Section 3 - Slavery Dominates
Politics
Find Out:
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Why the Republican Party was formed
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The effects of the Dred Scott case
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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
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The impact of John Brown’s raid on Harpers
Ferry
THE FREE-SOILERS
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Another party that
emerged in the mid-19th
century was the FreeSoilers
They were northerners
who opposed slavery in
the territories
Free-Soilers objections to
slavery were based on
economics not moral
objection to slavery
They believed slavery
drove down wages for
white workers
“Soil”
REPUBLICANS EMERGE AS LEADING PARTY
1.
What political party was created from
problems caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
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Republicans won all but 3 presidential
elections from 1860-1932
In 1854, opponents of
slavery in the territories
formed a new political
party, the Republican
Party
As the party grew it took
on Free-Soilers, some
anti-slavery Democrats
and Whigs, and KnowNothings
The Republican Party Forms
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Grew from split in the Whig Party over the
Kansas-Nebraska Act
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Southern whigs were destroyed
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Northern whigs joined with other opponents of
slavery and formed the Republican Party
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Ran John C. Frémont for President in 1856
2. Why did the Whig party
split?

Because the Kansas-Nebraska Act
proposed to open new territories to
slavery, there was no room for
compromise in the Whig Party since
Northerners opposed it and Southerners
supported it.
3. What was the key to the
Republican Party gaining strength in
the North?

“Bleeding Kansas” was blamed on the
Democrats since they supported the
Kansas-Nebraska Act
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4. Who ran for President in the election of
1856?
Democrats nominate James Buchanan from
Pennsylvania
Buchanan was minister to Great Britain and
out of the country since 1853
Said little about slavery and claimed his goal
was to maintain the Union
John C. Frémont ran in the North for the
Republicans-not on Southern ballot
Former President Millard Fillmore ran in South
Buchanan won but Frèmont won 11 states for
Dred Scott Sues for Freedom
5. The split in the country was made
worse by the Supreme Court decision in the
case of Dred Scott who had been a slave in
Missouri. His owner took him to live in
territories where slavery was illegal and then
returned to Missouri. After his owner's death,
Scott sued for his freedom. His case, Dred
Scott V. Sandford, reached the Supreme
Courts.
6.What did Chief Justice Roger B. Taney rule in
1857 on the Dred Scott Case?
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First, he said Scott was not a
citizen and could not sue in
U.S. courts
He said Scott was bound by
Missouri’s slave code
because he lived in Missouri
and his time in free territory
did not matter
He said Congress could not
ban slaves in any territory
since they were property and
protected under rights of
property owners in
Constitution
The decision increased
tensions over slavery
Northerners are angry
because it made slavery legal
everywhere in US
DRED SCOTT LOST HIS
CHANCE AT FREEDOM –
From Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs
From Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs
Dred Scott and his wife sued for
their freedom because they had lived
for 9 years in free territory. The
decision had more to do with
property rights than whether they
deserved their freedom.
LINCOLN – DOUGLAS DEBATES
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The 1858 race for U.S.
Senate in Illinois was hotly
contested between
Republican Abraham Lincoln
(7) and Democratic Douglas
One of the most celebrated
debates in history ensued as
the topic was slavery in the
territories
Douglas favored popular
sovereignty while Lincoln
wanted a Constitutional
Amendment
Made Lincoln a national
figure
Lincoln Douglas debate Du Page
County Centennial, August 27th
From the Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs
8. What metaphor did Lincoln
use in one his speeches?

Lincoln used the metaphor from the Bible
that “A house divided against itself cannot
stand” at the Republican state nominating
convention on June 16, 1858, as
Republicans chose Lincoln to run against
Douglas for the Senate.
9. What was Lincoln's view on
slavery?
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He felt slavery was “a moral, a social, and
a political wrong.” He did not suggest
abolishing slavery where it existed but to
not let it expand into new territory.
10. What was Douglas’s view?

He did not share Lincoln’s belief that it was
the national government’s role to prevent
the expansion of slavery. He argued for
popular sovereignty as the most democratic
way to solve it.
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Douglas won the election
(11)
12. How did it help Lincoln?

Lincoln became a national figure and
strengthened his standing in the
Republican Party
13. What did John Brown plan to do
in Harpers Ferry, Va., in 1859?
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ARSENAL
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BROWN
While politicians debated the
slavery issue, John Brown
plotted a major slave revolt
On October 16, 1859, he led a
band of 21 men, black and
white, into Harpers Ferry,
Virginia
He hoped to seize a large
federal arsenal, but troops put
down the rebellion
Brown was tried and executed
John Brown Attacks Harpers Ferry
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Wanted to arm slaves to revolt for their
freedom
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Planned to capture weapons at the U.S.
arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA
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Oct. 16, 1859, Brown and his followers
captured the arsenal, killing 4 people
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Brown sent out word to arm the slaves but
none came
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Marines attacked the fort and captured Brown
6 of his followers
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Brown was hung for treason
NEW POLITICAL PARTIES EMERGE
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Know-Nothing members answered
questions by saying, “I know Nothing”
The political landscape by
1856 was very different
than it had been just a few
years earlier
Gone was the Whig Party
The Democrats were still
alive but faced increasing
challenge from new parties
An alternative was the
Know-Nothing Party