Chapter 10 U.S. History

The Union in Crisis

1848-1861

Vs.

Slavery, States’ Rights, and Western Expansion

Slavery Divides the Nation Main Idea: From the nation’s earliest days, the issue of slavery divided Americans. As the nation expanded, the problem became more pressing. Southerners believed slavery should be allowed in the new western territories; many northerners believed it should not.

The Election of 1848

Main Idea: In the 1848 presidential campaign, both Democrats and Whigs split over the question of whether to limit the expansion of slavery. New political factions emerged, with slavery at the center of debate.

A Compromise Avoids a Crisis

Main Idea: Henry Clay’s Compromise of 1850 offered concessions to both the South and the North and suggested that popular sovereignty should decide the slavery issue in the Utah and New Mexico territories.

Senate Adopts the Compromise of 1850

Main Idea: In an attempt to ward off division among the states, the Senate adopted the Compromise of 1850. Though the legislation restored calm for the moment, it carried the seeds of new crises to come.

Section #1: Two Nations?

By the 1850’s, the North and The South had developed into regions with very different economics, societies and views on slavery.

Reading Skill: CategorizeNOTE TAKING

Northern Views on Slavery

By 1850’s many saw it as violating the basic principals of the United States and Christianity. Believed all humans had the right to choose their

own destiny and follow God’s laws.

Many were prejudiced against Af. Americans Meaning they had an unfavorable opinion of

another group that is not based on fact.

Harriet Beecher StoweUncle Tom’s Cabin

Abolitionist writer. Set in pre-civil war south. A man Simon Legree molests a

female slave and kills the African American hero, Uncle Tom.

Abe Lincoln said to her, “So this is the little lady who made this big war.”

Vivid picture of slavery & the South.

Convinced many slavery would ruin the nation.

Southern Views on Slavery

Southerners saw “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as a book of lies.

To some southerners, plantation homes were like a big, happy family.

Many claimed that most planters were interested in the well-being of their slaves, and gave them the basic necessities of life.

Southerners would not let Northerners who they saw as haughty and self-righteous, tell them how to live.

Differences Between the North & South

Northern States Southern States

Population 21.5 million 9 million

Number of Factories

110,100 20,600

Miles of Railroad

21,700 9,000

Bank Deposits $207 million $47 million

Cotton Production

4 thousand bales 5 million bales

Gotta deal with all these new states – free or slave?

Tried to figure this out with the Missouri Compromise of 1820. No slave states above the 36`30 line.

Mexican Cession was almost all below 36`30 line and that would throw off the balance, worried North.

Southerners felt that states should have a right to choose!

Issues – Election of 1848

Because slavery was such a divided issue, both parties avoided it in 1848. Democrats – Gov. Lewis Cass of Michigan Whigs – Mexican War Gen. Zachary Taylor

Some party members were angry that their parties ignored the issue, so they split to form new parties! Free Soil Party

Didn’t win enough states in 1848, but did take enough votes away from Cass to win the Presidency for Zachary Taylor.

Clay’s Compromise of 1850CHART

John C. Calhoun’s Opinion

“I have, Senators, believed from the first that…the subject of slavery would, if not prevented by some timely and effective measure, end in disunion [of the U.S.]… It has reached a point when it can no longer be disguised or denied that the Union is in danger. You have thus had forced upon you the greatest and gravest question that can ever come under your consideration: How can the Union be preserved?”

Does the North Control the Gov’t?

North did have more wealth and more people. More representatives in the House and more

votes in the Electoral College. Calhoun talked about state’s rights.

This theory said that states have the right to nullify acts of the federal gov’t and even leave the Union if they wish to do so.

Calhoun’s Thoughts…

Calhoun didn’t want the South to leave the Union… at first!

Calhoun felt stopping slavery was wrong, b/c it interfered with people’s liberty to own enslaved people as property.

“I have exerted myself…with the intention of saving the Union, if it could be done; and if it could not, [with saving] the section…which I sincerely believe has justice and the Constitution on its side.”

Daniel Webster’s Opinion

A magnificent speaker, had a different opinion.

He feared for the existence of the Union and supported Henry Clay’s Compromise, “I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts

man, nor as a northern man, but as an American…I speak today for the preservation of the Union. Hear me for my cause.”

Fate of the Compromise of 1850

Congress approves! Southerners were not happy…but it brought a

brief calm. Fugitive Slave Act portion angered many

Northerners.

Many feared that Pres. Zach Taylor would veto… He died… so his VP Millard Fillmore became

President.

A Rising Tide of Protest and Violence

Resistance Against the Fugitive Slave Act

Main Idea: The Compromise of 1850 was meant to calm the fears of Americans. But one provision, the new Fugitive Slave Act, had the opposite effect. Black Americans and abolitionists despised the law and organized to try to help enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act Undoes the Missouri Compromise

Main Idea: Although Congress meant well, its repeated attempts to resolve the question of slavery resulted in a jumble of contradictory, and often unenforceable, policies.

A Battle Rages in “Bleeding Kansas”

Main Idea: Kansas attracted not only farmers but settlers with political motives. Violence erupted between abolitionists and proslavery settlers and eventually spread to the Senate.

Continued…

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Stephen Douglas (S, IL) raises the issue of slavery again. 1.) He wanted Chicago to benefit from the

development of the west.So if Kansas and Nebraska became states RR could be

built to link Chicago with the West. 2.) He wanted to run for President.

He would need southern democrats support… but under the Miss Comp 1820, they would be free states.

So he tried to avoid this by proposing the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Supported practice of popular sovereignty. Letting the people in a territory decide whether slavery

would be allowed there. Basically Douglas was asking Congress to repeal

the Missouri Compromise of 1820. He knew this would make ___ happy, and the ___

mad! Would have been impossible for K and N to become

slave states under M.C. of 1820. Passed after 9 months, North livid!!!

Northern Democrats denounced Douglas, saw him as a sell-out to the South.

The Violence Begins…

Free soilers – People sent to Kansas by anti-slavery societies,

to vote for entering the Union as a free state.

Many southerners also crossed the border to vote illegally in Kansas, to be a slave state. By 1855 – Kansas had an anti-slavery capital and

pro-slavery capital. It was no surprise that violence was coming...

“Bleeding Kansas”

Pro-slavery people looted offices and homes in Lawrence, Kansas.

John Brown – stern evangelist who believed he was God’s instrument to end slavery.

On May 24-25, he led several free soilers to a proslavery settlement near Pottawatomie Creek.

There he roused five men from their beds, drug them from homes, and killed them with swords in front of their families.

Sparked violent raids throughout Kansas known as “Bleeding Kansas”.

In the Lecompton Constitution, Kansas decided they would be a slave state. (New pres will say that is okay)

Bleeding KansasTRANSPARENCY

Political Realignment Deepens the Crisis

The Shifting Political Scene Main Idea: Traditionally, American political parties extended across sectional lines. But starting in the 1840s, American politics increasingly reflected regional tensions, especially over the issue of slavery.

Sectional Divisions Intensify

Main Idea: For many years, the North and South tried to ignore or patch over their differences. But by the mid-1850s, the dispute over slavery caused sectional differences to intensify.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Main Idea: In 1858, Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln held a series of seven debates while competing for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Thousands of Americans attended the Lincoln-Douglas debates and listened intently as the two candidates presented opposing views of slavery and its role in America.

John Brown’s Raid

Main Idea: Abolitionist John Brown concluded that violence was the best way to reach his goal of avenging the evil of slavery. In 1859, he and 21 followers seized the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However, federal troops ended the attack, and Brown was eventually executed.

Continued…

What led to the Civil War?

SectionalismSectionalism – State’s Rights over Federal Rights SlaverySlavery – 1860=4,000,000 in U.S SolvencySolvency – The ability to pay off debt; economics,

taxes StylesStyles – Life style; Rural v. Urban SecessionSecession – Leave the Union

1854Kansas-

Nebraska

Act is

passed

54-55Pro- &

Anti –

Slavery

Settlers

Move to Kansas

1856Tensions lead to open violence;

“Bleeding Kansas”

1857Supreme Court issues Dred Scott Decision;

Enslaved persons are property

1858Lincoln & Douglas debate slavery

1859John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry; deepens distrust between the North & South

American Political Parties During the 1850sCHART

Rise of the Know-Nothings

Nativism – a movement to ensure that native-born Americans receive better treatment than immigrants.

This arose due to immigration. (B/t 1846-1854, 3 mil Europeans came to US)

This lead to formation of a secret nativist society called the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Had a million members; Used secret passwords/ handshakes.

They always said “I know nothing” about their organization. Against Irish Catholic candidates, wanted immigrants to wait longer

to become citizens. Supported by Americans who worried immigration would lead to

crime and vice, & those afraid to losing jobs to immigrants.

Change in Political Parties

In 1852 the Whigs, rejecting Pres Fillmore b/c he supported Comp of 1850, nominated Winfield Scott. Democrats nominated Franklin Pierce…won!

Whigs never won again and by end of 1850’s they were gone!

The Creation of the Republican Party

Summer of 1854, many people had meetings to protest the K-N Act.

During a meeting, angry Northerners launched a new party – The Republican Party. Dedicated themselves to stopping the “slave power”, the

South. To them, slavery was a moral evil, vowed to fight against

its extension into new territories. Demanded repeal of K-N Act, and Fugitive Slave Act. Got support from anti-slavery Democrats, Whigs, and

Free Soilers.

The Caning of Charles Sumner: aka: “Bleeding Sumner” May 22, 1856

Charles Sumner

Preston Brooks

Election of 1856

Democrats: nominated James Buchanan Had been out of country with no connection with

Kansas violence.

Republicans: nominated John C. Fremont Mexican War hero with no political experience

Know-nothings: nominated Millard Fillmore

Election of 1856

Dems – supported Comp of 1850 and K-N Act. Repubs – declared Fed Gov’t had right to restrict

slavery in territories, and let Kansas in as a free state.

Buchanan and Democrats won. Said he would stop the slavery debate, wanted

Supreme Court to use its power.Two days later, the Supreme Court handed down a decision

that would further anger the North and divide the nation.

The Dred Scott Case (March 1857)

Scott sued (Supreme Court) on grounds that his master took him into a free state (IL) and free territory (Wisconsin).

Taney denied back citizenship, arguing “Negroes” had “no rights which any white man was bound to respect.” (no right to courts).

Declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional for denying property rights

Strengthened the Republicans and northern antislavery sentiment (Slave Power Conspiracy). Dred Scott Chief Justice,

Roger B. Taney

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free . . . It will become all one thing, or all the other.”

“It is none of my business which way the slavery clause (in Kansas) is

decided. I CARE NOT WHETHER IT IS VOTED DOWN OR VOTED

UP” (1857 Senate remarks).

William Seward’s Speech: “Irrepressible Conflict”

Delivered at Rochester, New York, October 1858.

“It is an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces, and it means that the United States must and will, sooner or later, become either entirely a slave-holding nation or entirely a free-labor nation.”

John Brown’s Raid October 16-18, 1859

Info on John Brown’s Raid

John Brown attacked the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Arsenal – place where weapons Had 21 men and 5 Af Amers with him.

Supported by abolitionists in North. He wanted to seize weapons and give them to

enslaved people. Wanted slaves to rise up against masters and fight!!!

Federal Gov’t Finds Out!

US troops, led by General Robert E. Lee, surround the arsenal.

Troops kill half of Brown’s men, including 2 of his sons.

J. Brown convicted to be hanged. “I John Brown an now quite certain that the crimes of

this guilty land will never be purged away; but with blood.”

North called him a martyr, southerners denounced him… further divided the nation.

Brown’s Martyrdom

On leaving the Jail, John Brown had on his face an expression of calmness and serenity characteristic of the patriot who is about to die with a living consciousness that he is laying his life down for the good of his fellow creatures. As he stepped out of door a black woman, with her little child in her arms, stood near his way. The twain were of the despised race for whose emancipation and elevation to the dignity of children of God he was about to lay down his life. He stopped for a moment in his course, stooped over, and with the tenderness of one whose love is as broad as the brotherhood of man, kissed [the child] affectionately.

- New York Tribune, December 5, 1859 The Last Moments of John Brown, Thomas Hovenden, c. 1884

Lincoln, Secession, and War

The Election of 1860

Main Idea: The Election of 1860 was a turning point for the United States. The election demonstrated that there were no longer any national political parties. The North and South were now effectively two political entities, and there seemed no way to bridge the gap.

The Union Collapses

Main Idea: Southerners were outraged that a President could be elected without a single southern vote. In Southerners’ perception, the South no longer had a voice in the national government. They decided to act by leaving the Union and forming the Confederacy.

The Civil War Begins

Main Idea: The Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, hoping to seize it from Union hands. Lincoln declared that “insurrection” existed and called for 75,000 volunteers to fight against the Confederacy.

Reading Skill: Identify Causes and EffectsNOTE TAKING

A Nation Divided Against Itself

11/6/60 – Lincoln is elected Prez. without any electoral vote in the South

12/18/60 – Senate & Lincoln reject Sen. Crittenden of Kentucky plan to recognizing slavery in territories south of 36.30N

12/20/60-2/8/1861 – South Carolina Secedes, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, & Texas = Confederate State of America

2/9/1861- Jefferson Davis = Prez. Of Confederacy

3/4/1861 – Lincoln is sworn into office

REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE CONFEDERACYApril 12-13 1861 – Firing on Fort Sumter, S.C.

April 15th, 1861 – Lincon Declares a state of insurrection; calls of volunteers to fight!

Democratic Party Convention – 1860

Split b/c couldn’t agree on issue of slavery. Southern Democrats – John Breckenridge

Supported by Southern states He was committed to spreading slavery in the territories.

Northern Democrats – Stephen Douglas Moderate Democrats formed the Constitutional

Union Party – John Bell (Tenn) Owned slaves, didn’t want to spread. Supported by Border States…

Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri

The 1860 Republican Convention

Republicans had high hopes of victory.

William Seward was the party front-runner.

Lincoln captured attention on subsequent ballots because of his moderate position and lack of political “baggage.”

Lincoln won because he was everyone’s second choice.

The Elections

Obviously no united national parties. Breckenridge and Bell fight for the South. Lincoln and Douglas fight for the North.

Lincoln’s name didn’t even appear on some southern ballots.

Lincoln wins without getting a single electoral vote in the South! Only 39% of the popular vote.

The Candidates for PresidentCHART

The Lower South Secedes

Call for the South to secede, or withdraw, from the Union b/c of Lincoln’s election. “[The Republican Party] stands forth today,

hideous, revolting, loathsome, a menace not only to the Union of these states, but to Society, to Liberty, and to Law.” - Augusta newspaper

Secessionists argued that sine the states had voluntarily joined the U.S., they could also leave it.

South Carolina left on Dec. 20, 1860.

South Carolina Secedes

Dec. 20, 1860 – unanimous vote! “On the 4th day of March next, [the

Republican] party will take possession of the Gov’t. It has announced that the South shall be excluded from the common territory, that the judicial tribunals shall be made sectional, and that a war must be waged against slavery until it shall cease throughout the U.S. The guaranties of the Constitution will no longer exist; the equal rights of the States will be lost. The slaveholding states will no longer have the power of self-government, or self-protection, and the Federal Gov’t will have become their enemy.

The Confederacy is Formed

State Date Vote in Favor

South Carolina Dec. 20 169-0

Mississippi Jan. 9 84-15

Florida Jan. 10 62-7

Alabama Jan. 11 61-39

Georgia Jan. 19 166-130

Louisiana Jan. 26 113-17

Texas Feb. 1 166-8

Jefferson Davis

These states met in Montgomery, AL in Feb. 1861. There they created a new nation, the Confederate States of America. They elected Jefferson Davis their President.

Events leading to the Civil War

Date Event

Nov. 6, 1860 A. Lincoln is elected President without the support of the southern states.

Dec. 18, 1860 Sen. John Crittendon, KY, proposes a plan that would recognize slavery in territories south of 36’30’ N. The Senate rejects the plan on Lincoln’s advice.

Dec. 20, 1860 to Feb. 8, 1861

South Carolina secedes from the U.S., followed MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX. They form the Confederate States of America.

Feb. 9, 1861 Jeff Davis is elected as the Confederacy’s provisional President.

March 4, 1861 Lincoln is sworn into office and refuses to recognize the Confederacy.

April 12-13, 1861 Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard opens fire on Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson surrenders.

April 15, 1861 Lincoln declares a state of insurrection, or rebellion, and calls for volunteers to fight.

Forming the ConfederacyTRANSPARENCY

Fort Sumter

Info on Fort Sumter

A federal fort in South Carolina. Jan – a federal ship sent to supply the fort had to turn around

b/c fired on by Confeds. Now, Major Robert Anderson (Union) was running out of supplies.

If Lincoln didn’t re-supply they would run out of supplies and abandon the fort to the Confeds.

Lincoln had promised not to attack the south, but also to defend the property of the Gov’t.

To send things might make him responsible for starting a war. To abandon the fort would mean to acknowledge the authority of the

Confederate Gov’t. What to do????

What did Lincoln do?

He told Gov. of South Carolina he was sending food to the Fort, but no soldiers or arms.

Before supplies could arrive, Confed Pres Davis orders P.G.T. Beauregard to demand that Ft. Sumter surrender. If Anderson refused, Beauregard was to take it by force!

Anderson refused, and after 24 hours of bombardment Anderson surrenders.

Fort Sumter’s Significance

By firing on federal property, the Confederacy had committed an open act of rebellion.

As THE defender of the Constitution, Lincoln had to respond. He called for volunteers and the South took it as an act of

war against them. Upper South states (VA, NC, TN, AK) now joined

the South. 84 years after being independent the US was apart!

Now… can the Union be preserved through force?