1793- Invention of Cotton Gin
SUMMARY- Eli Whitney invented a machine called the
cotton gin which made cleaning the seeds from raw
cotton 50 times faster than cleaning them by hand.
Cotton was needed for the fast developing textile mills
in the North.
• Cotton became very profitable to grow and came to
dominate all aspects of Southern life.
• Increased demand for new land to grown cotton leads to
westward expansion and removal of Indians from lands in the
Cotton Belt, increased new for more slaves.
BY 1860 COTTON ACCOUNTED FOR ALMOST 60% OF ALL U.S.
EXPORTS
1820 The Missouri Compromise
SUMMARY: In 1820, Missouri (part of the Louisiana Purchase
lands) petitioned to enter the Union as a slave state. This set off
heated debates in Congress because it would upset the balance
between slave and free states in the Senate. Henry Clay
proposed a compromise in which Missouri entered as a slave
state and Maine, which had previously been part of
Massachusetts, entered as a free state. This kept the balance in
the Senate. In order to avoid further conflict, a line was drawn
at 36-30 and forbid any slavery north of this line. The Missouri
Compromise temporarily squashed the discussion on slavery.
The North was generally
accepting of the
compromise.
The South was accepting
of the compromise but did
not like any attempt at
limiting slavery.
1830-65 Growth of Abolition
Movement
SUMMARY: The Abolition Movement worked to end slavery in
the U.S through a variety of methods including writings,
speeches, societies, violence and legislation.
Although most abolitionists were
from the North they represented
a small but vocal minority. As the
movement gathered force, many
people in the North began to
realize that slavery was wrong for
many reasons. The movement
led to the formation of new
political parties such as the Free
Soil Party and later the
Republican Party.
The political and social
hierarchy of the South
was against any attempt
abolish or limit slavery
as they believed slavery
was vital to their
economy and their
lifestyle.
Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)
SUMMARY: Nat Turner led a slave revolt from plantation to
plantation in Virginia which killed 60 whites. The revolt lasted
for several days before being put down. Turner and his
followers were executed.
• The repercussions of Nat Turner’s rebellion inspired many in
the abolition movement.
• Southern slave owners worst fears had been realized and they
acted quickly and severely. In the hysteria that followed, 200
slaves were executed by the courts and white mobs. Turner
himself was hanged and his corpse was flayed, beheaded and
quartered. States across the South enacted stricter slave codes
on teaching slaves to read/write, gathering in groups, white
patrols roamed the countryside.
Wilmot Proviso (1846, 1847)
SUMMARY: Bill introduced twice during the War with Mexico by David
Wilmot, a Democratic Congressman from PA. The Wilmot Proviso
sought to ban slavery from any new territories which might be gained
from winning the war. Both attempts passed the House but failed in the
Senate.
• Some Northerners viewed
the war as a land grab to
spread slavery and
therefore supported this
effort. The vote was made
on sectional lines rather
than by party affiliation.
• Southerners saw the
Proviso as another
attempt by abolitionists
to stop the spread of
slavery. Because the vote
was on sectional lines
they were able to defeat
this bill in the Senate.
Free Soil Party (1848-54)
Summary: Short lived third party made up of anti-slavery Whigs and
Democrats. It opposed the expansion of slavery and ran candidates for
president in 1848 (MVB)and 1852 (Hale). It believed that free men on free
soil was a morally and economically superior system to slavery.
• The Free Soil Party despite
being a one-issue managed
to send 2 Senators and 14
Representatives to
Congress. Their influence in
the debates on issues far
out-weighed their numbers.
(Similar to the Tea Party of
today)
• The Free Soil Party was a
northern political party and
had no representation in
the South. The FSP
influence on the slavery
debate was lessened with
the Compromise of 1850.
Compromise of 1850
Summary: The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five
separate bills passed in the United States in September 1850,
which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave
states of the South and the free states of the North regarding
the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American
War (1846–1848).
5 part plan initiated by Henry Clay to settle the differences
between North and South over California’s statehood.
1. California enters as a “free state”
2. New Mexico and Utah decide slavery for themselves
3. Slave trading in DC must stop…slavery ok
4. Tougher fugitive slave law
5. settled a border dispute with Texas
Compromise of 1850 (p.2)
• As in all compromises,
the North was not
totally in favor of all five
parts. Generally, the
North won on the
Compromise because
California entered as
the 31st state upsetting
the balance of power
(slave vs free) in the
Senate.
• The South gave up the
balance of power in the
Senate. In return, they
received a stronger
Fugitive Slave Act and
“popular sovereignty”
in the Utah and New
Mexico territories.
Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
SUMMARY: Part of the Compromise of 1850; the FSA required law officers,
judges, and ordinary citizens to turn in suspected runaway slaves even in free
territories and states. Failure to do so or give aid to runaways would result in
fines/imprisonment. Suspected slaves could not ask for a trial or testify on
their behalf.
• Many northerners deeply
resented the requirement
that they personally aid and
abet slavery. Resentment
towards this act continued
to heighten tensions
between the North and
South. Made Canada the
destination for runaway
slaves.
• The FSA is what made the
Compromise of 1850 easier
for the South to take.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly,[is an anti-slavery novel by
American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the bestselling novel of the 19th century and the second best-selling book of that
century, following the Bible.[It is credited with helping fuel the abolitionist
cause in the 1850s.
• the book elicited praise
from abolitionists and
moved many Northerners
who were “on the fence”
concerning slavery over to
the abolition side. It is
purported that Lincoln
when meeting Mrs. Stowe
exclaimed “so this is the
little lady who started this
great war.”
• Uncle Tom's Cabin ignited a
firestorm of protest from
defenders of slavery citing
that the book did not
accurately depict the way
most slaves were treated in
the South and that the
author had never stepped
foot on a Southern
Plantation.
The Republican Party (1854- present)
SUMMARY: Born out of opposition to the Kansas – Nebraska Act, its
original make-up was of anti-slavery whigs and anti-slavery democrats.
The Republican Party saw the expansion of slavery as a great evil. They
ran John C. Fremont in 1856 and Abraham Lincoln in 1860. “Free Labor,
Free Land, Free Men” was their motto.
• The Republican Party
had most of their
support in the
northeast and upper
mid-west
• Southerners viewed
that Republican Party as
wanting to end slavery
and a dangerous threat
to their economy and
way of life.
Bleeding Kansas (1856)
SUMMARY: The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) which allowed for popular
sovereignty in the territory caused a flood of pro-slavery and anti-slavery
people to go to Kansas. At question was whether Kansas would become
a free or slave state. Each side set up their own territorial governments.
Violent confrontation between the two groups was inevitable.
• The anti-slavery in Kansas
was backed by the House
of Representatives.
Eventually, Kansas would
become a free state on
the eve of the Civil War
(Jan. 1861)
• The pro-slavery
(Lawrence) government
was backed by Pres.
Pierce and the Senate.
The Caning of Charles Sumner (1856)
SUMMARY: Abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner (MASS) delivered a speech called
“The Crime Against Kansas” in which he criticized pro-slavery forces in Kansas and
repeatedly attacked the character of Andrew Butler of SC one of the K-NA cosponsors. Two days later, Butler’s cousin, Preston Brooks a member of the House,
confronted Sumner as he sat at his desk in a nearly empty Senate chamber and beat
him, nearly to death, with a thick wooded cane with a gold head. This incident is seen
as the breakdown of reasoned discourse over the issue of slavery and was
instrumental in the rise of the Republican Party to power in the North.
• Sumner became a martyr in
the North. Thousands across
the North attended rallies in
his support and more than a
million copies of his speech
were distributed. Sumner
would not return to the
Senate for three years and
face chronic pain and
debilitation for rest of his life.
• Brooks received overwhelming
support by Southern
newspapers and lawmakers.
He was mailed hundreds of
new canes. The gold head
from the cane used in the
attack was melted down and
made into rings which
southern lawmakers wore on
chains around their necks.
Dred Scott Case (1857)
SUMMARY: Eagerly awaited Supreme Court decision. The USSC ruled that Scott was
not a citizen and therefore had no standing to bring a lawsuit. The Court went further
saying that slaves were property and that the 5th Amendment prohibits taking away
property without “due process”. The Court also decided that ANY attempt to limit
slavery was unconstitutional (GOODBYE Missouri Compromise, popular sovereignty).
This decision divided the country even more and is considered by many to be the
worst decision ever rendered by the USSC.
• Economic chaos in the
Panic of 1857.
• Republicans and other
anti-slavery groups were
outraged.
• “I told you so…” this
decision confirmed what
the South had been
saying all along.
• Democrats were pleased
that the Republicans main
issue- restricting slaveryhad been ruled
unconstitutional.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
SUMMARY: These were a series of 7 debates between Stephen A. Douglas and
Abraham Lincoln in the race for Senator of Illinois. Douglas was a well-known
politician and a likely candidate for President in 1860. Lincoln was nearly unknown.
Thousands came to these debates. The main issue was slavery. Douglas won
narrowly won the election but Lincoln gained national attention.
• Although Lincoln lost the
election narrowly, the
Republican Party gained
more national attention as
did Abraham Lincoln.
• Lincoln said in the debate,
the real issue is “between
the men who think slavery a
wrong, and those who do
not think it wrong. The
Republican Party thinks it
wrong.” This will have a
chilling effect on the South
when Lincoln runs for
President in 1860….and
wins.
John Brown’s Raid (1858)
SUMMARY: In October, abolitionist John Brown led a raid of 18 men (white
and A-A) on the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, VA. His goal was to
capture weapons and start slave uprisings throughout the South. He was
financed by Northern abolitionists. He was caught during the raid, tried and
convicted of treason and hanged.
• John Brown became a
martyr for the cause
against slavery.
• Some, publically,
denounced his use of
violence; others
considered him a hero.
• Southern fears of a great
Northern conspiracy
against them seemed to
be confirmed by Brown’s
raid. To the South, Brown
was a murderer who
wanted to deprive them
of their property.
Lincoln elected President (1860)
SUMMARY: The US had been divided throughout the 1850’s over the
expansion of slavery and the rights of slave owners. This division caused the
Democrats to break into Northern and Southern factions. A new party, the
Constitutional Union Party, appeared. The Republican Party, dominant in the
North, secured a majority of the electoral votes, putting Abraham Lincoln in
the White House with almost no support from the South.
• The more populous North had
out-voted the south.
• Lincoln was the first person
elected President from an
anti-slavery party.
• People in the South did not
trust Lincoln even though he
promised not to disturb
slavery where it already
existed
• Out numbered in the House,
the Senate and now the White
House many states saw no
option but to secede from the
US.
Secession of Southern States (1860-61)
SUMMARY: After Lincoln’s election in 11/1860, the South made good on its longstanding threat to secede. South Carolina was the first to leave the Union in
12/1860. By February 1861, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and
Florida also seceded. These seven states formed their own country called The
Confederate States of America and chose Jefferson Davis as their president.
• Some abolitionists preferred
to let the southern states
leave.
• Most Northerners, however,
believed the Union must be
preserved.
• ? Did the South have the right
to secede
• Lincoln has not yet taken ofice
• Secession was welcomed by
most in the South
• Others were alarmed
• Justified by a theory of states
rights…entered the Union
voluntarily…should be allowed
to leave
• What’s the next move?
Fort Sumter (April 1861)
Summary: In his Inaugural address, Lincoln vowed to hold onto federal
property and to enforce the laws of the United States. The South soon tested
Lincoln’s resolve by ordering their troops to fire on Ft. Sumter in Charleston
harbor that was badly in need of supplies. The opening shots of the Civil War
had been fired.
• News of the attack on a US
fort galvanized the North.
Lincoln issued a call for
75,000 troops to fight to
save the Union.
• 4 slave holding states will
remain in the Union (MD,
MO, DE, KY…aka the Border
States)
• The remaining slave states
had to make a
choice…Union or
Confederacy.
• Virginia, North Carolina,
Tennessee and Arkansas
decided to also secede
There was no turning back now….the issues would be settled not
by debate or compromise but by a long and bloody war.