Bell Ringer
 What are some differences between
North and South in the years before
the Civil War?
Renewing the Sectional
Struggle
Chapter 18
Election of 1848:
General Lewis Cass
 Democrat
 Hero of the War of 1812
 Supported popular sovereignty
(safe and diplomatic)
Zachary Taylor
 Whig
 Hero of the Mexican War
 No official stance on slavery,
but owned many slaves
 Clay had too many enemies
Campaign
Mud-Slinging
 General Cass’
supporters tried to
paint Taylor as a
heartless mercenary,
who slaughtered
thousands of Mexican
soldiers.
 He still won.
Issues in the Election of 1848
 Popular sovereignty: citizens
of each territory would
determine the statutes of
slavery.
 Free Soil Party:
 Nominated Van Buren
 Antislavery Northerners
 Supported federal aid for
internal improvements
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
 British influence in Central America was strong and
even growing, despite the Monroe Doctrine
 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty stated that neither the U.S. or
Britain would take over the area without the other’s
agreement.
Zachary Taylor
 Dates in Office: March 4,
1849-July 9, 1850
 Nicknames: Old Rough
and Ready
 Political Party: Whig
 Major Events:
 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
 Died in office from cholera
Millard Fillmore
 Dates in Office: July 10,
1850 - 1853
 Nicknames: The
Accidental President
 Political Party: Whig
 Major Events:
California Joins the Union
 The overall result of the Gold Rush was that
California had enough people to become a state
almost overnight.
 Bypassed the territorial stage, drafted a Constitution
and prepared to join the union as a free state
 Would have disrupted the 15-15 balance in the Senate
End of an Era
 Congressional Debate of 1850 to address the possible admission
of CA and threats of secession by Southerners.
 The “Immortal Trio” spoke at the forum:
 Clay – The Great Compromiser, suggested compromise
 Webster – supported compromise and a stricter fugitive slave law
 Calhoun – the Great Nullifier, suggested to leave slavery alone, but elect
two presidents – one from the North and one from the South
Compromise of 1850
 Stricter Fugitive Slave Law enacted (“Bloodhound Bill”,
no testifying or jury trial, whites that aided escapees
fined or jailed, $5 for freedom-$10 for return for officials)
 Northerners passed “Personal Liberty Laws” to get around the
FSA
 Popular sovereignty in Mexican Cession lands (negates
MO Comp.)
 Admission of CA as a free state; NM and UT allowed to
decide by popular sovereignty
 The slave trade was abolished in D.C., symbolically
shows that the nation is taking a stance on the subject
Expansion in the Pacific
 Americans had always expanded the nation
by moving west, so it seemed only natural to
look to the Pacific when looking for new
markets.
 Commodore Matthew C. Perry led four
American warships to Japan to convince
them to trade with the US in the Treaty of
Kanagawa
 Japan was impressed by the technology and
firepower, causing them to not only begin trade with
the US, but to update their own technology to
compete with western nations.
 America would go on to annex a number of
islands in the Pacific
 Annex: to incorporate a territory into the domain of
a city, country, or state.
Millard Fillmore
 Dates in Office: July 10,
1850 - 1853
 Nicknames: The
Accidental President
 Political Party: Whig
 Major Events:
 Compromise of 1850
 Commodore Perry’s
Mission to Japan
End of the Whigs – Election of 1852
Franklin Pierce
 Democrat
 Supported both the
Compromise of 1850 and the
Fugitive Slave Law
Winfield Scott
 Whig
 Mexican-American War hero
 Supported both the Compromise of
1850 and the Fugitive Slave Law
 Party split over supporting the
cause or the candidate
 End of the Whigs
Franklin Pierce
 Dates in Office: 18531857
 Nicknames: Young
Hickory of the Granite
Hills, Handsome Frank
 Political Party:
Democrat
 Major Events:
Sectionalism on the rise!
Causes of the Civil War
 Slavery was dying out, but the invention of the
cotton gin prompted the plantation owners to keep
their slaves as they now produced a high profit
harvesting cotton
 The South controlled Britain because 75% of Britain's
cotton came from the South
 The antebellum South was more of an
oligarchy-a government ran by a few (the
planter aristocracy). The dominance of
aristocracy in the South widened the gap
between the rich and poor; aristocrats made all
the decisions in their favor in government.
 The Southern plantation wife often
commanded a sizable household staff of female
slaves.
Oak Alley
Plantation
House Slaves
 House slaves were
in charge of
cooking, cleaning,
serving meals and
caring for children
 Generally were
dressed better and
had better housing
accommodations
than field slaves;
often used as
nursemaids for
children, and
affectionately
referred to as
“Mammy.”
Southern
Myth
Planter
Aristocracy
White Majority
PWT, “Crackers”,
White Immigrants
Blacks (free, mulatto, or slave)
Division of Slave Population
In 1860 only about
25% of Southerners
owned slaves.
 The economic structure
in the South became
increasingly
monopolistic. The
plantation system was
very financially
unstable. The temptation
to over-speculate (no
profit w/material held) in
land and slaves caused
many planters to plunge
into debt.
 ¾ of Southern white population
didn't own slaves. These whites
were supported slavery because
they wanted to eventually own a
slave or two and achieve the
"American dream" of moving up
socially in society.
 The poor nonslave-holding whites
were known as "poor white
trash”, “rednecks,” and “crackers.”
 Next came the mountain whites
(“hillbillies”) who lived in the
valley of the Appalachian
range. Civilization hadn't reached
them yet, and they supported
Abraham Lincoln's Union party.
States Rights Issues
Political Divisions
 The Constitution (3/5
Compromise) favored the
South
 Agricultural lifestyle of the
South created an
environment of
individualism and a distrust
towards authority.
An Escalating Problem
Compromise
of 1850
Texas
Annexation
1845
Missouri
Compromise
1820
What do these
decisions have in
common?
Competition for Kansas
 Popular sovereignty:
citizens of each territory
would determine the
statutes of slavery.
 Free Soil Party: Antislavery
Northerners determined to
keep new territories from
admitting slavery.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
 The Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854) created the territories of
Kansas and Nebraska, and allowed settlers in those territories
to determine through Popular Sovereignty whether they
would allow slavery within each territory.
 The unspoken understanding during the Kansas-Nebraska
Act was that Kansas would go slave and Nebraska free.
 Bleeding Kansas: The name given
to a series of violent political
clashes between free-soilers and
“border ruffians” over slavery in
the Kansas Territory.
 Free-soilers were sending loads of
settlers to Kansas.
 When the election rolled around,
pro-Southern "border ruffians"
jumped over from Missouri to
Kansas to "vote early and vote
often."
 The South "won" the election for
Kansas to become a slave state.
Free-soilers cried foul and set up
their own government.
Bleeding
Kansas
Bleeding Kansas


With the chaos and violence, Kansas was being called "Bleeding
Kansas."
Kansas had a large enough population by 1856 to apply for
statehood. The pro-slavery government wrote up the Lecompton
Constitution which could be approved "with" or "without
slavery." But, even if "without slavery" were chosen, slave-owners
already present would still be protected. Thus, Kansas would
have slaves either way.




Abolitionist felt this vote was bogus, boycotted the election, and thus the
Lecompton Constitution . It was sent to Washington D.C. for approval.
Pres. James Buchanan gave his approval, but the Senate had to approve the
Constitution.
Stephen Douglas felt the election wasn't true popular sovereignty due to the
irregularities of the voting.
The end results were (a) the Democratic party was terribly
divided, (b) Kansas was now left in limbo—somewhere in
between a territory and a state, and (c) the slavery question was
still not answered.
“Bully” Brooks




Tension and passion from Bleeding Kansas worked into Congress. Sen.
Charles Sumner (northern abolitionist) insulted the family of a South
Carolina congressman.
Preston Brooks, a fellow Congressman and relative the criticized, took
offense to Sumner's comments. Brooks reasoned that he should challenge
Sumner to a duel, but duels were only for gentlemen and Sumner's
comments revealed that he was no gentleman. A beating was what
Sumner deserved, at least as Brooks figured.
So, "Bully" beat Sumner with a walking cane. Sumner was severely
injured, and Brooks was expelled from Congress only to get re-elected in
the next election.
The results of this poor behavior were (a) Sumner's "Crime Against
Kansas" speech became a rallying point for the North, (b) Brooks became
something of a Southern cult hero, and (c) it became clear that
compromise was now over (and replaced by Bleeding Kansas, namecalling, and cane-thwacking).
Dred Scott v. Sanford,
1857
Dred Scott Decision
 Dred Scott was a Missouri slave whose owner moved
(with Scott) to Illinois and Wisconsin, then back to
Missouri. Dred Scott sued for his freedom arguing that
since he'd lived in free states, he was free.
 The Chief Justice Taney’s decision said
 Dred Scott (and all slaves) was not a citizen and therefore not
entitled to sue.
 Said Scott was to remain a slave until he was freed by his
master.
 Concluded the Missouri Compromise had been
unconstitutional all along
 Slavery could now invade the North without obstacles;
The South fought for “states’ rights,” which ended up
limiting the rights of the northern states.
Bell Ringer
 What was the issue in the Dred
Scott case? What did this mean
for Northern States?
Rising Abolitionism
 Many free blacks settled in New Orleans.
 In the South, the free blacks were
prohibited from having certain jobs and
forbidden from testifying against whites
in court. They were known as the "3rd
Race."
 In the North, the free blacks as
individuals were hated more than in the
South – seen as competition for cheap
labor (hated by the Irish).
 White southerners liked the black as an
individual, but hated the race. The white
northerner professed to like the race, but
disliked the individual.
 By 1860 there were nearly 4 million
slaves in America.
 Because the price of "black ivory"
(slaves) was so high, slaves were
smuggled into the South despite the
importation of African slaves into
American ended in 1808. Most slaves
were the offspring of slaves already
in America.
 Planters regarded slaves as major
investments, and often were spared
the most dangerous work – that was
reserved for worthless Irish
immigrants.
 A large enslaved mulatto population
emerged from the forced relations of
white masters.
 "Black Belt"- region where
most slaves were
concentrated; the Deep South.
 Conditions varied from region
to region, farm to farm
 Often worked from dawn to dusk
 Whipped for slow work or
insubordination
 No civil or political rights
 Blacks managed to sustain
family life in slavery.
 “Until death or distance do you
part”
 Blacks molded their own
distinctive religious forms
from a mixture of Christian
and African elements.
 Negro Spirituals
 Santeria
 Slaves were not permitted to
read because reading brought
ideas and ideas brought
discontent.
 Slavery in the South was known
as the "peculiar institution.“
 Idea of black “laziness” came
from slowed work pace
Underground Railroad
 Harriet Tubman: most
famous “conductor”;
nicknamed “Moses”
 Negro Spirituals used as
code to help slaves escape
to freedom
 A stricter Fugitive Slave
Law pushed by Southerners
in Congress
 Slaves rebelled by
breaking tools, working
at a slower pace, stealing
from their masters, or
feigning sick.
 Nat Turner’s Rebellion:
A failed slave rebellion
that resulted in the
deaths of 50 whites and
demands for stricter
laws on punishments for
rebellious slaves.
Methods of
Rebellion
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
 Nat Turner, a slave owned by Joseph
Travis of Southampton, Virginia,
believed that he had been chosen by
God to lead a slave rebellion. In
February 1831, an eclipse of the sun
convinced Turner that this was a
supernatural sign from God to start an
insurrection. Turner and about seven
other slaves killed Travis and his family
to launch his rebellion. In all, about 50
whites were killed.
 Turner had hoped this his action
would cause a massive slave uprising
but only 75 joined his rebellion. Over
3,000 members of the state militia were
sent to deal with Turner's gang, and
they were soon defeated. In retaliation,
more than a hundred innocent slaves
were killed. Turner went into hiding
but was captured six weeks later. Nat
Turner was executed on 11th
November, 1831.
Consequences for Slaves
 In 1832, southern states were moving to make the
emancipation of any kind illegal. The Southerners argued
that slavery was supported by the Bible (there were
slaves in Egypt,
 The Gag Resolution required all anti-slavery appeals to
be tabled without debate in the House of
Representatives.
 In 1835, the government ordered the southern
postmasters to destroy abolitionist material due to antiabolitionist mobbing and rioting at a postal office in
Charleston, South Carolina.
Uncle Tom’s
Cabin
 A novel dramatizing the
cruelties of slavery
 It touched readers
emotionally and created
widespread antislavery
support among
northerners.
 Sold 300,000 copies in
the first year.
Different perspectives of the book:
Northerners
Southerners
“What a
horribly cruel
system!”
“What kinda
Yankee
abolitionist
propaganda is
this?!”
 American Colonization Society- founded
in 1817; focused on transporting the
blacks back to Africa.
 Republic of Liberia- founded in 1822 as a
place for former slaves.
 The Second Great Awakening inflamed
the hearts of many abolitionists against
the sin of slavery.
 Theodore Dwight Weld- abolitionist;
wrote the pamphlet American Slavery As It
Is (1839) – an earnest plea for abolition.
 William Lloyd Garrisonwrote a militantly anti-slavery
newspaper The Liberator;
 one of the founders of
the American Anti-Slavery
Society
 Promoted "immediate
emancipation" of slaves in the
United States
 Publicly burned a copy of the
Constitution.
Radical Abolitionism
 John Brown: A violent abolitionist
who used militant actions to abolish
slavery
 Commanded forces in battles in the
Bleeding Kansas campaign. At
Pottawatomie Creek he killed and
chopped up 5 slavery supporters.
 Raid on Harper’s Ferry: Brown
raided a federal arsenal in hopes of
inciting slave rebellion. It failed, and
he was tried, convicted, and hanged.
 He became an instant martyr for the
abolitionist cause.
Radical Abolitionism
 Sojourner Truth- freed
black woman who
fought for black
emancipation and
women's rights.
 Frederick Douglasslectured widely for
abolitionism; looked to
politics to end slavery.
Was a consultant for
Abraham Lincoln.
 Abolitionists were, for a long time, unpopular in
many parts of the North. The southern planters
owed much money to the northern bankers-should
the Union dissolve, the debts would be lost. New
England textile mills were fed with cotton raised by
the slaves-if slavery was abolished, then the vital
supply would be cut off and there would be
unemployment.
 "Free soilers" opposed extending slavery to the
western territories
Drifting Toward Disunion
Chapter 19
Competition for Kansas
 Since it was opened to popular sovereignty and was perched
to grow, Kansas became the new slavery battleground.
 The unspoken understanding during the Kansas-Nebraska
Act was that Kansas would go slave and Nebraska free.
 Northerners were sending loads of settlers to
Kansas.
 When the election rolled around, pro-Southern
"border ruffians" jumped over from Missouri to
Kansas to "vote early and vote often." The
South "won" the election for Kansas to become
a slave state and set up a government at
Shawnee Mission.
 Free-soilers cried foul and set up their own
government in Topeka.
 Thus, after the election, there were two
governments: one slave and based on a bogus
election, and one free and illegitimate.
 Things worsened when a roving gang of proslavery hoodlums, led by the outlaw William
Clark Quantrill, shot up and burnt down freesoil Lawrence, Kansas. The slavery issue was
certainly not solved.
 The violence continued when John Brown and
men set out for revenge for Lawrence. At
Pottawatomie Creek he killed and chopped up
5 slavery supporters.
Competition
for Kansas
Franklin Pierce
 Dates in Office: 18531857
 Nicknames: Young
Hickory of the Granite
Hills, Handsome Frank
 Political Party:
Democrat
 Major Events:
 Gadsden Purchase
 Kansas-Nebraska Act
 Ostend Manifesto
Election of 1856

The Democrats chose James
Buchanan. He had considerable
experience but was not
affiliated with the growingly
unpopular Kansas-Nebraska
Act.

 The Republicans chose John C.
Fremont, the "Pathfinder" and
hero of the Mexican War.
The American Party was a
newcomer. They were better
known by their nickname, the
Know-Nothing Party.
The election was ugly, complete with mudslinging and charges of conspiracy and
scandal. Fremont was accused of being Catholic which hurt his votes.
James Buchanan
 Dates in Office: 1857–1861
 Nicknames: Ten-Cent
Jimmie
 Political Party: Democrat
 Major Events:
Panic of 1857

The economics of the situation weren't particularly
bad, but the psychological fallout for a troubled time
was very strong.



At the same time, a Homestead Act was passed by
Congress but vetoed by Pres. Buchanan.


Causes for this panic were: (a) inflation caused by California
gold, (b) over-production of grain, and (c) over-speculation
(the perennial cause), this time in land and railroads.
The North was hit hardest. The South was largely
unaffected, supposedly proving that cotton was indeed king.
The fear was that it would drain Northern workers to the
cheap land and Southerners feared the west would fill up
with free-soilers.
The tariff rate also went up due to the panic. The
prior rates had recently been reduced to only 20%,
due to Southern complaints, but the new law sent
them right back up.
Lincoln – Douglas Debates



The Illinois Senate race of 1858 took the national spotlight. The
Democrats put up Sen. Stephen Douglas and the Republicans put up
Abraham Lincoln.
Douglas was likely the "biggest name" Senator of the day and expected to
easily be re-elected over backwoodsy Lincoln.
Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates and Douglas accepted.
The "Lincoln-Douglas debates" were a series of seven debates spread
across Illinois.
Freeport, Il.
 Lincoln asked Douglas if the people of a
territory voted slavery down, despite the
Supreme Court saying that they could not do
so, which side would he support, the people or
the Supreme Court?” This put Douglas in a loselose situation.
 “Freeport Doctrine” - Douglas' response stated
that despite the court's ruling, slavery could be
prevented from any territory by the refusal of
the people living in that territory to pass laws
favorable to slavery. Likewise, if the people of
the territory supported slavery, legislation
would provide for its continued existence.
 The South turned against Douglas.



Had initially loved Douglas because he'd opened up so
much land to popular sovereignty.
Douglas shot down Kansas' bid for statehood as a slave
state—upsetting the South.
Finally, the Freeport Doctrine infuriated the South when
he turned his back on the Supreme Court’s pro-South,
Dred Scott decision.
 The , which had been his goal all along. Douglas
had "won the battle but lost the war"—in
winning the 1858 Illinois Senate election, it cost
him the 1860 presidential election.
James Buchanan
 Dates in Office: 1857–1861
 Nicknames: Ten-Cent
Jimmie






Political Party: Democrat
Major Events:
Pony Express
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Southern Secession
Establishment of the
Confederate States of
America (CSA)
States’ Rights
Slavery
_____% 1-9 Slaves
_____% 10-49 Slaves
_____% 50+ Slaves
Tariff Disputes
Different Economies
Cultural Differences
Emergence of the Republican
Party
Birth of the Republican Party
 Founded in the Northern states in 1854 by
anti-slavery activists, modernizers, and exFree Soilers.
 The main cause was opposition to the Kansas–
Nebraska Act; the Northern Republicans saw
the expansion of slavery as a great evil.
 By 1858, the Republicans dominated nearly all
Northern states.
Lincoln – Douglas Debates
 The Illinois Senate race of 1858 was fought between Democrat,
Sen. Stephen Douglas, and the Republican candidate, Abraham
Lincoln.
 Douglas was likely the "biggest name" Senator of the day and expected to
easily be re-elected over backwoodsy Lincoln.
 Lincoln-Douglas Debates: Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of
debates to prove his worth as a candidate.
 Douglas shot himself in the foot with Southern Democrats by making a profree soil comment. He would win the Senate election, but lose the
opportunity for the presidency two years later.
Election of 1860
 The South feared that if
Lincoln won the election that
he would try to abolish
slavery.
 South Carolina announced
that if Lincoln was elected,
they would secede from the
Union in protest.
 Lincoln felt secession was
impractical since the south
could not geographically
separate.
 By the time he took office, 7
states would have seceded
from the Union.
Bell Ringer
 Which of the themes we discussed
last class do you think had the
biggest effect on causing the Civil
War?
Negro spirituals as code
Escaping Slavery
Secret code!
 Many songs sung by Southern slaves were used as
code to spread word about upcoming escape
attempts.





Wade in the Water
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Keep your hands on the Plow
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning
Take a guess!
 Moses/Abraham/old
man
 Wade in the Water
 Jordan River
 Drinking gourd
 Turn my eyes to the
rising sun
 Turn my eyes to the
setting sun
 Harriet Tubman, conductor along
the Underground Railroad
 Escape through the river so the
hounds can’t track you
 Mississippi or Missouri River
 Big Dipper, points due North
 We escape at dawn towards the
East
 We escape after dusk towards the
West
The Compromise of 1850
 To solve the growing tension between free and slave
states and the question of what to do with the newly
acquired territories, the Compromise of 1850 was
developed.
Let’s keep score!
Compromise of 1850
 CA admitted as a free state
 Utah and New Mexico
territories could vote on
whether to permit slavery
 Slave trading was
abolished in Washington
D.C.
 A strong fugitive slave law
was passed to ensure the
return of runaway slaves
Advantage:
 NORTH
 SOUTH
 NORTH
 SOUTH
 Result:
 EVEN STEVEN!
Failure of the Compromise of 1850
 The Compromise didn’t work. Why? It could not
hold the country together when the root of the
problem was so deeply embedded in the fabric of our
country.