Chapter 16: The South and the Slavery Controversy, 1793 – 1860
p.350 – 369
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at beginning of US, slavery had uncertain future
some southern leaders talk openly of freeing slaves
intro of Cotton Gin – wide scale cultivation of cotton – eclipses tobacco, rice,
sugar
promotes insatiable demand for labor
slavery to stay in south
Cotton is King
- Cotton Kingdom develops into huge agricultural factory
- Quick profits attract planters, planters bought more slaves and land to grow more
cotton
- N shippers reap large part of profits from cotton trade
o Load cotton at S ports, transport to England, sell it , and buy manufactured
goods for sale in the US
- Cotton – ½ value of all US exports after 1840
- S produced more than ½ of entire worlds supply
- Britain- most important single product in 1850’s was cotton cloth – 1/5 of pop
makes living off this
- S leaders believe that British ties to S cotton gave them sense of power
o If war should break b/t N and S, British would force London to assist S
and S would be victor
The Planter “Aristocracy”
- pre-Civil War – South more of an oligarchy than democracy – gov’t by the few –
planter artistocracy
o 1850 – only 1733 families owned more than 100 slaves
o select group held all political and social leadership
o had greatest of S’s wealth
o basically undemocratic
o widened gap b/t rich and poor
o hampered tax supported public education
- women
o plantation mistress had great amount of power
o command household staff of female slaves – cooks, maids, seamstresses,
laundresses, body servants
o relationships could be anywhere from affectionate to atrocious
o virtually no slaveholding women believed in abolition
Slaves of the Slave System
- plantation agriculture was wasteful – profits lead to excessive cultivation
- force movement to west
- economic structure of S becoming increasingly monopolistic – big got bigger,
small got smaller
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-
financial instability in plantation system
o overspeculate in land and slaves
o slaves heavy investment in capital - $1200 for prime workers
 some deliberately injure selves or run away
 diseases, elements constant threat to slaves
o dependence on one crop economy
 price at mercy of world conditions
 discouraged diversification of agriculture and development of
manufacturing
o north benefits at expense of southern planters
 outward flow of $ in commissions/interest to northern middlemen,
bankers, agents, shippers
 servitude to northern manufacturing
repelled large scale European immigration
o discouraged by competition of slave labor, high cost of fertile land,
ignorance of cotton growing
The White Majority
- below wealthy slaveowners were less wealthy slavewoners
- 345k families (1725000 people)
- 2/3 of those families own fewer than 10 slaves each
- only about ¼ of white southerners owned slaves
- smaller slaveowners made up majority of masters
o typically small farmers
o resembled small farmers of the north
o worked side by side with slaves
- below this class – non-slave owning whites
o ¾ of all southern whites – 6,120,825 by 1860
o simple living farming thinner soils of backcountry and mountain valleys
o were subsistence farmers – raised corn/hogs, not cotton
o lived isolated lives, resented slaveowners
- below this class – “poor white trash” – “hillbillies” – “crackers” – “clay eaters”
o most were sick – malnutrition, parasites (hookworm)
- all whites w/out slaves ahd no direct stake in preservation of slavery, but were
among strongest defenders of system
o always hoped to buy slave or two, parlay holdings into riches – American
dream
o fierce pride in presumed racial superiority
o even worst off of whites took comfort in knowledge they outranked
someone in status
- Special Category – Mountain Whites
o Isolated in valleys of Appalachians from western VA to northern GA and
Alabama
o Little in common w/ whites of flatlands
o Hated both planters and slaves
o Looked upon impending war b/t N and S as rich mans war but poor mans
fight
o Vitally important peninsula of Unionism jutting down into the secessionist
south
o Play significant role in crippling Confederacy
Free Blacks: Slaves without Masters
- South’s free blacks – 250k by 1860
- Upper South – wave of emancipation inspired by idealism of Revolutionary days
- Deeper South – many free blacks were mulattoes, emancipated children of white
planter and black mistress
- Throughout S, some free blacks purchased freedom
o Many owned property, some had slaves
- were considered a kind of “third race”
o prohibited from some occupations
o couldn’t testify against whites in court
o vulnerable to being thrown back into slavery
- Free blacks in North
o Approx 250k
o Several states forbade entrance
o Denied right to vote
o Barred from public schools
o Especially hated by Irish
- anti-black feeling frequently stronger in N than in S
Plantation Slavery
- 4 million by 1860 – quadrupled since 1800
- legal importation ended in 1808, but thousands smuggled into S despite death
penalty for slavers – ones that were caught were tried by all white juries
- huge bulk of increase due to natural reproduction
- planters regard slaves above all as investments – property
o $2 billion in capital by 1860
o was primary form of wealth in S
o cared for as asset – sometimes, but not always, spared dangerous work –
would hire the Irish for life threatening jobs
- slavery profitable to planters, though hobbled economic development of region
- as profits grow in deep south, upper south begins selling slaves down the river
into expanded cotton kingdom
- slave women bear 13-14 babies – some promised freedom after 10
- separation of families one of slavery’s greatest psychological horrors
Life Under the Lash
- White southerners romanticize happy life of slaves
- Conditions vary from region to region, plantation to small farm, master to master
- Everywhere, meant hard work, ignorance, oppression
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-
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Work dawn to dusk in fields under watchful eye of white overseer or black
“driver”
No civil or political rights – minimal protection from arbitrary murder or
unusually cruel punishment – some states ban sale of child under 10 away from
mother
All protective laws difficult to enforce – forbidden to testify in court or even to
have marrianges legally recognized
Whippings common – substitute for wage incentive system, visible symbol of
planters mastery
o Strong willed slaves sent to “breakers”
savage beatings made for poor laborers, lash marks hurt resale value
typical planter had too much of own prosperity riding on slaves to beat too
severely
by 1860 – most concentrated in “black belt” of deep south from South Carolina
and Georgia into new southwest states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
majority of slaves live on larger plantations of 20 or more slaves
in some counties, slaves account for majority of population
family life in these areas tends to be relatively stable
development of distinct African American culture
forced separation of families more common on smaller plantations and in upper
south
in deep south, most slave children raised in 2 parent households
practice of naming children for grandparents or adopting surname of a forebear’s
master leads to family continuity
avoid marriage b/t first cousins (unlike planter aristocracy who often intermarried)
religious practices – molded own distinctive religious forms – mix of Christian
and African elements
o emphasize aspects of Christian heritage most pertinent to own situation
o responsorial style of preaching – adaptation of give and take b/t caller and
dancers in African ringshout dance
The Burdens of Bondage
- slavery intolerably degrading
- denied education – reading brought ideas, ideas brought discontent
- states pass laws benning instruction – 9/10’s of adult slaves totally illiterate
- slaves strike back in many ways
o often slowed pace to barest minimum w/out getting beaten
o stole food and other goods from masters houses
o sabotaged expensive equipment
o sometimes poisoned masters food
- runaways common – many in search of lost family members
- some rebellions
o 1800 – Gabriel – Richmond VA – plans foiled by informers, hung
o 1822 – Denmark Vesey – Charleston, SC – betrayed by informers – he and
30 others hung
o 1831 – Nat Turner – led uprising that killed 60 Virginians
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effect on whites
o increasingly live in state of imagined siege, surrounded by rebellious
slaves inflamed by abolitionist propaganda from North
o fears bolster theory of biological racial superiority
Early Abolitionism
- inhumanity of slavery gradually caused antislavery societies to sprout forth
- abolitionist sentiment first at time of Revolution
- early abolitionist movements focus on transporting blacks back to Africa
o American Colonization Society – 1817
o Republic of Liberia – 1822 – established in west African coast for former
slaves – capital Monrovia named for Pres Monroe
o 15k slaves transported there over next 40 yrs
- most blacks have no wish to return to Africa since nearly all were native born
Americans
- 1830’s – new energy and momentum for abolitionist movement
o 1833 – Brits free slaves in West Indies
o Second Great Awakening inflames many against slavery
o Theodore Dwight Weld – appealed to rural audiences; materially aided by
2 wealthy New Yorkers, fanned out across Old Northwest preaching
antislavery gospel; wrote “American Slavery as It Is” in 1839 – most
effective abolitionist tract, influence for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle
Tom’s Cabin”
Radical Abolitionism
- William Lloyd Garrison
o New Years Day 1831 published first issue of militant antislavery
newspaper “The Liberator”
o Began 30 year war of words against slavery
o Proclaimed under no circumstances would he tolerate slavery, but stamp it
out at once
- 1833 – American Anti Slavery Society
- Black Abolitionists
o David Walker – “Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World” –
advocated bloody end to white supremacy
o Sojourner Truth – black emancipation and women’s rights
o Martin Delaney – one of few black leaders to take recolonization of Africa
seriously
o Frederick Douglass – greatest of black abolitionists
 Escaped slavery in 1838; discovered by abolitionists in 1841 when
gave impromptu speech at antislavery meeting in Massachusetts
 Lectured widely, despite beatings and threats
 Autobiography – “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” –
origins as son of black woman and white father, struggle to learn to
read and write, eventual escape


Douglass flexibly practical, Garrison much more stubborn
(repeatedly demanded North secede from South, but didn’t explain
how creation of independent slave republic would end slavery;
burned copy of Constitution of 7/4/1854 and aroused much
criticism)
Douglass and others increasingly look into politics to end slavery
 Political abolitionists back Liberty Party in 1840, Free Soil
Party in 1848 and Republicans in 1850’s
 Most abolitionists follow logic of their beliefs and support
costly war as the price of emancipation
The South Lashes Back
- 1820’s – antislavery societies numerous in South
- after 1830, voice of white southern abolitionism silenced
o VA legislature debates and defeats various emancipation proposals in
1831-32
o Marked turning point – after this all slave states tighten slave codes and
prohibit emancipation of any kind
o Nat Turner’s Rebellion – 1831 – sends wave of hysteria over planters
o Garrison and “Liberator” appear about same time
o Nullification Crisis of 1832 plants additional fears in southern minds
- proslavery whites respond by launching massive defense of slavery as positive
good
o supported by authority of Bible and wisdom of Aristotle
o was good for Africans b/c lifted them from jungle and clothed with
Christianity
o argued that master/slave relationships resembled that of a family
o contrast “happy” lot of their servants w/ that of overworked northern wage
slaves
 slaves worked in fresh air, not in factories
 did not have to worry about unemployment
 cared for in sickness and old age, unlike northern workers
- proslavery arguments widen chasm b/t N and S
o southerners react defensively, grow intolerant of any questions regarding
status of slavery
- controversy also endangers free speech in entire country
o large numbers of petitions flood Congress from antislavery reformers
o 1836 southern congressmen drive Gag Resolution through House that
required all antislavery appeals to be tabled w/out debate
o attack on right of petition arouses former pres JQ Adams – fights for 8 yrs
for repeal
- Southern Whites
o Flooded with abolitionist literature
o Even though most slaves couldn’t read, could still interpret drawings
o 1835 – Charleston mob loots post office, burns abolitionist mailings
o caving to southern pressures, Washington orders southern postmasters to
destroy abolitionist material, tells southern state officials to arrest federal
postmasters who don’t comply
The Abolitionist Impact in the North
- were unpopular for long time in North
- ideal of union taken deep root, Garrison’s talk of secession not taken well
- North had heavy economic stake in South
o Late 1850’s – southern planters owed northern bankers/creditors $300
million – would be lost if Union dissolved
o NE textile mills fed w/ cotton raised by slaves – disrupted labor system
might cut off supply, bring unemployment
- many mob outbursts in North
o 1835 – mob drags Garrison around streets of Boston by rope
o Elijah P. Lovejoy of Alton, Illinois – printing press destroyed 4 times,
killed by mob in 1837
- by 1850’s abolitionist outcry made deep dent in northerners minds
o came to see South as land of unfree and home of hateful institution
o few northerners prepared to abolish slavery outright, but growing number
opposed extending it to western territories (free soilers)
Chapter 17: Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy, 1841 – 1848
p. 371 – 389
Territorial expansion dominated US diplomacy and politics in 1840’s – disputes w/ Brits
over Oregon country; annexation of Texas, acquiring California sparks dispute w/
Mexico; status of slavery in newly acquired territories raises thorny questions to be
answered in Civil War in 1860’s
The Accession of “Tyler Too”
- William Henry Harrison (Whig) wins election of 1840; whig spoilsmen
demanding rewards for election
- Real leaders of Whigs regarded Harrison as just a figurehead – Webster and Clay
continuously try to control executive branch
- Harrison catches pneumonia, dies after only 4 weeks in office (delivered very
long inaugural address in freezing cold weather)
- VP John Tyler assumes presidency – Virginian – switched from Democrat to
Whig b/c of differences of opinion w/ Jackson
o Enemies accuse of being a Democrat in Whig clothing
o On almost every issue, Tyler was at odds w/ majority of Whig party
(Whigs were pro bank, protective tariff and internal improvement)
John Tyler: A President Without a Party
- Whigs published no platform in campaign of 1840, but after victory pull one out
- Strongly nationalistic program
o End independent treasury, establish new Bank of the US
 Tyler strongly opposed – vetoed bill on practical and constitutional
grounds
 Whig leaders try again, passing bill providing for a “Fiscal
Corporation” – Tyler vetoes again (Democrats happy)
 Whig extremists condemn Tyler, burn in effigy, threaten with
death
 Tyler formally expelled from Whig party by caucus of Whig
congressmen, serious attempt to impeach
 Entire cabinet resigns as a body, except Sec State Webster
o Protective Tariff
 Tyler dislikes tariff b/c provided for a distribution among the states
of revenue from the sale of public lands in the West – didn’t see
point of wasting federal money when there wasn’t much $ in fed
treasury – vetoes tariff
 Tariff bill redrafted, eliminated dollar distribution scheme, pushed
down tariff rates to 1832 level
 Tyler realizes need for additional revenue, reluctantly signs law in
1842
A War of Words with Britain
- Hatred of Britain comes to head by 1842
-
Reasons
o Bitter memories of two wars
o Pro-Brit Federalists died out, boisterous Jacksonian Democrats take over
 British magazines depict Americans as backwoods, tobacco
spitting, slave auctioning, lynching, and otherwise unsavory group
of people
o US was a borrowing nation in 19th c, Britain was a lending nation
o 1837 – short lived insurrection in Canada – Canadians never had chance,
but many Americans furnish military supplies or volunteer
 Washington tried to uphold weak neutrality, but could not enforce
unpopular laws
 Caroline incident
 US steamer carrying supplies to insurgents across Niagara
River
 Attacked on New York shore by Brits – set ship on fire
 Americans considered an unlawful invasion of American
soil
 3 years later, Canadian boasts in a bar of his part in the
Caroline raid, was arrested and indicted for murder
 London foreign office regarded Caroline raiders as
members of armed forces, not criminals – made clear that
his execution would mean war
 Man freed after establishing an alibi
o 1841 – Brit officials in Bahamas give asylum to 130 Virginia slaves
 Brits abolished slavery w/in its empire in 1834 raising southern
fears that Brits Caribbean countries would become havens for
escaped slaves
The Lone Star of Texas Shines Alone
- since 1836, Texas led a precarious existence
o Mexico refused to recognize Texas’s independence, regarded as a
province of Mexico in revolt to be reconquered
o Mexican officials warn US of war if should be annexed into the US
- Texas forced to maintain expensive military establishment
o Forced to open negotiations w/ Brits and France in hope of securing
defense as a protectorate of one of those countries
o B’s intensely interested in independent Texas (apart from the US)
 Would check southward surge of US
 Puppet Texas would be controlled by Britain, could be used to turn
against the US
 Use as challenge to Monroe Doctrine
 British abolitionists could secure foothold in Texas, would inflame
nearby slaves of South
 Brit merchants see Texas as potentially important area for trade
(avoiding the US tariff) and place to grow cotton to supply their
textile factories
The Belated Texas Nuptials
- Texas becomes leading issue in presidential campaign of 1844
- Pro-expansion Democrats (James K. Polk) defeat Whigs (Henry Clay)
- Lame duck president Tyler interprets Demcoratic victory as a mandate to acquire
Texas
- Tyler gets much credit for bringing in Texas
o Many Whigs in congress feared adding Texas would simply feed “slave
power”
o Tyler knew could not get 2/3 vote in Senate for treaty annexing Texas, so
arranged for annexation by a joint resolution of Congress – required only a
simple majority in both Houses
o Texas added as 28th state in 1845
- Mexico charges that US stole Texas from them
o In reality, Mexicans would never be able to reconquer their lost province
anyway
- Annexation was practical necessity
o By inviting foreign intrigue from B and F, continued existence of Texas as
independent nation threatened to involve the US in wars
Oregon Fever Populates Oregon
- huge wilderness west of Rockies to Pacific, north of Cailfornia to line of 54,40
(southern tip of Alaska
- all or parts of area claimed at one time or another by 4 nations: Spain, Russia,
Britain, and US
o Spain bartered away claims to US in Florida Treaty of 1819
o Russia retreated above 54,40 line in treaties of 1824,1825
o Brit claims to Oregon were strong, based on prior discovery and
exploration, treaty rights and actual occupation (Hudson’s Bay Company)
o US also base claims on exploration and occupation
- British and US pioneers in Oregon lived peacefully side by side
- In early 1840’s, “Oregon Fever” seized hundreds of pioneers
o 2000 mile Oregon Trail used by increasing numbers
o 5000 by 1846 in area
o took covered wagons, going 1-2 miles/hr, 5 mos to make jouney –
thousands die en route
o British numbers only about 700 in area – begin to see wisdom af peaceful
settlement
- issue tossed into the presidential election of 1844, but largely overshadowed by
question of Texas annexation
A Mandate (?) for Manifest Destiny
- Presidential election 1844
o Whigs – Henry Clay
o Democrats – James K. Polk – “Dark Horse” candidate
 Speaker of House for 4 yrs; 2 term gov of Tennessee
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-
-
 Sponsored by Andrew Jackson
campaign was in part expression of emotional upsurge known as Manifest
Destiny
Manifest Destiny
o Many in the 1840’s-50’s feeling sense of mission, believed that God had
“manifestly” destined the American people for a hemispheric career
o Spread democratic institutions over at least the entire continent and
possibly over South America too
o Expansionist Democrats strongly swayed by this
 Platform for “reannexation of Texas” and “Recooupation of
Oregon” all the way to 54,40
o Whigs
 “Hooray for Clay” and “Polk, Slavery, and Texas, or Clay, Union,
and Liberty”
 Texas issue – Clay writes series of confusing letters that seemed to
say while personally favoring annexing slaveholding Texas he also
favored postponement – confusion part of reason lost election
Polk wins by less than 40k popular votes, 170-105 in Electoral College
o Clay would have won if had not lost NY state by 5000 votes
o Antislavery Liberty Party won 16k votes in NY, many of which would
otherwise have gone to Clay
o Ironically, anti-Texas Liberty party helps to ensure annexation of Texas
Democrats proclaim had received mandate from voters to take Texas, but wasn’t
really a mandate on anything
o Interpreted by Tyler as crystal clear charge to annex Texas
o Joint resolution for annexation passed 3 days before leaving office
Polk the Purposeful
- Polk
o Took life seriously, drove self to early grave
o Unwilling to delegate authority – micromanager
- 4 point program
o Lowered Tariff
 Sec Treas Robert J. Walker – tariff bill that reduced rates to 25%
 Strong support of southerners, opposition of north
 Walker Tariff of 1846 – excellent revenue producer b/c was
followed by boom times and heavy imports
o restoration of independent treasury
 again eliminates the Bank of the United States in 1846
o Oregon
 Promise of all of Oregon made to Democrats in 1844 campaign
 Polk has no intention of insisting on original pledge, proposed
compromise line at 49 degrees (current border) – offer turned
down by Brit minister in DC
 Brits experience change of heart – trouble of maintaining w/ small
population, Hudson’s Bay Co. “furred out” anyway

Early 1846, Brits accept offer of 49 degree line, Senate quickly
accepts – SEE map p.381
o California
 Coveted farmland and bay of San Francisco (US’s future gateway
to the Pacific)
 Mixed population in 1845, fewer than 1k Americans
 Polk eager to buy from Mexico, but relations w/ Mexico
embittered
 Mexico recalled minister from DC following Texas annexation –
diplomatic relations completely severed
 Deadlock over Texas tightened by question of boundaries –
Mexico claim SW border of Texas was Nueces River; Texans
claim more southerly Rio Grande
 Polk careful to keep US troops out of no-man’s land b/t the 2 rivers
 Rumors circulate about Brits buying or taking California (couldn’t
tolerate under Monroe Doctrine)
 Polk sends John Slidell to Mexico City in 1845, instructed to offer
up to $25 million for California and territory to the east – Mexico
doesn’t allow Slidell to present prop
American Blood on American (?) Soil
- Polk prepared to force a showdown
- 1/13/1846 ordered 4k men under Gen Zachary Taylor to march from Nueces
River to Rio Grande provocatively near Mexican forces
- when nothing happens, Polk informs cabinet on May 9 that he proposes to ask
Congress to declare war on basis of unpaid claims and Slidell’s rejection
o 2 cabinet members suggest would be better if Mexican troops fired first
- news arrives that same night that on April 25 Mexican troops crossed Rio Grande
and attacked Taylors army, 16 US killed/wounded
- Polk sent war message to congress – claims that war forced upon country by
shedding of “American blood upon the American soil” – congress
overwhelmingly votes for war
o Felt justified in bending truth if that was what it took to bend a reluctant
public toward war
o Whig congressman from Illinois (A Lincoln) introduced resolutions that
request information as to the precise “spot” on US soil where American
blood had been shed – “Spot Resolutions”
o Mexico would not sell California; thought Brits might take it
The Mastering of Mexico
- Polk wanted CA, not war – hoped to fight on limited scale
- Dethroned Mexican dictator Santa Anna, exiled in Cuba, informs US that if US
would let him slip into Mexico, he would sell out his country
o Polk agrees but Santa Anna double crosses, rallies countrymen to defend
soil
- US operations in SW and California completely successful (SEE map p.383)
o 1846 General Stephen W. Kearny led 1700 troops to Santa Fe, takes easily
o California already captured by Capt John C. Femont before Kearny gets
there
o Gen Zachary Taylor spearheads main thrust
 Fought way across rio Grande into Mexico and pushes south,
outfights Mexicans who have 5:1 advantage in troops
o Gen Winfield Scott pushes inland from coastal city of Vera Cruz in early
1847
 Battles way up to Mexico City by Sept 1847
Fighting Mexico for Peace
- Polk wants to end fighting as soon as could secure territorial goals
- Sent chief clerk of State Dept, Nicholas P. Trist along with Scott’s invading army
- Trist and Scott arrange for an armistice w/ Santa Anna (for a $10k bribe)
o Polk not happy w/ this, orders Trist back to DC
o Trist refuses to leave, grasps opportunity to negotiate
o Signed Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on 2/2/48, sends to DC
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
o Confirms US title to Texas
o Enormous area stretching west to Oregon and ocean, including California
o US agrees do pay $15 million
o Polk submits to Senate – needed to get it passed QUICK
 Anti-slavery whigs threatening to vote down supplies for army
 Expansionist democrats calling for ALL of Mexico
 Treaty approved 38-14
- victors rarely pay for spoils, but Polk arranged to pay Mexico 18.25 million after
winning territory – spirit of fair play, finality
Profit and Loss in Mexico
- Mexican war cost 13k US lives, most by disease
- US total expanse increased by about 1/3 – addition even greater than Louisiana
Purchase
- Sharp stimulus given to spirit of Manifest Destiny
- Mexican War provided field experience for most officers to become leading
generals in Civil war – Lee and Grant
- Military Academy at West Point justified its existence through well trained
officers
- Navy did valuable work w/ crippling blockade around Mexican ports – Naval
Academy established at Annapolis by Navy Secretary George Bancroft in 1846
- Army waged war w/out defeat or major blunder – improved opinion of US
military by foreign nations
- Negatives:
o Turning point in relations b/t US and Latin America as a whole – now see
US as greedy and untrustworthy bully
o Rearoused slavery issue



Abolitionists assailed Mexican War as one provoked by southern
slavocracy for its own evil purposes – most that fought in war were
from the south as well – but same as Texas Revolution,
explanation was proximity rather than conspiracy
Question of whether slavery should be extended into the newly
acquired territory became hot issue in congress and nation
1846 – Polk requests $2million to buy peace from Mexico – Rep
David Wilmot of PA introduced amendment to bill that stipulates
that slavery should never exist in any territory taken from Mexico
 bill passed House twice but not Senate
 Wilmot Proviso never became federal law but was
endorsed by legislatures of all but one of the free states,
came to symbolize burning issue of slavery in the territories
Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle, 1848 – 1854
p.390 – 409
Popular Sovereignty Panacea
- both political parties was vital bond of national unity
- each had powerful support in both N and S – if replaced by purely sectional
parties, Union would be in peril
- political strategy to avoid this is to ignore slavery issue
- Election of 1848
o Polk pledged self to only one term
o Democratic national convention nominate Gen. Lewis Cass – 1812 vet
 Platform silent on slavery issue in territories
 Cass’s views well known – was father of “popular sovereignty”
 Idea that people of a territory should themselves determine the
status of slavery
 Persuasive appeal – democratic tradition of self determination
 Seemed comfortable compromise b/t Free-Soilers and Southerners
 Defect was that it still allowed the possibility of the spread of
slavery
o Whigs nominate Zachary Taylor - WINNER
 Hero of Mexican War
 Party dodged slavery issue, Taylor not committed on issue of
slavery extension (but did own slaves)
o Free Soil Party nominates former pres Van Buren
 Distrusted D’s and W’s b/c of silence of slavery issue
 Favor Wilmot Proviso, federal aid for internal improvements, free
gov’t land for settlers
 attracted northerners who didn’t necessarily hate slavery, but the
idea of sharing western territories with African Americans (there
were some who hated slavery too)
 condemned slavery not for enslaving blacks but for destroying
chances of free whites to own their own land
 only w/ free soil in west would solve problem
 if forced to compete w/ slave labor, more costly wage labor would
wither away
“Californy Gold”
- discovery of gold in California in early 1848 rearouses the slavery issue
- thousands migrate to CA in hopes of striking it rich – most don’t
- settlers mostly white, single, uneducated, sometimes unemployed men, including
many criminals – also lots of prostitutes
o causes outbursts of crime – robbery, claim jumping, murder – with little
effective law enforcement
- best chance of making $ was to be a supplier of miners, hotel and
restaurant/saloon owners
- slavery issue aroused when apply for admission as free state in 1849
Sectional Balance and the Underground Railroad
- South of 1850 relatively well off
o Had more than share of nations leadership
o Southern pres – Taylor
o Majority of cabinet
o Majority of Supreme Court
o = in Senate
o cotton prices high
o little threat to slavery where it already existed
o 15 slave states could easily veto any proposed constitutional amendment
against slavery
- still deeply worried
o tipping political balance – admission of CA as free would destroy
equilibrium
o potential slave territory running short
o agitation developing in New Mexico and Utah as free
o CA might set example for rest of Mexican Cession area
- Southerners angered by abolition movement in N
o Calling for abolition of slavery in DC – would be 10 sq mi free soil area
w/in slaver country
- worse was loss of runaway slaves assisted by Underground RR
o informal chain of stations through which runaways were guided by
“conductors” from slave states to Canada
o Harriet Tubman – 19 trips to S, rescues over 300 slaves
- 1850 – S begins to demand more stringent fugitive slave law
o old one from 1793 inadequate to cope w/ runaways, especially with
assistance from Northern states
o believed that N had holier than thou attitude and outright refused to obey
laws passed by Congress
o S losing some 1000 slaves/yr out of 4 million – not many
 Principle outweighed practice
 Constitution protected slavery, laws of Congress provided for slave
catching
Twilight of the Senatorial Giants
- S fears lead Congress to near catastrophe in 1850
o Free soil CA wants admission
o “fire eaters” in S threatening secession
 Oct 1849 announce meeting to be held in Nashviille to consider
w/drawing – failure of US to act on slavery issue could mean
failure of US
- Congress meets to confront slavery issue
o Old Guard – Clay, Calhoun, Webster – last time together in public –
interested in preserving union instead of purging and purifying
o Clay –
 Proposes and defends series of compromises

Urged that N and S both make concessions and that N partially
yield by enacting a more feasible fugitive slave law
o Calhoun
 Championed the S – had to have another person deliver speech due
to ill health
 Approved purpose of Clay’s proposed concessions but rejected as
not providing adequate safeguards for S rights
 Plea to leave slavery alone, return runaways, give S its rights as
minority, restore political balance
 Proposed scheme of electing 2 presidents – one from N and one
from S
 Died before debate over
o Webster – famous “Seventh of March Speech”
 Sought to uphold Clay’s compromise measures
 Urged all reasonable concessions to the S, including new fugitive
slave law
 Slavery in territories – no need to make laws – climate,
topography, geography determined that plantation agriculture and
slave economy could not profitably exist in Mexican Cession
territory
 Concluded compromise, concession, reasonableness provide only
solutions
 Helped turn tide in the N toward compromise
 Strengthened Union sentiment
Deadlock and Danger on Capitol Hill
- Young Guard – group of newer leaders in Congress from North who had not
grown up with the Union – not interested in patching and preserving like Old
Guard – not want to purge and purify
- William H Seward – NY
o Spokesman for N radicals – against concession
o Didn’t realize that compromise brought Union together in first place
o If sections couldn’t compromise, would have to separate
o Argued that legislatore must obey Gods law – higher law than
Constitution
- Taylor seemed bent on vetoing any compromise passed by Congress – but he dies
Breaking the Congressional Logjam
- Taylor’s death helps the cause of concession
- VP Millard Fillmore assumes presidency – colorless and conciliatory
o Signed series of compromise measures that were delicate in the extreme
- Compromise debates in N states
o Union Savers – Old Guard – speak on behalf of compromise – sentiment
for acceptance gradually crystallizes
- In S States
-
o Fire Eaters – still violently oppose concessions but majority of S states
coming to acceptance of compromise
Second era of Good Feelings comes about – talk of secession subsides
Peace loving people in both N and S determine that compromises should be
finality and slavery issue should be buried
Compromise of 1850
- Concessions to North
o CA admitted as free state
o Territory disputed by Texas and New Mexico to be surrendered to New
Mexico
o Abolition of slave trade (but not slavery) in Washington DC
- Concessions to South
o Remainder of Mexican Cession to be formed into territories of New
Mexico and Utah, without restriction on slavery, determined by popular
sovereignty
o Texas to get $10 million from fed gov’t as compensation for land
surrender to New Mexico
o Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 – more strict than the 1793 model
-
-
-
-
Who got the better deal? – arguably the N
o CA – as free state tipped Senate balance against S
o New Mexico and Utah open to slavery based on popular sovereignty but
“higher law” tipped toward free soil – geography, climate, etc not
favorable to plantation labor
S did get new Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 in their favor
o “bloodhound bill”
o slaves couldn’t testify on own behalf
o denied jury trial
o federal commissioner who handled case of fugitive slave would receive $5
if runaway were freed and $10 if forced back into slavery
o northerners who aided fugitive liable to heavy fines and jail – maybe even
ordered to join slave catchers
Fugitive Slave Law has explosive chain reaction in N
o Moderates who were before this passive, now driven into ranks of
antislaveryites
o Underground RR steps up pace
o Northern mobs rescue slaves from pursuers
o N states pass “personal liberty laws” – deny local jails to federal officials
and otherwise hamper enforcement
o Some states make it illegal to enforce the new federal laws
Fugitive Slave Law was huge blunder on part of South
o Awakened spirit of antagonism against the S
o Inflammatory events of 1850’s bolster N will to resist secession
o 1850’s give N time to accumulate material and moral strength that would
allow for victory in the Civil War
Defeat and Doom for the Whigs
- Election of 1852
o Democrats nominate Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire
 Enemyless, unknown, BUT was a prosouthern northerner
 Acceptable to the slavery wing of the D party
 Platform for territorial expansion, endorsed Compromise of 1850
o Whigs nominate Gen. Winfield Scott
 Whigs had only ever won with military heroes so he was the
choice instead of Pres. Millard Fillmore
 Platform praised Compromise of 1850 as a lasting arrangement
- Whig party problem – hopelessly split
o Antislavery Whigs in N hated Scott’s platform, which endorsed Fugitive
Slave Law
o Southern Whigs doubted Scott’s loyalty to Fugitive Slave Law
o Scott loses election – actually stabbed in back by Southern Whigs (Free
Soil candidate John P. Hale also took votes from Whig party in N)
- Significance of Election of 1852
o Effective end of the Whig party
o End of Whigs brought about eclipse of national parties and rise of
sectional parties
Expansionist Stirrings South of the Border
- victory in Mexican War plus discovery of gold in CA reinvigorated spirit of
Manifest Destiny
- dreams of Atlantic to Pacific route in Central America – whoever controlled
would hold power over all maritime nations, especially the US
- British increasingly involved in the area drives US and New Grenada (later
Colombia) to conclude treaty in 1848 that guarantees US right of transit across
isthmus in return for Washington’s promise to maintain “perfect neutrality” of the
route
o Later provided some legal justification for US control of Panama Canal
Zone in 1903
o Also led to construction of first transcontinental RR – ran 48 miles from
coast to coast through Panamanian jungle
o Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 avoids confrontation w/ Brits over area
 Stated neither US or Brits would seek exclusive control over any
future isthmian waterway (rescinded later)
- Southerners look southward in 1850’s in search of new slave territory after
Compromise
o William Walker – Nicaragua
 Backed by armed force of southerners, installs self as president in
1856 and legalized slavery
 Coalition of Central American nations form alliance to overthrow
and execute
o Cuba




Enticing b/c had large population of enslaved blacks, could be
carved into several states and restore political balance in Senate
Polk considers offering Spain $100 million, but refused
Southern adventurers send 2 “filibustering” expeditions of several
hundred men to take over Cuba – both repelled in 1850-51
Pres Pierce tries to provoke war w/ Spain to seize Cuba in 1854
after Spanish seize US ship “Black Warrior” – thought would be
good time b/c major European powers bogged down in Crimean
War and wouldn’t be able to help Spain
 US ministers in Spain, England, and France to prepare
confidential recommendations for acquisition of Cuba
 Ostend Manifesto – top secret document that said that US
whould offer $120 million for Cuba; if Spain refused, and
its continued ownership endangered US interests, the US
would be justified in taking the island from Spain
 Secret quickly leaked out, northern Free Soilers rose up
against manifesto, Pierce admin forced to quickly drop
schemes for Cuba
The Allure of Asia
- California and Oregon made US a Pacific power
- How could we now tap Asian markets
o Rivalry w/ Brits plays role
 Brits secured right of their traders to peddle opium in China w/
Opium War
 Gained free access to 5 treaty ports and total control of
Hong Kong
o US merchants prod Tyler to secure US trade w/ China
 Sends Caleb Cushing to China to get concessions for US
 Eager for counterweight to Brits, Chinese sign Treaty of Wanghia
– first formal diplomatic agreement b/t the US and China
 Most favored nation status – US gets any and all trading
terms accorded to other powers
 Extraterritoriality – provides for trying Americans accused
of crimes in China before US officials, not in Chinese
courts
 also provided opportunity for US missionaries to convert the
“heathen Chinese”
- Success in China inspires mission to open trade w/ Japan – extremely isolationist
- Japan
o 1852 – pres Fillmore sends fleet of warships under command of Matthew
Perry to Japan
o produced silk bound letters requesting free trade and friendly relations,
then left, promising to return the next year to receive reply
o Perry returns w/ many gifts, including a mini-steam locomotive and 350
feet of track
o Persuaded Japanese to sign Treaty of Kanagawa
 Provided for proper treatment of shipwrecked sailors, US coaling
rights in Japan, establishment of consulate
 Cracked Japan’s shell of isolation
Pacific Railroad Promoters and the Gadsden Purchase
- California and Oregon 8k miles from DC – sea routes too long, wagon travel slow
and dangerous
- Feasible land transportation needed or new possessions might break away
- Camels even proposed
- Transcontinental RR only real solution
- RR promoters project many reoutes to Pacific coast, but cost so great could only
be one line – Question is where it should terminate – North or South?
o Favored section would grow in wealth, population , and influence
o S – eager to extend RR through adjacent SW territory
 Best S rail rout ran slightly south of Mexican border
 Sec of War Jefferson Davis sends James Gadsden to meet w/ Santa
Anna to negotiate purchase
 1853 Gadsden Purchase - $10million for land at southern end of
New Mexico Territory
 enabled S to claim RR w/ insistence – would be easier to build b/c
mountains smaller and route would not pass through unorganized
territory (like it would in the north) – Texas already a state, New
Mexico was formally organized territory w/ federal troops
available for protection
 N rail line would go through unorganized territory of Nebraska
- N RR boosters reply that Nebraska should be organized – already thousands of
pioneers on border
Douglas’s Kansas-Nebraska Scheme
- 1854 – Senator Stephen A. Douglas – Illinois
o counterstroke to Southern railway
o wanted to have eastern terminus of RR in Chicago
- legislative scheme that would enlist support of a reluctant south
- Kansas-Nebraska Scheme (eventually Act)
o Territory of Nebraska cut into 2 territories – Kansas and Nebraska
o Status of slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty
 Kansas – due west of slaveholding Missouri would presumably
choose to be slave
 Nebraska – west of free soil Iowa would presumably become free
o BUT
 Scheme contradicts Missouri Compromise of 1820 – prohibited
slavery in Nebraska Territory north of the 36,30 line
 Only way to open area to popular sovereignty was to repeal the
Missouri Compromise of 1820
-
Southerners rose to the chance of another slave state, but North struck out against
it
Douglas uses abilities to push bill through Congress w/ strong support of S
Douglas failed to perceive that fellow northerners felt deeply about this moral
issue – regarded repeal of Missouri Compromise as intolerable breach of faith
Congress Legislates a Civil War
- Kansas-Nebraska Act one of the most momentous measures to ever pass Congress
– greased slippery slope to Civil War
o Antislavery northerners angered by act of bad faith – all future
compromise w/ S more difficult – w/out compromise, bound to be conflict
o Fugitive Slave Law completely ignored in north
o Northern abolitionists and southern fire eaters saw less and less they could
live with
o Antislaveryites gain huge recruits
- Democrats – party shattered by Kansas-Nebraska Act – no more D presidents for
28 yrs
- Rise of the Republican Party
o Most durable offspring of K-N Act
o Spontaneous uprising in Midwest as mighty moral protest against gains of
slavery
o Gathered several elements – disgruntled Whigs (Lincoln), Democrats,
Free Soilers, Know Nothings and other foes of K-N Act
o Elected Republican Speaker of the House w/ in 2 yrs
o Becomes second major political party – purely sectional (north)
- sectional rift finally happened – Republicans exclusively in North, Democrats in
South
-
Chapter 19: Drifting Toward Disunion, 1854 – 1861
p. 409 – 432
-
1850’s – as moral temperatures rose, so did chances for peaceful political solution
to slavery
violence in Kansas, Dred Scott decision, attitudes hardening, Republican party
formation all set stage for civil war
Stowe and Helper: Literary Incendiaries
- 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe writes “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
o influenced by Fugitive Slave Law, determined to awaken N to slavery in
book – especially splitting of families
o very successful – millions of copies around world
o no other novel can be compared with it as a political force
o Lincoln – 1862 – “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that
made this great war”
o Profound impression on N – thousands swear would have nothing to do w/
enforcement of Fugitive Slave Law
o Influences Brit population too – convinces London – and French – to not
give aid to the South during war
- 1857 – Hinton R. Helper – “The Impending Crisis of the South”
o nonaristocratic white from NC
o hated slavery and blacks
o attempted to use statistics to argue that nonslaveholding whites were ones
who suffered most from slavery
o had little effect on intended audience (nonslaveholders) but took to heart
by planter elite – considered dangerous – book banned and burned
o used as campaign literature by Republicans in North
The North-South Contest for Kansas
- drawbacks of popular sovereignty to solve slavery issue
- most northerners coming to Kansas just ordinary west moving pioneers, but some
immigrants to Kansas were financed by groups of N abolitionists or Free Soilers
o New England Emigrant Aid Company
 Sent 2k people to area, armed, to prevent Kansas from becoming
slave state
 Idea was to populate area with abolitionists, have them vote
against slavery in deciding issue by popular sovereignty
- Southern spokesmen furious – had supported Kansas-Nebraska Act w/
understanding that Kansas would be slave and Nebraska free
o Some attempt to do same as north – help small groups of armed
slaveowners to Kansas to outvote abolitionists
o Problem – taking slaves to Kansas was losing game
 Slaves expensive – would be foolish to take them where fighting
was at to where soil might be voted free
- 1855 – time to elect members of first territorial legislature
o
o
o
o
proslavery “border ruffians” pour in from Missouri to vote early and often
slavery supporters triumph, set up own puppet gov’t at Shawnee Mission
Free-Soilers estab extralegal regime of own in Topeka
Kansas now had choice b/t 2 govts – one based on fraud, other on
illegality
Kansas in Convulsion
- John Brown – obsessive abolitionist
o Moved to Kansas w/ followers in 1856
o Murdered (hacked to pieces) 5 men thought to be proslavery
o Dirtied the free-soil cause and brought retaliation from proslavery forces
o Civil war in Kansas erupts and continues until merged w/ larger Civil War
in 1861
- 1857 – Kansas has enough people (chiefly free soilers) to apply for statehood
based on popular sovereignty
o proslavery forces – in gov’t power – devise Lecompton Constitution
 people not allowed to vote for or against the constitution as a
whole, but for the constitution either “with slavery” or “with no
slavery”
 if voted against, one of the provisions would protect the owners of
slaves already in Kansas
 whatever the outcome, there would still be slavery in Kansas
o free soilers boycott vote
o proslaveryites approve constitution w/ slavery in 1857
o Pres J Buchanan – under heavy S influence – supports Lecompton
Constitution
o Senator Stephen Douglas did not support b/c was fraudulent
o Outcome was compromise that submitted entire Lecompton Constitution
to popular vote
 Free soilers overwhelmingly voted it down
 Kansas remains territory until 1861 when S secessionists left
congress
- by supporting Lecompton Constitution, Buchanan antagonized D’s in the N,
which hopelessly divided the D party – now the D party and the R party are both
sectional
“Bully” Brooks and His Bludgeon
- Sumner-Brooks clash reveals how dangerously inflamed passions were becoming
b/t N and S
- 1856 – Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts delivered speech in Senate that
condemned proslavery men over the misuse of popular sovereignty in Kansas
o referred insultingly to South Carolina and Senator Andrew Butler
o Congressman Preston Brooks of SC took vengeance by beating Sumner w/
his cane until it broke
o Free Soil North aroused against his tactics, use incident to beef up
resentment against the S
“Old Buck” versus “The Pathfinder”
- Election of 1856
o Democrats – James Buchanan - WINNER
 Was serving as minister to London during Kansas-Nebraska uproar
so was enemyless
 Platform for popular sovereignty
o Republicans – John C Fremont
 Had very little political experience, but like Buchanan, had no ties
to K-N Act
 Platform vigorously against extension of slavery
o American Party / Know Nothing Party – Millard Fillmore
 Anti-foreign, anti-Catholic
- Republicans lost b/c
o Doubts of Fremont’s honesty, capacity, judgement
o Threats of southern fire eaters that election of Republican would be
declaration of war on them – northerners anxious to save Union and
business connections w/ S intimidated into voting for Buchanan
o “Victorious Defeat” – new R party only 2 yrs old but played strong against
D’s – foreshadowed victory in 1860
The Dred Scott Bombshell
- SC decision March 6, 1857
o Dred Scott (slave) lived w/ master for 5 yrs in Illinois and Wisconsin
territory
o Sued for freedom on basis of long residence on free soil
o SC ruled Scott was slave and not a citizen, hence could not sue in federal
courts – could have thrown out case after this BUT majority of court
decided to go further
 Issued sweeping judgement on larger issue of slavery in territories
 Majority of court decreed that b/c a slave was private property,
he/she could be taken into any territory and legally held there in
slavery
 5th amend forbade Congress to deprive people of their property
w/out due process of law
 ruled that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 (repealed 3 yrs earlier
by the K-N Act) was unconstitutional all along – said Congress
had no power to ban slavery from territories, regardless of what
territorial legislatures themselves might want
- N defiant of ruling, claims that SC ruling was just opinion, not law – S inflamed
by defiance
The Financial Crash of 1857
- bitterness of Dred Scott case deepened by hard times
- Causes:
o CA gold inflating currency
o Overspeculation in grain to supply Crimean War in Europe
-
-
-
o Overspeculation in land and RR’s
N hit hardest
S – high cotton prices allow them to ride out storm – seemed proof that cotton
was king, but was delusion
Financial distress in N gave new vigor to demand for free land in W – 160 acres
free as reward for risking health/life to develop it
o Opposition to this idea from eastern industrialists who feared their
underpaid workers would be drained off to the W; S opposed b/c 160 acres
not big enough for slave labor – Free farms would fill territories w/ freesoilers and tip political balance
o 1860 – Homestead Act – public lands available for 25 cents/acre –
Buchanan vetoes
Panic also creates call for higher tariff rates
o Months before crash, congress passed Tariff of 1857 that reduced tariff
duties to 20% - lowest since War of 1812
o N manufacturers blame misfortunes on low tariff
Panic of 1857 gave R’s 2 economic issues for election of 1860 – protection and
free land
An Illinois Rail Splitter Emerges
- Illinois Senatorial election of 1858
o Stephen Douglas vs. Abe Lincoln
- Lincoln
o Born 1809 in KY to poor family
o Avid reader, self educated
o Wrestler, weight lifter, splitter of logs for fence rails, good storyteller
o Married above self socially
o Emerged as one of better known trial lawyers in Illinois
o Referred to as Honest Abe b/c would refuse cases that he didn’t believe in
o K-N Act lit fire w/ in him – became one of foremost politicians and
orators of the Northwest
- challenged Douglas to series of debates – arranged 7 meetings from August to
October 1858
- Douglas defeats Lincoln for Senate seat
o Douglas’s loyalty to popular sovereignty probably decisive
o Senators then chosen by state legislatures – more pro-Douglas members in
Illinois legislature than pro-Lincoln
- election put Lincoln in national spotlight, began to emerge as potential R nominee
for president
John Brown: Murderer or Martyr?
- abolitionist John Brown schemes to invade S w/ handful of followers, call upon
slaves to rebel, and provide them arms, then establish a black free state as a
sanctuary
- secured funding from N abolitionists, seizes federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA
in Oct 1859 – kills 7 innocent people
but failed to tell slaves about his plans, so didn’t work out
quickly captured by Marines
convicted of murder/treason
presumed insanity supported by affidavits from 17 friends/relatives
Brown rather chose martyrdom – saw he was worth more to abolitionist
cause dead
effects of Harpers Ferry
o S saw him as murderer, traitor; concluded that his violent abolitionist view
was shared by entire N, even though many in north deplored his actions
o Abolitionists and Free Soilers were infuriated by execution
o
o
o
o
o
-
The Disruption of the Democrats
- Election of 1860: peace or civil war
- Democrats: took 3 meetings to figure out who’s running, then run 3 candidates
o Douglas – northern wing – popular sovereignty, enforce Fugitive Slave
Law
o John C Breckinridge – southern D’s – extension of slavery to territories,
annex Cuba
o John Bell – Middle of the road group – Constitutional Union Party – keep
union together
- Republicans: Lincoln chosen over William Seward b/c had fewer enemies
o Platform – appeal for every important nonsouthern group
 Nonextension of slavery
 Protective tariff
 No abridgement of rights against immigrants
 Pacific RR
 Internal improvements at federal expense
 Free farms from the public domain
- even though Lincoln hated slavery, was no outright abolitionist – was still in favor
(as late as Feb 1865) of cash payments to compensate owners of freed slaves
The Electoral Upheaval of 1860
- Lincoln wins election
o Minority president – 60% of voters voted for someone else
o Sectional president – was not even allowed on ballot in 10 S states
- election did not indicate strong sentiment for secession
- S, despite defeat, was not bad off
o 5-4 majority on SC
o Republicans still did not control either house of Congress
o Fed govt couldn’t touch slavery in states where it existed except by
constitutional amendment – that could be defeated by ¼ of the states and
the S had nearly ½
The Secessionist Exodus
- South Carolina
o Threatened to secede if AL elected
-
-
o 4 days after election, its legislature calls special convention
o Charleston, Dec 1860 – convention votes unanimously to secede
Next 6 weeks, 6 other states of lower S do same: Alabama, Mississippi, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Texas
4 others join later
Feb 1861
o 7 seceders meet at Montgomery Alabama to create Confederate States of
America
o Choose Jefferson Davis as president
crisis deepened by “lame duck” period
o Lincoln elected in Nov 1860, but doesn’t take office until March 1861
o During this period, Buchanan still in power – surrounded by prosouthern
advisers; didn’t believe that S states could legally secede; couldn’t find
authority to stop them by force (had small 15k man army that was
scattered and needed to control the Indians in the west); N still had hopes
of reconciliation
The Collapse of Compromise
- final attempts at compromise – James Henry Crittenden of KY
- Crittenden Amendments to constitution designed to appease S
o Slavery to be prohibited N of 36, 30 (old Missouri Compromise line)
o S of that line was to be given federal protection in all territories and future
territories
o Future states, N or S, could be determined by popular sovereignty
- AL rejects Crittenden compromise – all future hopes of compromise evaporate
o AL elected on platform that opposed extension of slavery – could not yield
Farewell to Union
- Secessionists left for number of reasons, mostly relating in some way to slavery
o Tipping of political balance
o N becoming more populous – threats to tip scale
o New sectional R party seems to threaten their rights as minority
o Free-soil criticism, abolitionist nagging, northern interference
(Underground RR, John Brown, non-enforcement of FSL)
- many in S support secession b/c thought departure would be unopposed
o also confident that people in N couldn’t fight
o believe N manufacturers and bankers wouldn’t want to cut own economic
throats
o S leaders believe secession was opportunity to cast aside vassalage to the
N – could develop own banking, shipping, trade, eliminate tariffs that hurt
S economy
o Sense of nationalism developing in S – against being lorded over by N
o Principles of self determination (Declaration of Indep) seemed to apply to
them – were rebelling against “King” Abe Lincoln