2. Learning Goal: Trace the development and evaluate the resolution of the
contest between states’ rights and the abolition of slavery, from the
sectional crisis (identify key Congressional legislation and significant events
relevant to slavery & states’ rights including the Missouri
Compromise, nullification crisis, Compromise of 1850)
Cristo Rey Benchmark: 9.11.4 P
THE DIVISIVE POLITICS OF SLAVERY
3. Warm Up- Focus & Motivate
• What kinds of differences could lead to problems in the unity
of a country?
• What were the main industries in the North?
• How was the South dependent on slavery?
4. Senator John C. Calhoun
• SC Senator- so sick; missed 4 mo. Of debate over whether CA
should enter the Union as a free state.
• March 4, 1850- Calhoun asked Sen. James M. Mason [VA] to
deliver a speech due to illness
5. Differences between North and
South
North South
• Remained predominantly rural- mostly
• Industrialized rapidly as factories plantations & small farms
turned out ever-increasing • Economy relied on cotton
amounts of products, from
textiles and sewing machines to • 1/3 of the nation’s population lived in
farm equipment and guns. the South in 1850
• Railroads- with more than • Produced under 10% of the nation’s
manufactured goods
20,000 miles of track laid during
the 1850s • Few immigrants due to slave labor
• Immigrants from Europe • German-American newspapers in TX
entered the industrial workplace and Baltimore- editorials in favor of
universal voting rights and freedom for
in growing numbers slaves
• Many became voters with a • MS, LA, SC- African Americans in the
strong opposition to slavery majority
• Feared slavery because it might • Alabama and FL- African Americans ½
compete with free labor of the pop.
• Second, it threatened to reduce • Whites Feared restriction of slavery
the status of white workers would lead to social & economic
revolution
6. Review- Contrasting
• List three ways in • Answer: The North had
which the North and an industrial rather
the South differed in than agricultural
the mid 1800s. economy; the North
mostly opposed
slavery, while the
South relied on slave
labor; the North had
more urban growth as
well as more growth in
immigrant population.
7. Slavery in the Territories
• August 8th, 1846- PA Dem. David Wilmot heightened tensions
between the North & South by proposing:
• Wilmot Proviso- an amendment to an 1846 military
appropriations bill, proposing that none of the territory
acquired in the war with Mexico would be open to slavery.
• Proviso divided Congress along regional lines
• Northerners, angry over the refusal of Southern congressmen to
vote for internal improvements supported the proviso
• Southerners opposed the proviso- arguing it raised complex
constitutional issues. Slaves were property and property was
protected under the Constitution
• HoR approved the Proviso, the Senate rejected it
• Everyone feared a shift in the balance of free/slave states
8.
9. Review- Analyzing Motives
• Explain why • Answer: Northerners
Northerners favored wanted to prevent the
the Wilmot Proviso expansion of slavery
and why Southerners into the
did not. territories, because it
might cause more
slave states to enter
the Union. Southerners
did not want Congress
decided the issue of
slavery.
10. Review- Synthesizing
• How was the Wilmot • The concept of national
Proviso intertwined with expansion meant an addition
Manifest Destiny? of states into the union.
Therefore the South was
determined to keep at least a
political balance in the Senate
between free and slaves
states. The Wilmot Proviso- if
accepted would have
destroyed the chances of the
South.
• Furthermore, the South could
use the states’ rights
argument, that the territories
belonged to the states united
rather than the United States.
11. The Wilmot Proviso was
seen as a stumbling block
for Presidential
candidates, such as Taylor
12. Statehood for California
• Due to the California Gold Rush, CA population grew so quickly it
skipped the territorial phase of becoming a state
• Late 1849- CA had a constitutional convention, adopted a state
constitution, elected a governor and a legislation, and applied to join
the Union.
• Constitution forbade slavery, alarming Southerners
• Assumed b/c CA lay south of the Missouri Compromise line, it would
be open to slavery.
• Hoped that the compromise of 1820 would apply to new territories
• Gen. Zachary Taylor who succeeded Polk as president in
1849, supported CA’s admission as a free state.
• Felt the South could counter abolitionism by leaving the slavery
issue up to individual territories rather than Congress
• Southerners saw this as a move to block slavery in the territories
and as an attack on Southern life.
13. Review- Analyzing Effects
• Why did California’s • Answer: Although
application for most California
statehood cause an voters opposed
uproar? slavery, most of the
state lay south of the
Missouri
Compromise
line, and therefore
legally should have
been open to slavery
14. The Senate Debates
• 31st Congress opened in Dec. 1849 w/
distrust & bitterness
• CA statehood on the agenda
• Border dispute of slave state Texas’
claim of ½ of NM territory
• Northerners demanded the abolition
of slavery in D.C.
• South accused North of failing to
enforce the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
• South threatened secession- the
formal withdrawal of a state from the
Union.
15. Clay’s Compromise
• Obtained his rival- Daniel
Webster’s support on Jan.
21st, 1850
• Though ill- 8 days later
delivered a series of
resolutions hoping to settle
“all questions in controversy
between the free and slave
states, growing out of the
subject of slaver”
• Compromise of 1850 n. a
series of congressional
measures intended to settle
the major disagreements
between free states and slave
states.
16. Terms of the Compromise
• Contained provisions to appease Northerners as well as Southerners
• North- provided that CA be admitted to the Union as a free state
• South- proposed a new and more effective fugitive slave law
• Proposed a provision for NM and Utah territories: popular
sovereignty n. a system in which the residents vote to decide an
issue.
• Popular Sovereignty appealed to N. and S.
• Federal government would pay Texas $10million to surrender its
claim to NM.
• Northerners pleased, b/c it limited slavery in Texas to within its
current borders
• Southerners pleased because the money would help defray Texas’
expenses and debts from the war with Mexico
17. Review- Comparing
• What Northern issues • Answer: North: The
and Southern issues banning of slavery in
were addressed by the Cal.; the restricting of
Compromise of 1850? slavery in Texas so that
it would not include
NM.
• South: a tougher
fugitive slave law;
money to defray the
costs of the War with
Mexico
• Both: popular
sovereignty
19. Henry Clay takes the floor of the Old
Senate Chamber; Vice President Millard
Fillmore presides as he, Calhoun, and
Webster look on.
20. Calhoun & Webster Respond
• Clay’s speech marked the start of one of the greatest political
debates in U.S. history
• Within a month- Calhoun presented the Southern case for
slavery in the territories
• Followed 3 days later by Daniel Webster, who began his
eloquent appeal for national unity by saying: “I wish to speak
today, not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a Northern
man, but as an American… ‘Hear me for my cause”.
• Urged Northerners to try to compromise with the South by
passing a stricter fugitive slave law, warned Southern
firebrands to think more cautiously about the danger of
secession.
21.
22. Review- Interpreting Charts
• 1- Calhoun believed • 2- The compromise
that maintaining had strong
states’ rights was protections and
more important than strong restrictions of
preserving the slavery
Union; Webster
believed the reverse
was true.
24. The Compromise is Rejected
• Senate rejected the proposed compromise
in July
• Clay left Washington; Stephen A. Douglas of
Illinois picked up the pro-compromise reins
• Douglas developed a shrewd plan
• Unbundled the package of resolutions and
reintroduced them one at a time- hoping to
obtain a majority vote for each measure
individually
• The hope was any individual congressman
could vote for the provisions that he liked
and vote against, or abstain from voting
on, those he disliked.
25. Welcome to the
Presidency, Millard Fillmore
• Unexpected death of Taylor
on July 9th aided Douglas’
efforts
• Taylor’s successor, Millard
Fillmore, made it clear he
supported the compromise
• South was ready to
negotiate in the wake of
Calhoun’s death
• Southern leaders came out
in favor of Clay’s individual
proposals as being the best
the South could secure
without radical action
• 1850- the Compromise was
voted into law.
26. Review- Analyzing Effects
• What was the result • Answer: The
of Douglas’ compromise passed
unbundling of Clay’s because each
resolutions? provision had enough
support from either
the North or the
South to pass when
voted separately.
27. Fillmore’s next act
• Fillmore embraced the compromise as the “final settlement”
of the question of slavery and sectional differences
• For the moment the crisis was over
• However relief was short-lived
• The next crisis loomed ominously- the enforcement of the
new fugitive slave law.
28. Summarizer
• Do you think there are any points at which a different action
or leader might have resolved the conflict between the North
and the South?
• Support your opinion with references from this section.
• Think about:
• Issues raised by the Wilmot Proviso, California statehood and the
Compromise of 1850
• Constitutional issues raised by Southerners
29. Protest, Resistance
and Violence
Learning Goal NJCCCS: 6.1.8.D.4.c
Explain the growing resistance to slavery
and New Jersey’s role in the
Underground Railroad.
30. Warm up- Focus & Motivation
• List the challenges of the journey and the risks faced by slaves
escaping to the North.
31. The story of Anthony Burns
• June 2nd, 1854: Thousands
lined the streets of Boston
• Black coffin bearing the
words: “The Funeral of
Liberty”
• Federal soldiers marched
African American, Anthony
Burns, toward the harbor
• Burns was being forced back
into slavery in VA
• As a result of his
trial, antislavery sentiment in
the North soared
• “We went to bed one night
old-
fashioned, conservative, comp
romise Union Whigs and
waked up stark mad
32. Fugitive Slaves
• Fugitive Slave Act n. a law enacted as part of the Compromise
of 1850, designed to ensure that escaped slaves would be
returned into bondage.
• Under the law, alleged fugitives were not entitled to a trial by
jury, despite the 6th Amendment
• Fugitives could not testify on their behalf
• A statement by a slave owner was all that was required to
have a slave returned
• Federal commissioners charged with enforcing the law were to
receive a $10 fee if they returned an alleged fugitive
• Only $5 if they freed him/her
• Anyone convicted of helping a fugitive was subjected to a fine
of $1,000 or imprisoned for 6 mos. Sometimes both occured
34. Resisting the Law
• Northerners resisted it by organizing
vigilance committees to send endangered
African Americans to safety in Canada.
• Others resorted to violence to rescue fugitive
slaves.
• personal liberty laws- n. statutes, passed in
nine Northern states in the 1850s, that
forbade the imprisonment of runaway slaves
and guaranteed jury trials for fugitive slaves.
• Northern lawyers dragged these trials out-
often for three or four years- in order to
increase slave catchers’ expenses.
• Southern slave owners were enraged by
Northern resistance.
35. Review- Analyzing Effects
• What effect did the • Answer: It created a
Fugitive Slave Act great deal of
have on abolitionist hardship and
feelings in the North? resentment and
resulted in some
people turning to
violent resistance
36. The Underground Railroad
• African Americans and white
abolitionists developed a
secret network of people who
would, at great risk to
themselves, aid fugitive slaves
in their escape.
• Underground Railroad- n. a
system of routes along which
runaway slaves were helped
to escape to Canada or to
safe areas in the free states.
• “Conductors” hid fugitives in
secret tunnels and false
cupboard, provided them
with food and clothing, and
escorted or directed them to
the next “station” often in
disguise.
37.
38. Harriet Tubman
• Most famous conductor
• Born a slave in 1820 or 1821
• Suffered a severe head injury
as a child when a plantation
overseer hit her with a lead
weight
• Blow to the brain causes her
to lose consciousness several
times a day
• To compensate, she
increased her strength
tremendously
• 1849- after Tubman's owner
died, she made a break for
freedom and succeeded in
reaching Philly, PA.
39. From slave to “Moses”
• After the passage of the
Fugitive Slave Act, Tubman • Escaping slavery was
became a conductor on dangerous
the Underground Railroad
• Travelling on foot at night
• 19 trips back to the without any sense of
South, helped 300 slaves distance or direction except
including her parents for the North Star and
• Later became a speaker for other natural signs
abolition • Had to avoid patrols of
armed men on horses
without food for days
• Once they reached the
North, many remained to
take their chances or went
to Canada
40. New Jersey & the Underground
Railroad
• Situated on the lower Delaware River, western coast of South
Jersey was a crossing point for people escaping Maryland and
Virginia.
• Home to many Quakers, known abolitionists
• Free black communities that became havens for escaped brethren
• Lawnside in Camden County was one, originally named Freehaven
• Peter Mott House in Lawnside is an existing Underground Railroad
Station operated by an African American- is now a museum
• William Still, a free man from Burlington County, NJ became a
member of the PA Anti-Slavery Society and managed the
committee’s finances used to assist Harriet Tubman’s rescue efforts
• Network operated from Cumberland to Hudson County or 180-
miles
42. Review- Summarizing
• How did the • Answer:
Underground “Conductors” would
Railroad operate? hide fugitive slaves
and help them work
their way north from
one “station” to the
next.
43. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• 1852- ardent abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe published
Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
• Stirring strong reactions from the North and South alike, the
novel became an instant bestseller.
• More than a million copies had sold by the middle of 1853.
• Plot- melodramatic and many characters were
stereotypes, however the message that slavery was not just a
political content, but a great moral struggle remained
• Story- Eliza, a slave, fled across the frozen Ohio River, clutching
her infant son in her arms
• They wept bitterly when Simon Legree, a northern slave
owner, moved to the South, bought Uncle Tom and had him
whipped to death
44.
45. Response to Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Northerners increased their protests of the Fugitive Slave
Act, while Southerners criticized the book as an attack on the
South as a whole
• The furor had barely begun to settle when a new controversy
hit.
46. Side Deals reopen a fresh
wound
• Issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories surfaced
again
• Sen. Stephen Douglas, who helped steer the Compromise of
1850 into fruition, inadvertently resurrected the issue
• 1844- Douglas pushed to organize the huge territory west of
Iowa and Missouri
• 1854- developed a proposal to divide the area into 2
territories, Nebraska and Kansas.
• Motives were complicated- a desire to push construction of a
railroad between Chicago and San Francisco [he owned real
estate in both] meant he had to make a deal with
Southerners, who wanted the railroad to start in Memphis or
New Orleans
47. Popular Sovereignty and
Nebraska
• Douglas wanted to organize the western territory because he
believed that most of the nation’s people wished to see the western
lands incorporated into the Union
• Douglas was sure that continued expansion would strengthen the
Democratic party and unify the nation.
• Also believed that Popular sovereignty- meant that the sovereign
people of a territory should determine the statues of slavery. It was
popular with politicians because it was a comfortable compromise
between the abolitionists and the slave-holders.
• Only difficulty was that Nebraska Territory lay north of the Missouri
Compromise line
• Douglas assumed that Nebraska would enter the Union as 2 states-
one slave and one free, thus maintaining the balance in the Senate
48. A blow to shaky ground
• Douglas was convinced that slavery could not exist on the open
prairies since none of the crops relying on slave labor grew there
• To win over the South, Douglas decided to support the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise- though he predicted it would create “a
storm” in Congress.
• January 23rd, 1854- Douglas introduced a bill in Congress to divide
the area into 2 territories: Nebraska in the North, Kansas in the
South
• If passed, it would repeal the Missouri Compromise and establish
popular sovereignty for both territories.
• Congressional debate was bitter however 90
• 5 of Southern congressmen voted for the bill
• General population deluged Congress with petitions for and against
the bill
• In the North, Douglas became a social pariah for the bill but did not
waiver claiming this was a democratic way to resolve the issue of
slavery
49. Review- Analyzing Issues
• Explain why popular • Answer: It was
sovereignty was so controversial because
controversial. it meant a repeal of
the Missouri
Compromise, and
meant that any new
state might become a
slavery state.
50. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
• With the help of President
Franklin Pierce, a
democrat- Douglas steered
his proposal through the
Senate
• Kansas-Nebraska Act n. a
law, enacted in 1854, that
established the territories
of Kansas and Nebraska
and gave their residents
the right to decide whether
to allow slavery.
• All eyes turned westward
as the fate of the new
territories hung in the
balance
51.
52. Violence Erupts in “Bleeding
Kansas”
• The race for the possession of Kansas was on
• NY Senator, William Seward threw down the gauntlet
• Settlers from North & South began pouring into the Kansas Territory
• Some were farmers in search of new land
• Most were sent by emigrant aid societies, groups formed specially to
supply rifles, animals, seed, and farm equipment to antislavery
migrants
• By March, 1855- Kansas had enough settlers to hold an election for a
territorial legislature
• Thousands of “border ruffians” from the slave state Missouri led by
Sen. David Atchison, crossed into Kansas with their revolvers cocked
and voted illegally
• They won a fraudulent majority for proslavery candidates who set
up a government at Lecompton
• Abolitionists organized a rival government in Topeka in fall 1855
53. Review- Analyzing Causes
• Why did Kansas • Answer: Because the
become a center of Kansas-Nebraska Act
controversy over the opened the territory
issue of slavery? to slavery, and both
pro-and antislavery
forces settled in
Kansas and fought for
control of its
territorial
government
54. “The Sack of Lawrence”
• Violence surfaced in the
struggle for Kansas
• Antislavery settlers
founded Lawrence
• Proslavery grant jury
condemned Lawrence’s
inhabitants as traitors and
called on the local sheriff
to arrest them
• May 21, 1856- a proslavery
posse burned down the
antislavery HQ, destroyed
2 newspapers’ printing
presses, and looted many
houses and stores.
55. “The Pottawatomie Massacre”
• News from Lawrence reached, John Brown, an abolitionist described
as a “man made of the stuff of saints”.
• Brown believed God called on him to fight slavery
• Had the mistaken impression that the proslavery posse killed 5 men
• Brown was set on revenge
• May 24th, he & his followers pulled 5 men from their beds in the
proslavery settlement of Pottawatomie Creek, hacked off their
heads, and stabbed them with broadswords
• Quickly led to cries for revenge
• It became the bloody shirt that proslavery Kansas settlers waved in
summoning attacks on Free-Soilers
• Massacre triggered dozens of incidents throughout Kansas
• 200 people were killed
• John Brown fled Kansas, but left behind men and women who lived
with rifles by their sides
56.
57. Violence in the Senate
• May 19th Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner delivered in the
Senate an impassion speech: “The Crime Against Kansas”
• For 2 days he verbally attacked his colleagues for their support of
slavery.
• Sumner was particularly abusive toward the aged senator Andrew P.
Butler of SC, sneering at him for his proslavery beliefs and making
fun of his impaired speech
• May 22nd, Butler’s nephew, Congressman Preston S. Brooks walked
in the Senate chamber and over to Sumner’s desk
• “I have read your speech twice over, carefully. It is a libel on SC and
Mr. Butler, who is a relative of mine”
• Lifted his cane and struck Sumner on the head repeatedly before the
cane broke
• Sumner suffered shock and brain damage and did not return for
three years
• Southerners applauded and showered Brooks with new canes saying
“Hit him again”
• Northerners condemned the incident as an example of Southern
brutality and antagonism over free speech
58. Southern Chivalry: Argument versus Club’s, 1856
This cartoon depicts South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks
striking Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with his cane.
Brooks attacked him in retaliation for a speech that Sumner
delivered berating Brooks’s relative, Senator Andrew Butler of
South Carolina. The violent episode fueled antipathy between anti-
slavery northerners and pro-slavery southerners.
59. Review- Summarizing
• Describe Northern • Answer: The South
and Southern saw Brooks as a hero
reactions to the who defended the
incident between honor of his family
Brooks and Sumner. and state; the North
saw the incident as
an act of brutality
60. Summarizer
• Identify the
significance of the
following:
• Fugitive Slave Act
• Personal liberty laws
• Underground Railroad
• Harriet Tubman
• Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Kansas-Nebraska Act
• “Bleeding Kansas”
• Senator Sumner
61. The Birth of the
Republican Party
Learning Goal: NJCCCS 6.1.12.A.3.g - Determine the extent
to which state and local issues, the press, the rise of
interest- group politics, and the rise of party politics
impacted the development of democratic institutions and
practices.
62. Warm Up- Focus & Motivate
• What advantages are there in having the two-party system we
have today?
• What would be the advantages and disadvantages if there
were more than 2 parties?
63. New Political Parties Emerge
• End of 1856- political
landscaped shifted
• Whig Party split over
slavery and the
Democratic party
was weak
• Left the new
Republican Party to
move within striking
distance of the
presidency
64. Slavery Divides Whigs
• Divisions within the Whig Party
widened in 1852 when Gen.
Winfield Scott became the Whig
nominee for president.
• Scott owed his nomination to
Northern Whigs who opposed the
Fugitive Slave Act and gave only
lukewarm support to the
Compromise of 1850, Southern
Whigs however backed the
compromise in order to appear both
proslavery and pro-Union
• Due to Scott’s position, the Whig
vote in the South fell from 50% in
1848 to 35% in 1852 allowing the
Democratic candidate Franklin
Pierce to win the election
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act ruined the
Whig party irreversibly splitting
Southern and Northern members
65. Nativism
• Alternatives to the Whig party included the American Party which
had roots in a secret organization known as the Order of the Star-
Spangled Banner.
• Members of the society believed in nativism- n. favoring the
interests of native-born people over foreign-born people.
• Using secret handshakes and passwords, members were told to
respond to questions about their activities by saying: “I know
nothing” by 1854 it became known as the Know-Nothing Party [n. a
name given to the American Party, formed in the 1850s to curtail the
political influence of immigrants.]
• Primarily middle-class Protestants- they were dismayed by the total
# of new immigrants and the # of Catholics among them
• Catholic immigrants, according to nativists, during 1830s/1840s
were influenced by the Pope and could form a conspiracy to
overthrow democracy
• While the Democratic Party courted immigrant voters, nativists
voted for Know-Nothing candidates.
• Did surprisingly well in polls during 1854 but were split over slavery
• Northern Know-Nothings began to edge toward the Republican
Party
66. Review- Analyzing Causes
• What impact did the • Answer: The slavery
slavery issue have on issue had caused a
the Democratic and split in the Whig
Whig parties? Party; the
Democratic Party
was scarred
67. Antislavery Parties Form
• 2 forerunners of the • 1848- the Free Soil Party-
Republican Party n. a political party formed
emerged during the in 1848 to oppose the
1840s extension of slavery into
U.S. territories.
• 1844- tiny abolitionist
party- Liberty Party- • Nominated former
whose purpose was to president Martin Van
create/pass new Buren
abolitionist laws • Failed to win any electoral
• Received only a small % votes in 1848, received
of votes to throw the 10% of the popular vote
election to Polk over Clay • Sent a clear message that
even some Northerners
did not favor
abolition, however they
definitely opposed the
extension of slaves in the
68. The Free-Soilers
• Included many N. who were not
abolitionists
• # of N. Free-Soilers supported the
prohibition of black settlement in
their communities and denying
blacks the right to vote
• Free-soilers objected to slavery’s
impact on free white workers in
the wage-based labor force, upon
which the North depended
• Abolitionist William Lloyd
Garrison considered the Free-Soil
Party a “sign of discontent with
things political… reaching for
something better… it is a party for
keeping Free Soil and not for
setting men free”
69. Fears of the Free-Soilers
• Detected a dangerous pattern in such events as the passage of
the Fugitive Slave Act and the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise
• Convinced that a conspiracy existed on the part of the
“diabolical slave power” to spread slavery throughout the
U.S.A.
• Something or someone, according to the Free-Soilers, had to
prevent this spread.
70. Review- Analyzing Motives
• Why did most Free- • Answer: Most Free-
Soilers object to Soilers objected to
slavery? slavery because they
believed that white
workers could not
get jobs in
competition with
slaves.
71. Republican Party
• In February 1854, @ a school house in Ripon, WI, some discontented
N. Whigs held a mtg. w/ antislavery Dems & Free-Soilers to form a new
political party
• on July 6th – The Republican Party- n. the modern political party that
was formed in 1854 by opponents of slavery in the territories.
• Formed and organized in Jackson Michigan including one of the
founders Horace Greeley
• united in opposing the Kansas-Nebraska Actand in keeping slavery out
of the territories
• Embraced a wide range of opinions
• Conservative members wanted to resurrect the Missouri Compromise
• Opposite were the radical abolitionists
• Drew support from diverse groups and had strength to win a political
tug of war with other parties
72. Main Competition
• Main competition for Republicans was the Know-Nothing
Party
• Both targeted the same groups of voters
• 1855- Republicans had set up party organizations in about ½
of the N. states but lacked national organization
• In Quick succession- fraudulent territorial election in
Kasas, sack, massacre, caning leading to issues Republicans
needed to challenge the Democrats for the presidency in 1856
• Republicans chose John C. Frémont, famed “pathfinder” who
mapped the Oregon Trail and led U.S. troops into CA during
Mexican War
• Know-Nothings split their allegiance with N. endorsing
Frémont and S. selecting Fillmore even though the Whigs
were dissolved
73. Enter: Buchanan
• Democrats nominated James
Buchanan of PA a N. with many
S. friends
• As minister to GB- he was out
of the country during Kansas-
Nebraska thus he did not
antagonize any side
• To balance the N. and the S.
Democrats chose John C.
Breckinridge as his running
mate
• Although he received only 45%
of the popular vote- he won
the S. except MD
• Result- Know-Nothings in
decline, Republicans gaining
power
74. The Life of Buchanan
• “life-long bachelor” • Lived with Alabama
• According to historian Lisa Senator- William R.
Manhart, Buchanan King, VP under Pierce
“committed an unspecified • Relationship was so
indiscretion that anger his close, Andrew Jackson
intended bride, and she called King: “Miss Nancy”
broke of their and “Aunt Fancy”
engagement” • Others referred to the two
• Family forbade James from as “Buchanan and his wife”
attending his funeral
• Niece- Harriet Lane served
as hostess fulfilling the 1st
Lady responsibilities
75. Review- Analyzing Effects
• Why was the election • Answer: Because it
of 1856 so important established the party
to the growth of the as an alternative to
Republican Party? the Whigs and the
Democrats, and
showed that the
Republicans would
be powerful
contenders in the
future
76.
77. Summarizer- Synthesizing
• How did the way in • The party was united
which the Republican in opposing
Party was formed slavery, but also
indicate that the embraced a wide
party stood a good range of opinions. By
chance at success? drawing support
from conservatives
and radicals, it had
the strength to
overpower other
political parties
78. Slavery & Secession
Learning Goal: NJCCCS 6.1.12.A.4.a
- Analyze the ways in which prevailing
attitudes, socioeconomic factors, and government
actions (i.e., the Fugitive Slave Act and Dred Scott
Decision) in the North and South (i.e., Secession) led to
the Civil War.
[CRN- 9.11.4 ]
80. A Cautionary Speech
• June 16th, 1858- Rep. Party of Illinois nominated Abraham
Lincoln to run for U.S. Senate against Dem. Incumbent
Stephen A. Douglas
81. Questions that need answers
• Was Lincoln right
that the Union would
dissolve?
• Was President James
Buchanan too weak?
• Would new legal
questions over
slavery implode?
82. Slavery Dominates Politics
• Slavery was a problem for the indecisive Pres. Buchanan
• Administration plagued by slavery-related controversies
• 1st one arose on March 6th, 1857- a case that would alter the
course of history indefinitely
83. Dred Scott v. Sanford
• Facts:
• 1857, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin
• Dred Scott was an African-
American slave
• He was taken by his master from
the slave state of Missouri to the
free state of Illinois
• He lived on free soil for a long
time
• When the Army ordered his
master to go back to Missouri, he
took Scott with him back to that
slave state
• Issues:
• Scott said that he should be free
since he lived on free soil for such
a long time
84. • Arguments:
Scott v. Sanford • As a non-citizen many felt that
Scott had no rights and could not
sue in a federal court and
therefore must remain a slave.
• Decision:
• Scott lost the decision as the
Supreme Court [under Chief
Justice Roger B. Taney] declared
no slave or descendant of a slave
could be a U.S. citizen
• The Supreme Court also ruled that
Congress could not stop slavery in
the newly emerging territories
• The decision enraged Abraham
Lincoln, and brought the nation to
the brink of the Civil War
• Result
• Effectively repealed the Missouri
Compromise
• Declared Slaves were property
85. Review- Analyzing Effects
• What was the • Answer: It effectively
significance of the repealed the
Dred Scott decision? Missouri
Compromise; it
declared that slaves
were property
86. The Lecompton Constitution
• Fall of 1857- proslavery government at Lecompton, Kansas
wrote a constitution and applied for admission to the Union
• Free-Soilers, outnumbered proslavery settlers in Kansas by
nearly 10:1- rejected the constitution b/c it protected the
rights of slaveholders
• Legis. called for a referendum in which people could vote on
the proslavery constitution, people voted against it
• Pres. Buchanan endorsed the proslavery constitution
• Owed his presidency to S. support and believed that since
Kansas only had 200 slaves, the Free-Soilers were overreacting
• Provoked the wrath of Dem. Stephen A. Douglas and violated
popular sovereignty- called for another referendum
• Summer- 1858, voters rejected the constitution again
• N. hailed Douglas as a hero, S. as a traitor and split the Dem.
party
87. Review- Analyzing Motives
• Why did Buchanan • Answer: He was trying to
support the appease the Southerners.
Lecompton He felt that the small
constitution? number of slaves in Kansas
made the issue relatively
unimportant.
88. Lincoln-Douglas Debates
• The race for U.S. Senate in
Illinois became a stage for a
great political contest
• Douglas was a 2-term senator w/
an outstanding record and a
large campaign chest
• Lincoln was a self-educated man
with a dry wit known locally as a
successful lawyer and politician.
Elected as a Whig to 1-term in
Congress in 1846- he broke with
his party after the Kansas-
Nebraska Act
89. Position & Arguments
• Douglas believed in popular sovereignty
• Did not think slavery was immoral, he did believe that it was a backward labor
system unsuitable to prairie agriculture
• Lincoln believed that slavery was immoral
• A labor system built on greed
• Chief difference:
• Douglas believed that popular sovereignty would allow slavery to pass away
on its own
• Lincoln doubted that slavery would cease to spread without legislation
outlawing it in the territories
• Lincoln tried to make Douglas look like a defender of slavery and of the Dred
Scott decision
• Douglas accused Lincoln of being an abolitionist and an advocate for racial
equality
• Lincoln stated he was not in favor of bringing social and political equality
between races but that slavery was a moral, social, and political wrong that
should not spread
90. The Freeport Doctrine
• 2nd debate held at Freeport
• Lincoln asked Douglas if the settlers of a territory could vote to
exclude slavery before the territory became a state
• Everyone knew that the Dred Scott decision said no
• Lincoln implied that Popular Sovereignty was an empty phrase
• Douglas’ response became known as the Freeport Doctrine-
n. the idea, expressed by Stephen Douglas in 1858, that any
territory could exclude slavery by simply refusing to pass laws
supporting it.
• Douglas also stated no law could be effective without local
police regulations meaning use a loophole within Dred Scott
• Douglas won the Senate seat, but his response worsened the
split between N. and S. wings of the Dem. Party
• Lincoln’s attacks on slavery drew national attention leading
the Republicans to propose him as a candidate for presidency
in 1860
91. Review- Comparing
• Explain the • Answer: Both were
similarities and against slavery;
differences between however, Lincoln
Lincoln’s position on thought the federal
slavery and that of government should
Douglas. keep slavery out of
the territories, while
Douglas though the
states should decide.
92. Passions Ignite
• 1858 was a year of talk- 1859 became a year of action
• Most Americans would have welcomed a respite from slavery
• “God’s angry man”, John Brown, reemerged on the scene and
ended all hopes of a compromise over slavery between the
North and the South
93. Harpers Ferry
• While politicians debated slavery, John Brown was studying the slave
uprisings that had occurred in ancient Rome and on the French
island of Haiti
• Believed that the time was ripe for similar uprisings
• Secretly obtained financial backing from several prominent N.
abolitionists
• October 16th, 1859- led 21 men, black and white into Harpers Ferry
VA
• Aim was to seize the federal arsenal and give them to slaves in the
area
• 60 citizens held hostage with the hope that their slaves would join-
none came forward
• Local troops killed 8 of Brown’s men
• Detachment of U.S. Marines, led by Col. Robert E. Lee stormed the
engine house killed 2 more raiders and captured Brown
• Brown was tried for treason in VA
94. John Brown’s Hanging
• Dec. 2nd, 1859- Brown was
hanged for high treason in
front of federal troops &
observers
• Although condemned as a
murderer by
Lincoln/Douglas- many N.
expressed admiration for
him & his cause
• Bells tolled @ the news of
his execution
• Guns fire salutes
• Huge crowds gathered to
denounce the s.
• Some called Brown a matyr
95.
96. Review- Analyzing Effects
• Why did Harpers • Answer: Southerners
Ferry increase feared that the North
tensions between the was inciting slaves to
North and the South? revolt, while
Northerners viewed
Brown as a martyr
whose abolitionist
cause was worthy of
support.
97. The Republican Convention- 1860
• Took place in Chicago which had transformed itself into a
convention city w/ more than 50 hotels and an 18,000 sq.-ft.
wooden mtg. center named the Wigwam
• 4,5000 person delegate floor overflowed within minutes
• 1st day consisted of forming committees, listening to
prayers, and gossiping about politics
• Candidates then bargained for delegates votes
98. Seward and Lincoln
• Sen. William H. • Lincoln being an
Seward appeared to unknown won him
have everything the nomination
needed to be a • Lincoln was moderate
candidate in his views
• Led antislavery forces • Wanted to halt slavery
in Congress expansion but would
• Financial support of not interfere with the
NY south’s slaves
• Desire to be center of • South viewed him as
attention a “black republican”
99. Nominations of 1860
• 3 major candidates vied
for office
• Democratic Party split
over slavery
• N. Dems- Stephen
Douglas
• S. Dems- VP John C.
Breckinridge
• Constitutional Union
Party- a mix of Know-
Nothings and Whigs
from the south
nominated John Bell of
Tennesse
100. Review- Drawing Conclusions
• How did slavery • Answer: The
affect U.S. political Democratic party
parties in 1860? split over slavery.
Those who felt the
issue was too central
to politics left other
parties and formed
the Constitutional
Union Party.
103. Southern Secession
• Lincoln’s victory convinced S. that they had lost
their political voice in the national government.
• Fearful that Northern Republicans would
submit the South to subjection and bondage, S.
states decided to act
• South Carolina led the way, seceding from the
Union on Dec. 20th, 1860
• Mississippi followed on January 9th, 1861;
Florida the next day
• Weeks later: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana,
Texas seceded as well.
• The Union was dissolved
104.
105. Review- Analyzing Effects
• How did Lincoln’s • Answer: Lincoln’s
election affect the election convinced
South? the South that
Northerners
intended to attack
slavery everywhere
and that it was time
to secede.
106. The Shaping of the Confederacy
• Feb. 4th, 1861- delegates from the
secessionist states met in Alabama and
formed the Confederacy- n. the
Confederate States of America, a
confederation formed in 1861 by the
Southern states after their secession
from the Union.
• Their constitution mirrored the U.S.’s
however it protected and recognized
slavery in new territories
• Feb 9th delegates elected former Sen. of
Mississippi Jefferson Davis as president
and Alexander Stephens of GA as VP
• “The time for compromise has no
passed” “Farewell to the Star-Spangled
Banner” and “Dixie” became themes
107. The Calm Before the Storm
• As the nation awaited Lincoln’s inauguration in March, the citizens
were confused
• 7 slave states had seceded and formed a new nation
• 8 slave states remained within the Union
• Would they secede as well?
• Pres. Buchanan was uncertain
• Announced that secession was illegal, but it would also be illegal for
him to do anything about it
• He tied his hands
• 1 problem- D.C. was very much a Southern city
• Secessionists in Congress as well as Fed. Government and
president’s cabinet
• Mass resignations took place
• One question remained- would the North allow the South to leave
the Union without a fight?
