Changing Political SceneCHAPTER 6, SECTION 3

The Shifting Political Scene Millard Fillmore was the last Whig president. The party

collapsed when he angered Northerners by supporting the Fugitive Slave Act, and angered Southerners by supporting California as a free state.

The changing make-up of the country’s population gave rise to the Know-Nothing Party. Their platform consisted of anti-immigration and pro-slavery

ideas, even though a large number of anti-slavery Whigs had joined.

The Republican Party attracted anti-slavery Dems, Whigs, Know-Nothings and Free-Soilers.

The rise and fall of political parties demonstrated the opposing viewpoints on slavery.

Sectional Divisions Intensify In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Dred

Scott v. Sandford. Dred Scott, a slave sued for his freedom when his

slavemaster took him to the free territories of Illinois and Wisconsin. In these areas, slavery was banned, so Dred Scott argued he

had become a freedman.

The court ruled that slaves and their descendants were property and therefore were not entitled to sue in courts like a citizen.

It also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates In 1858, Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln

had a series of debates while vying for the Illinois Senate seat.

The two had opposing views of slavery– Douglas was sympathetic to slavery, while Lincoln was against both popular sovereignty and the Dred Scott decision.

While Douglas won the Senate seat, Lincoln gained a widespread reputation for his honesty.

John Brown’s Raid John Brown continued his violent methods to end

slavery by leading a group of men to the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, VA.

He hoped to recruit local slaves to join his efforts.

He chose Harper’s Ferry because it was a transportation hub, and its proximity to PA and MD.

Brown was captured and while some viewed him as a martyr, others viewed him as fanatical and Southerners started preparing for war.

The Last StrawCHAPTER 6, SECTION 4

The Election of 1860In the election of 1860, there were 4

candidates vying for the presidency. Though he only won the electoral votes of

the free states, Lincoln received enough electoral votes to become president. He won without receiving a single electoral

vote– demonstrating the divide between North and South, free and slave.

SecessionSoutherners were angry that a president could

be elected without the support of the South. To them, it was if they had no voice in their

government. South Carolina was the first state to secede from

the U.S. Soon, 6 other Deep South states followed (GA, FL,

AL, MS, LA and TX). These 7 states formed the Confederate States of

America.