A Nation in Crisis
(The marriage gets rocky)
“The agitation in the subject of slavery would,
if not prevented by some timely and effective
measure, end in disunion.”
-John Calhoun
Views on Slavery

Southern Views:



God intended for
blacks to do the work
for whites
slavery was
paternalistic (the
master was like a
father to his slaves)
wage labor in the
North was worse that
slavery in the South

Slaves were happier
and healthier than
northern wage earners

Northern Views


believe it should
be abolished
blacks are inferior
to whites
The Election of 1848



Big Issue: should slavery be
allowed in new western
territories?
New Political Party: FreeSoilers vowed to keep
slavery out of the new
territories
Democrats and Whigs
embrace popular
sovereignty (let states
decide issue of slavery…not
Congress)
?
A Compromise Avoids Crisis

California wants to be a free
state but that would allow
free states to outnumber
slave states in the Senate
(threatens slavery)


South - Fugitive Slave Law not
being enforced
Henry Clay brings forth
another compromise that
would appease the North
and South
The Compromise of 1850




Congress would admit California as a free
state (North happy)
Utah (UT) and New Mexico (NM) would
use popular sovereignty to decide slavery
Slave trade in Washington, DC would end
The Fugitive Slave Act would require
that private citizens aid in the returning of
runaway slaves or be fined/imprisoned
(South happy)
Repercussions of
Fugitive Slave Act



Caused northern hostility
because the accused had
no right to a trial or testify
in court (judges were
paid more to favor with
slave owners)
Everyone is a slave
catcher
Unintentionally
increased Northern
involvement in the
Underground Railroad
Political Changes
•
•
•
The Whig Party dies because they
supported the Compromise of 1850
The Know-Nothings/American
Party formed under the platform of
anti-immigration (nativists)
Republican Party: opposed the
spread of slavery
Let’s Review!
1.
2.
What term applies to people who
opposed the spread of slavery?
a.
Separatists
b.
Secessionists
c.
Free-Soilers
Why did Henry Clay propose
what came to be known as the
Compromise of 1850?
a.
To avoid a civil war over the
issue of slavery
b.
To eliminate the practice of
popular sovereignty
c.
To provide stricter penalties
to those who harbored
fugitive slaves
3.
By 1850, what was the
national debate over
slavery centered on?
a.
Conditions in the
South
b.
The expansion of
slavery in territories
c.
The Missouri
Compromise
The Underground Railroad





Harriet Tubman, “Black
Moses”
Helped runaway slaves
escape to freedom in
the North
“Conductors” led the
way
Provided shelter, food,
money
Deepened southern
distrust
Harriet Beecher Stowe



Published Uncle Tom’s
Cabin in 1852
Showed the horrors of
slavery
Infuriated the South


Wrote their own books
about the advantages of
slavery
Spread compassion
through the North
Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854



Senator Douglas wants popular sovereignty
to be used in Nebraska
South feared that Nebraska would choose to be
free (balance must be kept)
Douglas divides Nebraska into two states:



Kansas – slave
Nebraska – free
Did this go against the Missouri Compromise?
“Bleeding Kansas”, 1856


Northerners and Southerners rushed to claim
the territory
Kansas had 2 governments


Disputes become violent when the town of
Lawrence was attacked


One anti-slavery and one proslavery
John Brown (abolitionists) executes 5 proslavery
settlers, condemned by abolitionists
Civil war between proslavery and antislavery
settlers

Popular sovereignty will not work
More Sectionalism
•
•
The Election of 1856:
– Democrats promise to not talk about the
issue
– Republicans oppose popular sovereignty
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857): the
Supreme Court ruled:
•
•
slaves were not citizens (property) they could
not even sue
Also ruled that Congress could not prohibit
slavery in the US territories
• Undermined the Missouri Compromise
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate


Battle for Senate seat
***Lincoln:



Douglas:


personally opposed slavery
Politically takes the the middle
road…don’t let it expand, save the
union***
supported popular sovereignty
Douglas wins the debate but
Lincoln wins lots of followers and
a reputation
2.
Let’s Review!
1.
What was the reaction in
America to Stowe’s book
Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
a.
b.
c.
The South praised its
honest portrayal of
Southern life
The North realized they
were wrong about the
evils of slavery
The South claimed it was
inaccurate and proof that
the North was against
them
3.
How is the Underground
Railroad an example of civil
disobedience?
What impact did the Dred
Scott decision have on the
issue of slavery?
a.
Ended the Missouri
Compromise and replaced
it with popular
sovereignty in all states
b.
Reaffirmed the Missouri
Compromise
c.
Ended the Missouri
Compromised and
allowed slavery in all
western states and
territories
Freeport Doctrine

Lincoln cornered Douglas by asking him if
a state could legally exclude slavery
before entering statehood


•
If he said yes then he supported popular
sovereignty
If he said no then he opposed popular
sovereignty
Douglas, a supporter of the Dred Scott
decision and states could vote slavery out
by refusing to pass laws needed to
regulate it
Violence in the Senate (1856)



Abolitionist Charles Sumner stirred trouble
when he delivered a speech about Kansas
and also insulted Andrew Butler
Butler’s nephew, Brooks attacked Sumner
in the Senate with a cane [The BrooksSumner Incident]
Shows the division between the North and
South
John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s
Ferry, 1859


“angel of God”, must avenge
the evils of slavery
Brown and his followers set
out to seize the arsenal at
Harper’s Ferry


Wanted to use violence to
end slavery but this was not
supported by the
abolitionists
Was cornered, captured and
executed
“I, John Brown, am now quite
certain that the crimes of this
guilty land will never be purged
away but with blood. I had, as I
now think vainly, flattered myself
that without very much bloodshed
it might be done.”
-John Brown, 1859
handed to the jailer on his
way to execution
The Election of 1860


•
•
Big Issue: slavery, state or
federal issue?
Significance: pitted North
against South (sectionalism)
Republicans nominate
Lincoln, keep slavery contained
where it is but don’t let it
expand
 Lincoln wins but carried NO
Southern States…South is
not happy
Causes Southern states to
secede [withdrawal from the Union]
Secession

After Lincoln’s election, South
Carolina seceded (left) the Union


Six other states followed


If a president can be elected without their
support what does that mean for slavery?
Felt that Lincoln threatened slavery
The 7 states form the Confederate
States of America


Wrote a Constitution that gave all the
power to the states and protected slavery
Elect Jefferson Davis as President
Lincoln Takes Office



will not interfere with slavery where it
already existed PRESERVE THE UNION
did not recognize the new Confederacy
but South was looking for a fight
Lincoln wanted to maintain control of
Fort Sumter



South Carolina was watching the Fort
Lincoln let them know he was sending food
not troops to Fort
SC is suspicious and attacked Fort Sumter (1st
battle of Civil War)
Let’s Review!
1.
2.
How did Lincoln’s election
contribute to the onset of war?
a.
Congress passed a resolution
giving Lincoln authority over
the South.
b.
Southern states saw his
election as proof that
Northern states controlled
politics.
c.
Lincoln immediately freed
Southern slaves.
When did Southern states secede
from the Union?
a.
After Mississippi left the Union
in January 1861
b.
Before the election of 1860
c.
Within a few weeks of
Lincoln’s election
3.
What do the Sumner Brooks
incident and the raid at
Harper’s Ferry reveal about
the state of the nation in the
late 1850s?
a.
Compromise was still
possible over the issue of
slavery
b.
People were willing to use
violence to advance their
cause for or against
slavery
c.
Everyone in the US
agreed with using
violence to solve political
and moral problems