Slavery, Sectionalism and
Manifest Destiny
1820-1860
The South and the Slavery
Controversy
Chapter 16
I. Cotton is King
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After Revolution slavery faced an uncertain
future, it was logical to think slavery would fade
away
Invention of the cotton gin in 1793 changed that
Cotton became dominant crop in the south,
created demand for labor and land
Quick profits from cotton drew planters to the
Gulf South during this time
Caused economic spiral more cotton = more
slaves, if you had more slaves you could buy
more land
Northern shippers profited from cotton trade
They shipped it to England
Largest American export after 1840 (1/2 of
world’s supply)
Southern leaders knew that cotton production
was something they could hold over heads of
British
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Cotton and Slaves 1820 and 1860
II. The Planter Aristocracy
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South was a society run be elite wealthy
planters
Very few owned large amount of slaves
They had tremendous wealth, send
children to schools outside of south
(kept public education from gaining
foothold)
Had a sense of duty to the public
Dominance by planters caused a huge gap
between rich and poor
Society almost feudal (lords, manors and
serfs)
Shaped the lives of women, they managed
the house and the slave staff, most did
not support abolition
III. Slaves and the Slave System
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Search for quick profit led to over cultivation and
degradation of the environment
Those that could not make it headed West and North
(Butternuts)
Economic structure became monopolistic, land owners
concentrated their holdings and bought out small farmers
Land hunger led to over speculation of lands, heavy
investment in slaves caused crushing debt for many
planters
Dependence on one crop put South at the mercy of the
world markets, caused lack of economic diversity that
effect region well into the 20th century
Resentment of the northern bankers, middlemen,
businessmen intensified as they grew rich off Southern
cotton and made profits selling manufactured goods to the
South
Slaves and high land prices kept out European immigrants,
South had little ethnic diversity
IV. The White Majority
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1/4 of families owned slaves
Typically small farmers (more like
Midwestern or Northern farmers)
Many owned no slaves at all, they were
subsistence farmers (raised corn, hogs)
and lived isolated lives
Had no direct stake in slave system but
supported it because there was
somebody on the social ladder lower
than them
Mountain whites in Appalachia disliked
blacks and masters and provided
strong Union support in the South
during the Civil War
IV. Free Blacks: Slaves Without Masters
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Free blacks in the Upper South (MD,VA, NC) traced origins
to Revolution
Lower South most free were mulattoes, some purchased
freedom
New Orleans had sizeable free, mulatto community
Seen a third race, could not hold certain occupations, vote
In the North some states would not let them live there,
could not attend public schools, competed with Irish for
menial jobs
Spread of slavery in new territory grew out of prejudice
not humanitarianism
V. Plantation Slavery
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Number of slaves grew during first half of
1800’s
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King Cotton demanded tribute in slave labor
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Some smuggled into country (made illegal
1808), most growth due to natural increase
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Slaves planters biggest asset and they were
treated like investments (for the most part)
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Cotton boom sucked slaves from Upper to
Lower South
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Some states had majority African American
populations
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Slaves sold at auction, sometimes for
bankruptcy
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Led to breakup of families, became theme for
Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin
VI. Life Under the Lash
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Conditions for slaves varied from
region to region
No slaves had civil or political rights, no
labor rights
Beatings and threat of beating
substituted for wage-incentive system
Masters were never too harsh because
of investment
1860 most slaves concentrated in “black
belt” across Deep South
Region was southern frontier, life was
rougher than Upper South
Majority lived on plantations
VI. Life Under the Lash
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Slaves managed to maintain family life
Kept some African traditions in marriage, descent, religion
Religion was mixture of Christian and African traditions
Focused on themes of persecution in the Bible
Call and response preaching adaptation of caller and dancers
from West African traditions
VII. The Burdens of Bondage
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Slavery denied education, did not want them to get new ideas,
question position
Slaves struck back by slowing the pace of work, sabotaging
equipment, took goods they produced
All wanted freedom, some ran away
Armed rebellion never worked
1800 Gabriel Prosser(Richmond,VA), 1822 Denmark Vesey
(Charleston, SC), 1831 Nat Turner
All failed, all were hung or were killed
White southerners felt like they were under siege (rebellions,
abolitionist propaganda) developed theory of superiority over
blacks
American South was one of the world’s last bastions of slavery
VIII. Early Abolitionism
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First anti slavery societies appeared after
Revolution, main support among Quakers
Earliest efforts were to send blacks back to
Africa
1822- American Colonization Society, founded
Liberia in West Africa- 15,000 went
Most slaves did not see themselves as Africans
1830’s slavery becomes moral crusade because
of Second Great Awakening
1833 –British abolish slavery in West Indies
Slavery became a sin
Theodore Weld and “Lane Rebels” preached
anti-slavery gospel across Old Northwest
IX. Radical Abolitionism
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1831- William Lloyd Garrison publishes first issue of The
Liberator, a militantly anti slavery newspaper based in
Boston
1833- American Antislavery society founded
Black Abolitionists – David Walker (promoted bloody end
to slavery), Sojourner Truth (advocate for emancipation
and women’s rights)
Fredrick Douglass – best known black abolitionist,
escaped slave
Wrote Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, detailed his
early life and escape
IX. Radical Abolitionism
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Differences between Garrison and Douglass
Garrison known as inflexible, self righteous,
impractical
Provided no alternative to country without slavery
Denounced politics
Many abolitionist questioned the role of women
(Garrison supported women)
Douglass- used politics to end slavery
New political parties emerge in 1840’s based on
abolition of slavery
Liberty Party (1840), Free Soil Party (1848),
Republican Party (1850’s)
X. The South Lashes Back
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Before 1830’s some antislavery sentiment in
the south
1831 publication of Liberator, Nat Turner
Rebellion, Nullification Crisis of 1832
All turned tide in South
White southerners saw threat to way of life,
began to defend slavery
Justifications- supported by Bible, good
for civilization depraved Africans, masterslave relationship was like a family
(contrasted with industrial wage earners in
northern factories)
1836 Southerners in House pass Gag
Resolution, tables all debate on slavery
(defied by John Quincy Adams)
Postmasters given permission to destroy
abolitionist material across South
Widened gap between north and south
XI. Abolitionist Impact in the North
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Abolitionists unpopular in many parts of the north
Seen as too radical
Heavy economic stake in south; cotton production for
factories, money owed to northern banks
Abolitionists seen as rocking the boat
Mobs attacked abolitionists
By 1850’s issue of territorial expansion, other factors put
many in north on side of abolitionists
Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy
Chapter 17
Gone to Texas
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Americans want Texas, remote backwater of Spanish Empire
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US abandoned claim in 1819
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1823- new Mexican government gives land to Stephen
Austin to bring settlers
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2 conditions settlers had to become Mexican citizens,
become Catholic
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Ignored by settlers, annoyed by presence of Mexican soldiers
and government
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Settlers typical American individualist, did not want to be
pushed around
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Slavery an issue, outlawed in Mex., settlers brought slaves
anyway
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1836 Mex. Leader Santa Ana attempts to repress Texans
independence
The Lone Star Rebellion
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Early 1836 Texans declare independence
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Santa Anna attacks Alamo and Goliad become
rallying cries for Texans, galvanized Americans
behind Texas cause
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Gen. Sam Houston lures Mexicans east to San
Jacinto (near present day Houston), and
defeats Santa Anna
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Forces Santa Anna to sign treaty giving land to
Rio Grande to Texas and removing troops
from region
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Mex. Does not recognize agreement
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Texas becomes an independent republic but
wanted to be part of the United States
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Refused admission, abolitionists did want new
slave state
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Seen as a plot against slavery to Southerners
I. The Accession of “Tyler Too”
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1840’s territorial expansion dominated
politics, diplomacy
War with Mexico, gained territory
from Texas to California and questions
of status of slavery
1841 William Henry Harrison (Whig)
elected and died in office
Real leaders of Whigs Clay, Webster
tried to push agenda, thwarted by John
Tyler (VP, now president)
Tyler supporter of states rights
Clay and others tried to push
nationalistic political agenda
Whigs pushed for new bank, tariffs; all
vetoed by Tyler
II. War of Words with Britain
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British looked down on
Americans, increased tension
with America
Americans borrowed extensively
from British banks (many
defaulted on loans during Panic of
1837)
1837 Caroline incident with
Canada, 1841 slaves offered
asylum in Bahamas (southern fear
of Caribbean becoming haven for
escaped slaves), 1842 border
disputes in Maine (settled by
Webster- Ashburton Treaty)
III. Texas and Oregon
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1836- Texas achieves independence, not recognized by Mexico
Britain, France interested in Texas as place for cotton
production, check American power
Texas as independent nation threatened US
Presidential campaign 1844 issue of expansion
Texas annexed by joint resolution of Congress 1844
James K. Polk won election on expansion platform
Texas became state 1845
Oregon country enormous wilderness
Claimed by many different countries until 1825, then only US
and Britain
British claims based on occupation
American claims based on exploration and occupation
1830’s American missionaries settle Willamette Valley,
stimulates interest of Americans
1840’s number of Americans increases, came over Oregon Trail
British had few settlers, weaker claim than Americans
IV. Manifest Destiny and the Election of 1844
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Election of 1844 between Henry Clay
and James Polk
Major election issue Manifest Destiny
Feeling that America’s duty was to spread
ideals of democracy across continent
(idea of expansion and liberty)
Expansion ignored national boundaries,
came at the expense of others
Expansionist Democrats won election
felt they had a mandate to take Texas and
Oregon
New President James K. Polk had 4 point
program – lower tariff, create
independent treasury, acquire Oregon
and California
1846 US and Britain compromise on
Oregon territory border (dying fur trade
made British lose interest in Oregon)
V. War with Mexico
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Americans wanted San Francisco and San Diego
Bays as ports on Pacific and to expand American
trade to Asia
Americans saw weakness in Mexican control of
borderlands
Polk eager to buy California, Mexicans would not
sell
Wanted California to balance admission of Texas
with a free state
US/Mexico issues over boundary of Texas
Mexican claim was boundary at Nueces River,
American claim was Rio Grande
Rumors of British wanting to purchase California,
could not be tolerated under Monroe doctrine
1846 Polk sends troops to Texas, march from
Nueces River to Rio Grande
April 1846 US soldiers killed and Polk asks for
war, Congress overwhelmingly supports it
V. War with Mexico
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Many northerners and Whigs saw this as a land grab and war for extension of slavery
Lincoln (then Rep. from Illinois) pushes “spot resolutions” to show where blood was shed
on American soil
Both sides wanted war, America to teach Mexicans a lesson, Mexicans saw US a bully to
the north
South and West supported war
The US unprepared for the war. Ill equipped volunteers filled the American army
Advantages over the Mexican military that had outdated equipment and little motivation
to fight.
American industrial base to prepare and equip an army, superior leadership
United States won easily over the Mexican forces in 1847
California- John Fremont led a revolt against Mexican rule and declared the state “The
Bear Flag Republic”
V. War with Mexico
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1848- War ended with Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo
Gave US vast new territory, paid Mexico $15
million dollars for land
Many Americans thought that US should not
stop with Mexico
European countries had new respect for
American military
The Mexican American War was a blatant war of
conquest that would have occurred through
migration eventually
The war also trained the next generation of
generals (Lee, Grant) to fight America’s next war
– the Civil War
Turning point in US relations with Latin America,
became suspicious of “Colossus of the North”
War aroused issue of slavery and its expansion
1846- David Wilmot tries to introduce
amendment that slavery should not exist in new
territory, never passed the Senate but
symbolized issue of slavery in territories
(Wilmot Proviso)
Renewing the Sectional Struggle
1848-1854
Chapter 18
Differences between the North and South
I. Popular Sovereignty Panacea
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1848 war with Mexico ends, issue of extending slavery opened
up, split politics along sectional lines, North and South
Political parties had appealed to people across sectional lines,
during this period it was split by northern abolitionists and
southern fire-eaters
Election of 1848- Democrats turn to Lewis Cass, war hero,
Democratic platform was silent on the issue of slavery
Lewis Cass was not, he supported “popular sovereignty” to
determine status of slavery
Idea took question of slavery out of national politics and made
it a series of local issues; followed democratic ideal of self
determination
II. Political Triumphs of General Taylor
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Whigs nominate Mexican War hero
Zachary Taylor (Clay was old, had too many
enemies)
Pushed personality of candidate
Anti slavery people not satisfied with either
candidate, establish own party “Free Soil”
Party
Free Soil Party- for Wilmot Proviso,
broadened appeal by advocating federal aid
for internal improvements, free government
homesteads for settlers in new territory
Party attracted industrialists from North,
those who wanted cheap land in west to
allow free white workers a chance to make
money
Nominate Van Buren as candidate
Foreshadowed emergence of Republican
party
III. “Californy Gold”
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1848 gold discovered in California, Americans
flock to region to strike it rich
300,000 go to CA (forty-niners)
Most money made by those that provided
services to miners
Influx of settlers overwhelm territorial
government, to bring order they draft a
constitution in 1849 (it excluded slavery), and
tried to bypass territorial stage, Taylor saw it as
a way to end stalemate over slavery
He felt slavery could be permitted where it
existed but not expanded
Supported by free soilers; appalled Southern
politicians, knew it would upset balance of slave
and free states
IV. Sectional Balance and the Underground
Railroad
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1850- South relatively well off,
cotton prices high, political
sentiment was in their favor,
president was southern,
political sectional balance was
well maintained
South worried that new
territory would be free and
upset the sectional political
balance (California, New
Mexico, Utah)
Texas and New Mexico dispute
over border, Texas threatened
to send troops to take Santa Fe
in defiance of federal
government
IV. Sectional Balance and the Underground
Railroad
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Southerners angered by runaway slaves
and assistance of Underground Railroad
Assisted by abolitionists it was a series of
“stations” where slaves were safe during
their escape to freedom
Southerners upset at prospect of
abolition of slavery in the District of
Columbia
Southerners wanted stronger fugitive
slave laws, free states refused to
cooperate to capture slaves
Upset with moral righteousness of
abolitionists
Said Constitution protected slavery and
laws that Congress passed to provide for
slave catching
V. Twilight for the Senatorial Giants
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1850- Congress needed to act decisively on issue of
slavery before country fell apart
Last of second generation statesmen- Webster, Calhoun,
Clay were at center of fixing issue (or arguing against it)
Clay and Stephen Douglas of Illinois introduced a series
of compromises to solve problem
Wanted north and south to make concessions
Calhoun upheld Southern position of states rights and
political balance, argued that slaves were property and
protected by 5th Amendment and Article IV of
Constitution
March 7th speech- Webster gave impassioned speech
about compromise and was accused as being a traitor
to the north, speech helped turn tide for compromise in
north
These politicians were the last of a generation to
support union at all costs ,new breed more sectional in
outlook
VI. Deadlock and Danger on Capitol Hill
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Young Guard from north led by William Seward of NY argued
sections could no longer compromise
Said the was a “higher law” to be followed
President Taylor also believed in higher law and was bent on
vetoing any action by Congress
Taylor dies suddenly in 1850 and new president Millard
Fillmore signed series of compromise measures known as
Compromise of 1850
Many eager to compromise because of prosperity brought by
gold riches from California and growing spirit of goodwill
Southern extremists still opposed to concessions and planned
to meet in Nashville to secede from Union
VII. Balancing the Compromise Scales
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d)
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Compromise 1850- series of bills passed
to end slavery question, for the most part it
favored the North
California admitted as a free state
New Mexico, Utah organized a territories,
open to slavery on basis of popular
sovereignty (not going to be slave)
Land dispute between Texas and NM settled,
NM given land, TX receives $10m to pay off
government debt
Slave trade outlawed in D.C.
Most controversial part was Fugitive Slave
law
Escaped slaves could not testify on their
behalf or given a trial by jury, bounty paid to
federal commissioners, people found aiding
slaves were subject to criminal penalties
VII. Balancing the Compromise Scales
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Northerners became galvanized around issue of
slavery and many states passed personal liberty laws
Many would not support law, further turned tide
against south; it became a moral issue
Sectional balance would favor north and growing
population would insure it
North was more industrial and wealthy
Through the 1850’s they gained moral and material
strength
South dug in their heels to protect their way of life
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
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Published in 1852, written by
Harriet Beecher Stowe
(daughter of anti slavery
minister) united northerners
against slavery
Made slavery seem “real”, not
removed from everyday life
Showed indignity of slavery
from cruel masters to the
ripping apart of slave families
Best selling novel of the 1800’s
VIII. Defeat and Doom for the Whigs
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1852- Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire
nominated by Democrats, held pro southern
views, wanted territorial expansion, endorsed
Compromise of 1850, seen as compromise
candidate
Took votes away from southern Whigs, also
he was a weak and indecisive man
Whigs nominate another war hero Winfield
Scott
Campaign based on personality and Pierce
wins
Spelled the end of the Whig party, end of
national politics
Legacy was it was the party of union and
great leaders (Clay and Webster)
IX. Expansionist Stirrings South of the Border
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Expansionist impulses of the late 1840’s led to the Young
America movement
Thought they could transform world through spreading of
“American” institutions (democracy, capitalism; part of
reforming impulse of antebellum America)
Latin America- Clayton- Bulwer Treaty of 1850 with British
to secure right of transit across isthmus of Panama (later
used to justify land grab for Panama Canal)
Southerners wanted new slave territory, looked to Central
America
William Walker briefly was president of Nicaragua and made
slavery legal (he was eventually executed)
Cuba had a large population of slaves but it was controlled
by Spain
1850, 1851 two filibustering expeditions sent to Cuba but
were repelled and tension escalated between Spain and US
Secretly US, France and Britain draft Olmsted Manifesto that
recommended US could take Cuba if certain conditions met
Northern free soilers protested and the Pierce
administration backed off of plans
X. The Allure of Asia
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West coast possessions made US Pacific power
Americans wanted to enter Asian markets
1844 Americans gain entry to Chinese trade and
missionaries (compromised cultural integrity of China in
the long run)
1852 Millard Fillmore sends US navy under leadership of
Matthew Perry to open trade with Japan
Japan had been closed off from the rest of the world for
200 years but show of American military forced open
society, within a decade the “Meiji Restoration” would
modernize Japan
XI. Pacific Railroad Promoters and the Gadsden
Purchase
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New western territory needed to be
connected to rest of country,
transcontinental railroad was a
necessity
Northern and southern sections
competed to see would have the
railroad and the wealth that went
with it
James Gadsden purchased piece of
desert from Mexico in 1853 for 10
million
Purpose was for southern rail route
that would have been easier to build
and it went through already organized
territory, easier to protect with US
military
XII. Douglas’s Kansas-Nebraska Scheme
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1854- Stepen Douglas “The Little Giant”, sought to
break the deadlock of western expansion
Called the Kansas-Nebraska Act
He proposed a northern route for the railroad, it would
begin in Chicago and spread a string of settlements to
the Pacific
To gain southern support he split the Nebraska
Territory into two parts-Kansas and Nebraska, their
status regarding slavery would be decided by popular
sovereignty
Problems- it contradicted the Missouri Compromise, a
sacred sectional pact
President Pierce supported the plan
Douglas also had other motives- he owned land along
the proposed route and he wanted to be president
Douglas defeated the free soil group in Congress and
pushed the bill through
XIII. Congress Legislates a Civil War
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Kansas-Nebraska Act greased the slope to the
Civil War
Northerners saw the events of the previous
decade as a southern conspiracy (popular
theme in American history)
Compromise was harder to come by , each side
would not give in to the other
Democrats torn apart by the Kansas-Nebraska
Act and would not put another president into
the White House for 28 years
Caused the Republican party to emerge, it
consisted of anti-slavery groups, KnowNothings, Free-Soilers
It quickly gathered strength in the years leading
up to 1860, the party was supported only in the
north
Drifting Toward Disunion
The 1850’s
Chapter 19
I. Stowe and Helper: Literary Incendiaries
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Hope for compromise and keeping Union together fell apart
in the last half of the 1850’s
Kansas erupted into violence, the Supreme Court in the Dred
Scott decision validated feeling of a “Southern conspiracy”
Attitudes on both sides hardened
1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin published, novel had great political
force- no Northerner wanted to support “peculiar institution”;
also popular across Europe
1857 Impending Crisis of the South by Hinton Helper tried to
prove that non-slave holders in South suffered the most from
slavery (poor whites could not get ahead)
Planter elite feel attacked from all sides
II. The North-South Contest for Kansas
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Kansas issue on popular sovereignty came to a
head
Various groups came to Kansas- regular pioneers,
groups financed by northern abolitionists (some
armed by New England Emigrant Aid Company)
Southern spokesmen under the impression Kansas
would be slave, Nebraska free and began to
sponsor slave owning families to move to Kansas
(risky to take slaves to region)
1855- crisis in Kansas blows up (Bleeding Kansas)
Elections for first territorial legislature, many came
over border from slave state Missouri to vote
(early and often)
Slavery forces won election, free soilers see this as
an illegal conspiracy and set up own government
State home to two separate governments
Tension increased when proslavery raiders
attacked free town of Lawrence
III. Kansas in Convulsion
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1856- John Brown, insanely dedicated abolitionist,
moved to Kansas
Led a band of abolitionist to a pro slavery
settlement on Pottawatomie Creek and hacked to
death a group of five proslaveryites and brought
swift retaliation from proslavery forces
Civil war erupted in Kansas after this attack
1857 Kansas applies for admission to US with
proslavery constitution (Lecompton Constitution)
approved in 1857
Constitution supported by President Buchanan,
many saw this a popular fraudulency
Issue divided Democratic party along north-south
lines and broke last strands that kept Union
together
IV. “Bully” Brooks and His Bludgeon
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1856- US Senator Charles Sumner
(MA) and Congressman Preston Brooks
(SC) demonstrated how inflamed the
political passions had become
Sumner gave a two day long speech on
slavery and the Kansas issue
During the speech he insulted a relative
of Brooks and he attacked and beat
Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor
Brooks resigned and was reelected,
Sumner had to leave office because of
his injuries and his Senate seat remained
empty
V. Old Buck Versus The Pathfinder
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1856 presidential election Democrats nominate James
Buchanan a Pennsylvania lawyer not tainted by Kansas
controversy
Republicans nominate John Fremont who had little
political experience, also not part of Kansas dispute
Republican platform against extension of slavery under
any circumstances
Democrats supported popular sovereignty
Know Nothings and their stand against foreigners also
nominated Millard Fillmore, party cut into Republican
strength
VI. The Electoral Fruits of 1856
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Buchanan won easily
Democrats won because of threats of secession if anybody else
elected
Many northerners wanted to preserve Union and keep business
connections with South
Events had not gotten bad enough to see no chance for reconciliation
(KS trouble had yet to explode)
Democrats were losing strength as evidenced by election of 1854
VII. The Dred Scott Bombshell
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Dred Scott lived with master in Illinois and free territory
of Wisconsin, master died and he sued for his freedom on
basis of his residency on free soil
Dred Scott vs. Sanford (1857)
Pro southern Supreme Court said he could not sue in
federal court because he was a black slave and not a
citizen
Said slaves were private property and they could be taken
to any territory (free or slave) and they were still slaves
Basis was the 5th Amendment, it protected private
property from the government
Southerners happy with decision, further drove a wedge
between north and south
Used as a rallying cry for anti slavery forces, refused to
follow decision
South wondered how they could exist with a group
willing to defy the Supreme Court
VIII. The Financial Crash of 1857
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1857 economic panic
CA gold had artificially inflated
currency
Over production of grain to feed
Europeans (Crimean War over
and it was no longer needed),
grain prices dropped
Over-speculation in land and
railroads
Hit north harder than south,
Southerners saw this as proof
cotton was king
VIII. The Financial Crash of 1857
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Northerners called for free land to help out (provide employment),
met opposition from industrialists because it would drain away
people needed for factories
Opposed in the South because plantation agriculture could not
flourish on small homesteads and if territories filled up it would
further tip sectional balance
1860- Congress does pass Homestead Act, public lands available
for 25 cents an acre
Panic caused clamor for higher tariff rates, surplus funds caused
Treasury to lower tariff rates and panic wiped out surplus
North wanted higher tariffs, Southern politicians blocked tariff
increases
Events gave Republicans two issues to focus on in election of 1860
that were not slavery, tariff protections and farms for farmless
IX. An Illinois Rail-splitter Emerges
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1858 Senatorial election takes national spotlight
Abraham Lincoln (R) and Stephen Douglas (D)
running for Senate seat in Illinois
Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates,
Douglas was known a great debater and Lincoln
was expected to fall
Freeport, IL major debate
Lincoln questioned how could popular sovereignty
survive with Dread Scott decision
Douglas’ reply became known a Freeport Doctrine,
where public opinion does not support law it is
almost impossible to enforce (slavery would stay
down if it was voted down)
Douglas defeats Lincoln but Lincoln becomes a
national figure
Douglas and his support for popular sovereignty
splinters Democrats- How could they vote for him
if he supported what they opposed?
X. John Brown: Murderer or Martyr?
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John Brown hatches scheme to invade south,
cause slave rebellion and arm them
1859- Invaded a federal arsenal in Harpers
Ferry,VA and failed
Quickly captured and hanged
South viewed him as a murderer and guilty
of treason, , moderate northerners agreed
Abolitionists were upset by his execution
and viewed him as a martyr for their cause
“ How can a barbarous community and a civilized
community constitute one state. We must either get rid of
slavery, or get rid of freedom” Ralph Waldo Emerson
XI. Disruption for the Democrats
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Election of 1860 hung on issue of peace or war
Democrats divided could not choose presidential
nominee
Southern states would not support Douglas and they
nominated their own candidate John C. Breckinridge
Middle of the road group wanted compromise candidate
to keep country together nominated John Bell from
Tennessee
Northern Democrats platform for popular sovereignty,
and supported Fugitive Slave Law
Southern Democrat platform foe extension of slavery
into territories and annexation of Cuba
XII. Rail-Splitter Splits Union
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Republican choice between William
Seward and Lincoln
Seward seen as too radical, Lincoln
had fewer enemies
Republican platform for nonextension of slavery, higher tariffs,
free homesteads and internal
improvements at federal expense
Southern secessionists said if Lincoln
elected they would leave Union,
thought federal government would
get rid of slavery
Lincoln elected as a minority
president, was not even on the ballot
in 10 states
Election of 1860 essentially two
elections- North and South
XIII. The Secessionist Exodus
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Chain of secession began to erupt
Dec. 1860 SC calls special convention and unanimously votes to secede from
Union
Over the next 6 weeks six other states follow
Feb. 1861 meet in Montgomery, AL to establish government and choose former
Senator Jefferson Davis from MS as president
Buchanan, did nothing
He was surrounded by pro-southern advisers and he could find no authority in
Constitution to keep states in Union
Public opinion in North not for fighting to keep Union together, so there was
still hope for reconciliation
Ideas proposed by James Crittenden (KY)
Crittenden Compromise proposed Constitutional Amendments designed to
appease South
Slavery permitted south of Missouri Compromise line and open to popular
sovereignty in all other territory
Lincoln rejected plan and hope of compromise evaporated
XIV. Farewell to Union
South left for a variety of reasons
1. Slavery, loosing sectional balance that was a threat to
slaveholding minority
2. They though departure would be unopposed
3. Northern economic interests would not put up a fight
to maintain business relations
4. South had a different culture and they could form a
country that fit their ideas
5. Develop own economic relations with Europe, keep
tariffs low
6. Felt it was their destiny and they were not doing
anything immoral or wrong
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