The Causes and Course of the Civil War
#1a: What did the USA look like in the antebellum period?
North (Northeast and Northwest)
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Northeast
o More industrial
o 250,000 blacks (all free, but not equal)
Northwest
o More agricultural
o Tied to Northeast through Indian wars and transport
Immigration in both areas
o Half came from Ireland (2 million)
 Competed with African-Americans for jobs in cities
 Voted Democratic (common man, anti-Brit)
o Germans (1 million)
 Farmed in NW
 Anti-slavery
o Nativism developed
 Hatred of Catholic immigrants
The South
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Agricultural economy based on cotton
Few large cities (only New Orleans)
4 million slaves
250,000 free blacks (but not equal—couldn’t vote)
White society was hierarchical
o Few Aristocratic planters (more than 100 slaves)
o Some small farmers (less than 100 slaves, but usually less than 20)
o Poor whites (75% of population; lived in hills away from rich farmland near rivers)
#1b: What caused the Civil War?
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Sectionalism - refers to the growing division between North and South from the founding of the
nation until the Civil War
#2: What caused the sectionalism that eventually led to the Civil War?
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Slavery
#3: Where did the issue of slavery divide the North and South in the 1840s and 1850s?
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the admittance of new territories into the Union
the enforcement of slave laws
literature
extremist movements
politics
#4: Who sparked the crisis that led to the Compromise of 1850?
•California
o wrote state constitution that banned slavery in 1849
o President Taylor supports it and the addition of New Mexico as a free states
o Radical southerners (fire-eaters) talked about secession in Nashville
#5: What were the three positions on slavery with regards to its spread into the newly acquired
territories of the 1840s?
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Free Soil movement
o Northern Democrats and Whigs
o All blacks—free and slave—should be excluded from Mexican Cession
o Did NOT want end of slavery—just none in west so whites would not have to compete with
them for jobs
Southern position
o Moderate: Favored Missouri Compromise line and extension of slavery south of it
o Radical: slaves were property, should be allowed to be taken anywhere
Popular Sovereignty
o Lewis Cass (Dem. From MI): let the people who settled a territory decide by voting
#6: What compromise was proposed to end the dispute over California and New Mexico’s
admission as free states?
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Compromise of 1850
Proposed by Henry Clay (yep—still around)
5 points
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California admitted as free state
Divide remainder of Mexican Cession into Utah and New Mexico—allow popular
sovereignty
Disputed territory b/w Texas and New Mexico goes to NM/federal gov’t will pay $10
million of TX debt
Ban slave TRADE in Washington, DC
Adopt Fugitive Slave Law
#7: Who supported, and who opposed, the Compromise of 1850?
Supported
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Daniel Webster (MA)
Stephen Douglas (IL)
Millard Fillmore
o Became President upon Taylor’s death in 1850
o Signed Compromise into law
Opposed
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John C. Calhoun (yep)
o Wanted slavery in territories
William Seward (NY)
o Wanted no compromise/no slavery in territories
#8: Besides California and the Mexican Cession, what other disputes erupted over slavery in
the territories?
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Kansas-Nebraska Act
o Stephen Douglas (IL) proposes building RR from Chicago to west across Nebraska territory
 Needs southern approval in Senate, so
proposed Nebraska be divided into Kansas and Nebraska
Popular sovereignty be applied in each territory
o Passed in 1854; President Pierce signs it
#9: Why did northerners hate the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
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It essentially nullified the Missouri Compromise Line of 1820
o Allowed southerners to expand slavery north of 36 degrees, 30 minutes
#10: What slave law enhanced sectionalism the most?
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Fugitive Slave Law 1854 (part of Compromise of 1850)
o This persuaded southerners to allow California in as free state
Said escaped slaves who made it to North would be captured and returned to owners in
South
Denied trial to any black who was captured in North and said he was free black
o The law was NOT enforced well in North
#11: What system did some abolitionists develop to aid runaway slaves?
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Underground Railroad
o Aided runaway slaves get to North and Canada
o Run primarily by free blacks
Harriet Tubman: escaped slave who helped in Underground RR
#12: How did the Supreme Court increase sectionalism in the 1850s?
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It ruled in favor of the South in the case of Dred Scott v Sandford (1857)
Dred Scott was slave in Missouri
Taken to Wisconsin (free) territory for 2 years
Scott sued for freedom—said his 2 years on free soil made him free man
Majority (led by Chief Justice Roger Taney) ruled against Scott
o Scott couldn’t sue; Constitution said blacks were not citizens
o Slaves were property, and gov’t could not deprive any person of property w/o due process of law
(going to WI was not due process)
o Missouri Compromise line was unconstitutional (b/c it deprived people of property—slaves—if
they went there)
#13: What anti-slavery books increased the feeling of sectionalism in the 1850s?
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Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852): appealed to whites’ emotions
o Harriet Beecher Stowe
o Used stereotypes
 all slave owners horribly cruel (Simon Legree)
 Black slaves as willing to please white slave owner (Tom—hence modern term
“Uncle Tom”)
 Light-skinned mulatto as sex object
Impending Crisis in the South (1857): appealed to whites’ self interest
o Hinton Helper
 Attacked slavery from economic standpoint
 Said slavery impeded industrialization, development
#14: What pro-slavery books increased the feeling of sectionalism in the 1850s?
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Cannibals All! (1857): slavery is Good!!!!
George Fitzhugh
Slavery was good for blacks/protected them being “wage slaves” like whites were in Northern
factories
Slave owners were paternalistic
#15: How did extremism express itself in Kansas (“Bleeding Kansas”)?
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in violence b/w anti-slavery forces and pro-slavery forces (who fought for control before the vote
on slavery)
Pro-slavery forces: minority
o Slaveholders from neighboring Missouri
o Called “Border Ruffians”
 Attacked “Free Soil” town of Lawrence in 1856 (killed 2)
Anti-slavery forces: majority
o Free-Soil Kansas farmers
o New England Emigrant Aid Company (paid for transport of anti-slavery settlers to KS)
 Attacked Pottawatomie Creek (response to Lawrence); led by John Brown (killed 5)
#16.: Besides the constant violence, what heightened the tension b/w pro-slavery and antislavery forces?
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Constitutional controversy
5,000 Pro-slavery people from MO voted illegally in state legislature elections to tip election for
pro-slavery group
o Wrote Lecompton Constitution: legalized slavery/death for anyone who aided escaped slave
 President Pierce (Democrat) and Senate recognized
Free Soilers elected own legislature b/c they considered the existing one “bogus”
o Wrote Constitution at Topeka: slavery illegal
 House of Representatives (Republican) recognize
#17: What prolonged the Lecompton controversy?
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President Buchanan promised Kansans that its constitution would be submitted to them for
approval (referendum)
But Kansas was really dominated by anti-slavery settlers
o Unacceptable Solution: the convention allowed voters to choose between 1 of 2 constitutions
One with slavery
One with “no slavery”, but that protected slave owners’ right to property and that did nothing to
prevent/punish smuggling of slaves from Missouri
#18: How did the constitutional controversy in Kansas end?
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Anti-slavery forces boycotted referendum, so “with slavery” constitution won
BUT: anti-slavery forces soon gained control of Kansas legislature
In 2nd referendum, voters chose NEITHER constitution
Kansas now had 2 Constitutions that had passed by referendum
o Which did US Congress recognize in Kansas’ application for statehood?
 Congress resubmitted Lecompton Constitution to voters of Kansas, who voted it
down
 Thus, Kansas did NOT become a state (not until 1861—as free state)
#19: What was the “caning of Senator Sumner?”
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1856: Charles Sumner (MA) attacks Democrats and Senator Andrew Butler (SC) in speech in Senate
o Preston Brooks (Congressman, SC; Butler’s nephew) canes Sumner on Senate floor
House CENSURES Brooks; North outraged
Southerners sent Brooks new canes to replace the one he broke on Sumner’s head
#20: What happened at Harper’s Ferry (Virginia) in 1859?
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John Brown (again) raided the federal arsenal, tried to arm the slaves, and start slave revolt
o Robert E. Lee captures him; hanged
o Moderate Northerners condemn his fanaticism
o Southerners were terrified/said these were true Northern intentions
o Abolitionists called him a martyr
#21: How did slavery impact the election of 1848?
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They started a re-alignment in party politics by dividing each party (Democrat and Whig)
o Democrats: Lewis Cass (on slavery: popular sovereignty)
o Whigs: Zachary Taylor (on slavery: ignored it)
o Free Soil Party: Martin van Buren (on slavery: no expansion into territories)
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“conscience” Whigs and anti-slavery Democrats (on slavery: opposed)
#22: How did slavery impact the election of 1852?
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Because the Whig Party chose to ignore the issue of slavery, it started to rapidly decline
o Whigs: Winfield Scott (on slavery: ignored)
o Democrats: Franklin Pierce (on slavery: contain it in South, but enforce Fugitive Slave Law)
#23: What eventually killed the Whig Party for good?
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The creation of the “Know-Nothing” Party (American Party)
o Formed by “nativists” (“old” Protestants) who hated immigrant Germans and Irish (Catholics)
who competed for jobs in large northern cities
o When asked about politics, members said “I Know Nothing”
o Took votes from Whigs in North
Creation of the Republican Party
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Ripon, WI: 1854
Direct reaction to Kansas-Nebraska Act (b/c it threatened to spread slavery north of Missouri
Compromise Line—Kansas)
Free Soilers, anti-slavery Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, some radical abolitionists
#24: How did most people in the Republican Party feel about slavery?
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MOST were NOT abolitionists
o Wanted slavery confined to South, but said it was unconstitutional to kill slavery
MOST believed in FREE LABOR IDEOLOGY
o Slaves worked inefficiently b/c they were forced to work (no motivation)
 No upward mobility meant no reason to work hard
o Free laborers worked efficiently b/c they were motivated to worked by desire for profit and
economic gain
 Promise of upward mobility meant people would work hard
#25: What was the significance of the election of 1856?
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It showed that the Republican Party was a force to be reckoned with even though it lost and was a
sectional (only North) party
#26: What event triggered the secession of the South?
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The election of Abraham Lincoln
o Possible because of division within Democratic Party
Stephen Douglas: popular sovereignty/enforce Fugitive Slave Act
John C. Breckinridge: extension of slavery into territories/annexation of Cuba
o With Democrats split, Lincoln carried North and won