Antebellum America
1837- Andrew Jackson leaves office
1844 - James K. Polk is elected President
- expansionist (believes in westward expansion… geographical growth of America)
- “54 40 or Fight”- wants Oregon and Texas (appeals to North and South)
- from TN, went to the University of South Carolina, Jacksonian, workaholic, 1 term
- Henry Clay runs for President in 1844 – Whig
-won’t take a stand about TX, probably costs him the election
-Polk is considered to be the first “underdog” candidate to win
1845 -Texas is annexed by Congress (under John Tyler’s administration)
- Mexico breaks all diplomatic relations with U.S.
-Polk tells Britain “no more joint occupation”
- Almost at war with Mexico and Britain
-Polk compromises with Britain
1846- 49th parallel (North of 49th is British, South of 49th is American)
No compromise with Mexico
-America claims the Rio Grande River is the Southern border of US
-Mexico claims the border is Nueces River (farther N than the Rio Grande)
800 Americans living in California
-John Slidell tries to buy CA from Mexico
-Polk sends troops to TX (Jan. 1846)
- May 1846- Mexican War (“War of North American Invasion”)
-Whig (including Abraham Lincoln) is wondering what happened, Polk is misleading
Americans, “American blood is shed on American soil”
-US wins- CA, AZ, NV, NM, CO, UT, TX
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican War (1848)
-acceptance of Rio Grande as southern border of US
-Mexico gets $15 million
-US is seen as a bully by the world.
-Wilmot Proviso (no slavery in land acquired from Mexican War)
-Gold is discovered in CA.
In 1848: There are 4 options for new territory
1- No slavery- North supports
2- Slavery in all territories- South supports
3- Extend Missouri Compromise line to Pacific (36 degrees, 30 seconds)- South
supports
4- Popular Sovereignty (people vote on slavery issue in their territory)- North
supports
Compromise of 1850:
1- CA is a free state.
2- no slavery in present day AZ and NM
3- changes the borders of TX, making is smaller, makes room for other states (TX is a
slave state)
4- assumes a lot of TX’s debt
5- no slave trade is Washington, DC (slaves are still allowed)
6- tougher fugitive slave laws (requires Northern participation in slave return)
Considered to be the last “great work” of Calhoun, Clay, and Webster
1848- Polk loses election
1849- Zachary Taylor becomes President
Whig, slave holder, general
Taylor doesn’t like the Compromise of 1850… BUT he dies. “Strategic death”
Millard Fillmore becomes President- signs Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 delays the Civil War by 10 years. And in those 10 years, the North
gets stronger (industry, populations, politician- Lincoln).
1852- Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published
-Harriet Beecher Stowe
-from New England
-spent some time in Cincinnati
- over 1 million copies of UTC were sold by 1853
-The novel (fiction) shows the cruelty of slavery, goodness of slaves…
-not a great work of literature, but very powerful in American opinion
1854- Kansas-Nebraska Bill
-Stephen A. Douglas
-bill passes, but at a terrible price
- Northern Railroad route to the western US
-also includes popular sovereignty (to appease the South)
-REPEALS the Missouri Compromise (Kansas can have slaves- Kansas is North of the
36’30 latitude line set by the MC)
-Northern Reaction
-furious!
-protests
-“Why should we follow the laws in the Fugitive Slave Act?!”
-Support for K-N Bill
- popular sovereignty= democracy
-Slavery didn’t really go into Nebraska… it did go into Kansas
1856- Bleeding Kansas (mini- Civil War)
-John Brown
-Pottawatomie Massacre
1856- new President… Democrat from PA- James Buchanan
-previously Sec. of State, ambassador to United Kingdom, Congress
-COMPLETE FAILURE as a President
1857-Dred Scott Decision (Supreme Court decision)
- slave (Dred Scott) who had “become free” because he was living in free state (IL)
and free territory (WI) when master died.
- SC Chief Justice Taney says he’s not free
-S Ct. says a man couldn’t be deprived property without due process- slave is
property, moving across state lines is NOT due process
- BIG PART- Dred Scott isn’t a U. S. citizen (because he’s a slave)
Supreme Court also rules that the Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional (say it’s against
the 5th Amendment). It doesn’t matter in terms of slavery because the Kansas-Nebraska
Bill already repealed the Missouri Compromise. *only the 2nd time the SCt. makes
something unconstitutional.
The Dred Scott Case furthers the slavery debate because “Southern Conspiracy” –
Southerners on S. Ct. – Lincoln doesn’t like the Dred Scott decision…Remember Lincoln’s
initial reasons for the Civil War (preservation of the Union, not slavery!)
1858- Lincoln-Douglas Debates
-Abraham Lincoln
-Stephen A. Douglas
-Senate (IL)
- series of 6 debates, all took in IL
- Lincoln- not an abolitionist, is against of extension of slavery in new
territories/states (because he thinks Founding Fathers wanted to do away with slaveryNW Ordinance)
-encourage people to back Lincoln
-Republicans needed in the Senate
-One of the biggest issues of the debates was popular sovereignty and Dred Scott
case
October, 1859- John Brown’s Raid
-John Brown is seen as a hero to the N
-Harper’s Ferry, VA (present day WV) to a federal arsenal
-encourages slave to rise up and arm themselves
- U.S. Army is called in- Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee
-Brown is tried and executed (Dec. 2, 1859)
-North makes him a martyr, South begins to fear violence… Lincoln condemns John
Brown.
1860 - Democrats divide: John Breckinridge (slavery), Stephen A. Douglas (moderate)
-Republicans- Abraham Lincoln (moderate)
-Constitutional Union party- John Bell
- LINCOLN wins! Election is Nov., 1860- carries all the free states , doesn’t have a
single slave state….So, what you mean is: the NORTH can elect a President without any
SOUTHERN votes?!!!
Dec. 20, 1860- South Carolina leaves the Union…
By Feb. 1, 1861- Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas
form government called The Confederate States of America
-Pres. Jefferson Davis
-VP Alexander Stephens
March 4, 1861- Lincoln is inaugurated
War comes in 1861 because…
-states have left the Union, need to preserve our country
-slavery
-industrial North v. agricultural South (urban v. rural)- conflict between two different
societies
-Does a state have the right to leave the Union? (states’ rights question)
Border States- 4- have slaves, but don’t leave the Union- Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware,
West Virginia
North
People- higher population
(approx. 22 million)
More “liquid capital” (more money)
¾ of the nation’s wealth is in the N.
Some farms, factories
(food and manufacturing)
High population of immigrants
Superior leadership in Lincoln
Recognized, established gov’t
Superior Navy, get supplies from the British
South
Approx. 9 million people
Capital- mainly slaves
Farms
“home field advantages”
Doesn’t have to conquer anyone- hang in
there…
Better military- boys grew up shooting,
riding horses, hunting “bred to fight”
Defending their homeland- have a cause