 free, 11 not)

• Missouri wanted to join—North said NO to the South– Maine too; Senator Henry Clay made a proposal

• Maine would be free; Missouri would not

• Imaginary line drawn at around 36 degrees latitude would separate slavery in the LA Purchase territories

Wilmot Proviso

• After the U.S. War w/ Mexico, more lands were added

• David Wilmot (PA) argued that new lands from the West should be free

• South rejected his idea—goes to Congress; the House passes it, the Senate does not

Opposing Views

North• Slavery is morally

wrong• Be banned in the

whole U.S.

South• Slavery should be

allowed• Helps the

economy• Runaways should

be returned to the South

Moderate View

• Extend the imaginary line to the Pacific Ocean– Anything north is free; south is not free

• Also, allow new lands to have popular sovereignty– the people create their gov’t and they vote for or

against slavery

The Free-Soil Party

• Fearing slavery would split the nation, northern Dems. and Whigs formed the Free-Soil Party – Main goal was to keep slavery out of the West

• In 1848, Martin Van Buren (8th POTUS) was their candidate

• Zachary Taylor (Whig) eventually wins, but Van Buren’s success earned Free-Soil Party members seats in Congress– He also won 10% popular vote!

16.2 – The Compromise of 1850

• In 1850, California was ready to be admitted into the U.S. as a free state

California’s Impact

• California’s admission in 1849 would break up the 15-15 tie – Southerners also feared the inevitable reality that

OR, UT, and NM would enter free too

• Southerners suggested to secede or remove themselves from the U.S.

Henry Clay v. James C. Calhoun

• “Great Compromiser” (Clay) was called to work something out

• Sen. Calhoun (SC) argued that slavery is permitted in the West; runaways be returned– No deal = South will leave the Union (U.S.)

• Daniel Webster (MA) supported Clay; feared the states would enter a bloody civil war over this– Slavery is wrong, but a civil war would be worse

Debate Keeps Going

• As the debate continued, Calhoun dies of tuberculosis, and Pres. Taylor also dies

• Millard Fillmore is the new POTUS– He agrees with Clay’s plan, unlike Taylor

The Compromise of 1850

• Stephen Douglas (IL) took over for Clay’s plan

• It passes!

• Plan consisted of five parts:– Cali. would be a free state– Mexican Cession land would be UT and NM (voters would

decide on slavery)– Slave trade ends in Washington, D.C.– Fugitive Slave Act would be passed– Settled border dispute between TX and NM

Fugitive Slave Act 1850

• Citizens had a duty to catch runaways

• Those interfering w/ runaways could be jailed or fined $1000

• Judges earned a cut when they sent African Americans (free or enslaved) back to the South

• This made northerners act on a cause they found morally wrong

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

• In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe, a NE woman wrote a novel to show the evils of the Fugitive Slave Act

• Uncle Tom was an enslaved man; refused to give up two runaways; is beaten to death

• Became a bestseller and truly epitomized the northern sentiment over slavery

16.3 – The Crisis Deepens

• Kansas becomes the new arena for the antislavery debate

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• 1854, Douglas issues for a gov’t in the Nebraska Territory (pg. 469 for map)

• Comp. of 1850 did not include LA Purchase lands; therefore, Douglas splits the NE Territory into two– Kansas and Nebraska

• Let the people decide on slavery– Popular sovereignty

Support of the KS-NE Act

• Southerners believed the neighboring territories of MO would support slavery

• POTUS Franklin Pierce (Dem) also supported the bill

• Northerners were outraged by the bill; thought slavery was forbidden due to the MO Compromise– KS-NE Act repeals the MO Comp. though

Violence Breaks Out• Supporters of both sides come together on election day

• “Border Ruffians” from MO came out to support slavery; abolitionists from New Eng. came as well to support antislavery members

• Illegal voting from Border Ruffians saw a proslavery legislature in KS

• Ridiculous laws were passed, so abolitionists in KS made their own legislature– Kansas was split!

“Bleeding Kansas”

• Proslavery men raided the town of Lawrence by burning homes

• John Brown, an abolitionist, and his four sons rode into Pottawatomie Creek and murdered five proslavery supporters

• Both sides exchanged bloodshed through guerilla warfare– By 1856, more than 200 people had died– Newspaper called KS, “Bleeding Kansas”

Violence in the Senate

• Senator Charles Sumner (MA) openly refuted the legislature in KS and singled out Senator Andrew Butler (SC)

• Congressman Preston Brooks (Butler’s nephew) marched into the Senate and beat up Sumner for his trash talk on Butler

The Dred Scott Case• 1857, the Dred Scott case further tested the frailty of the

slavery debate

• Dred Scott was enslaved in MO for years– Moved w/ his owner to free IL and later the Wisconsin Territory

(also free)– Returned to MO but his owner died

• Scott, with the help of antislavery lawyers, filed a lawsuit which would document Scott as free since he lived in free territories

The Supreme Court’s Decision

• Case eventually went to the S. Court as Dred Scott v. Sandford

• Court ruled Scott could not file a lawsuit since he was never a free citizen– Court also stated slaves were considered as property

• Supreme Court went even further and said Congress has no right to outlaw slavery in any territory– MO Comp. would then be deemed unconstitutional

Reactions from the Nation

• South rejoiced! Exactly what they wanted all along

• Northerners openly argued the Supreme Court’s decision– Unity started to form with northerners, even

those that were not strong abolitionists

16.4 – The Republican Party Emerges

• The Republican Party was ready for action by 1856

• Abraham Lincoln was a strong representative of the new party

The Party• Formed because Whigs/Democrats would not do anything

with slavery– Free-Soilers, northern Dems., and antislavery Whigs

• Goal: Keep slavery out of the West

• John C. Fremont was selected as first Republican candidate for the 1856 Pres. Election

• Went up against former POTUS Millard Fillmore (Know-Nothing) and James Buchanan (PA-Democrat)– Buchanan won the election

Abe Lincoln from Kentucky• Lincoln was born in the backwoods of Kentucky; later moved

to Indiana and then Illinois

• Left home, studied law, and began a career in politics

• Served on the state legislature and a term in Congress

• Deeply opposed the KS-NE Act

• Unpopular but respected due to his plain-spoken manner, honesty, and public speaking skills

Abraham Lincoln of Illinois

• 1858, Abraham Lincoln challenged Stephen Douglas (Dem) for the Senate in Illinois

• Douglas was expected to run for POTUS in 1860—Senate election became popular

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

• Lincoln egged Douglas on to participate in seven debates

• Douglas was for popular sovereignty (didn’t like slavery, but didn’t want to make a stand against it)

• Lincoln knew slavery was wrong; his goal was to stop the spread of slavery in new states, not 100% end it…yet

• Douglas won the Senate election, but Lincoln put himself on the map for politics and the antislavery movement

John Brown’s Raid

• In 1859, John Brown and his antislavery supporters went to Harpers Ferry, VA

• Brown’s plan was to raid a federal arsenal (weapons warehouse)

• Thought slaves would join his cause and he could give them weapons from the arsenal

Sentenced to Death• Brown gained control of the arsenal, but no slave uprising

occurred

• Instead, soldiers under Robert E. Lee killed ten and captured Brown

• People thought Brown’s plan was insane

• Court found him guilty of murder and treason (actions against one’s country)

• Showed no emotion at his hearing—sentenced to death

The Impact

• Brown was seen as a hero to the North; a martyr willing to die for his beliefs

• Northerners increased their support against slavery

• The South ridiculed Brown’s raid; became wary of the North wanting to destroy slavery forever

16.5 – A Nation Divides

• Abraham Lincoln was elected by the Republican Convention over William Seward (NY)

The Election of 1860

• There was a split in ideas for the Democratic Party– Northern Dems. did not want to support slavery, while

Southern Dems. did

• Northern Dems. selected Douglas as their candidate while Southern Dems. selected John Breckinridge (KY)

• Constitutional Union was formed too and selected John Bell (TN)

Election Results• Douglas won Missouri

• Bell won three states looking to compromise over slavery

• Breckinridge won the southern states due to Lincoln’s name being absent from southern ballots

• The North was more populated than the South; Lincoln overwhelmingly won the North

• Result: Lincoln is the sixteenth POTUS

Reactions from the South

• Felt that they had no voice in the national gov’t

• Slavery would eventually be abolished

• South Carolina’s governor already pledged to leave the Union if Lincoln won

Last Efforts• Senator John Crittenden (KY) made a last

effort to save the Union

• Introduced a bill to extend the MO Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean

• Also proposed an unamendable (never can be changed) bill where states below the line could own slaves

Last Efforts cont.

• Slavery in the West was no longer the issue; the South rejected the bill and believed secession was their only choice

• Even the North wasn’t thrilled with compromising what they accomplished putting Lincoln into the White House

The Confederacy• December 20, 1860, SC became first to secede

• Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas seceded by Feb. 1861

• Southerners believed they had a right to leave– Used the Dec. of Independence as a reason (“right to alter or

abolish a gov’t”)

• Seven states formed a new nation in Montgomery, AL named the Confederate States of America (CSA)

• Jefferson Davis (MS) was elected the first president

The Civil War Begins• Lincoln took office in March, 1861

• Claimed that no state could legally leave the Union; pledged no war unless the South fired first

• Davis (CSA) already began ordering seizure of federal forts in the South

• Lincoln reacts – will start a civil war, maybe lose support from the states that haven’t left yet

• Lincoln doesn’t react – make it seem like it was alright for the states to secede

Fort Sumter• Fort Sumter was a federal fort guarding

Charleston Harbor in SC

• Food supply was low; Lincoln was going to send food and supplies (no troops or weapons)

• Confederate troops intervened and wanted to take the fort

Fort Sumter cont.

• April 11, 1861, CSA troops demanded Major Robert Anderson (US) to surrender the fort– Anderson refused until he was ordered to

surrender

• Confederates opened fire; U.S. troops ran out of ammunition and surrendered on April 13

• Fort Sumter marked the beginning of a very bloody and terrible Civil War