From Compromise to Secession, 1850-1861

Chapter 14

Controversies After Mexican War

• Would slavery expand into newly acquired land?

• What about Texas (border and debt) and California?

• Some felt slavery in Washington D.C. was embarrassing for the nation.

Different Solutions

• Free Soil:– All new territory should be FREE (prohibit

slavery)

• Popular Sovereignty – Allow people who live in new territories to vote

and decide for themselves

• Extend the Missouri Compromise Line

Free Soil

• Wilmot Proviso:– Proposal to prohibit

slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico

– Defeated in 1846, but would have been supported by followers of the Free Soil

Missouri Compromise Line: Extension

Who could develop a compromise?

• U.S. political system was based on compromise ever since Constitutional Convention

• Political cartoon shows President, Zachary Taylor balancing arguments

Zachary Taylor

Who could develop a compromise?

• Henry Clay

(Great Compromiser)– Tried and failed to

develop a broad consensus

• Stephen Douglas (Illinois Senator)– Succeeded where Clay

had failed

Henry Clay

Stephen Douglas

Compromise of 18501. CA entered Union as a free state

2. Slavery in UT and NM territories would be decided by

popular sovereignty

Compromise of 1850

3. Texas border disputed settled and debt paid

Compromise of 1850

4. Slave trade outlawed in Washington, D.C. (but slavery remained legal)

5. Stricter Fugitive Slave Law

Compromise of 1850

Compromise of 1850(Impact)

• Significance:– The nation avoided war– Over the next 10 years northern states grew

in population and industrial power as compared to the south

Fugitive Slave Law(Part of the Compromise of 1850)

1. All runaway slaves had to be returned to their owners

2. It became illegal to aid runaway slaves

3. Accused runaways were denied a jury trial; a judge decided their fate

Fugitive Slave Law(Impact)

• Significance:– Infuriated opponents

of slavery– Showed slavery was a

national problem, not regional

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

• Identified horrors of slavery

• Chronicled the life of Uncle Tom, a loyal slave, who was sold and eventually whipped to death by his new owner

• Significance:– Angered people in north;

opposition to slavery grew– Angered people in the

south; it misrepresented slavery

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

• Became a best selling book in the U.S. and world – >300,000 copies in

first year alone

• Also became a popular play Theater Poster: Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Election of 1852

Kansas and Nebraska (Background)

Northerners supported a railroad out west, but much of the region was unorganized

Southerners wanted slavery to expand westward, but it was prohibited by the Missouri Compromise

Stephen Douglas (IL) sought a compromise:

•he wanted to become president and help his home state of Illinois

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

1. Organized two new territories: Kansas and Nebraska

2. The Missouri Compromise was repealed

3. Slavery in Kansas and Nebraska was to be determined by popular sovereignty

Kansas/Nebraska Act (Impact)

• Significance:– Infuriated opponents of slavery– Led to “death” of Whig Party and second

American party system

Collapse of the 2nd Party System

• Two Dominant Political Parties since 1820’s:– Democrats: Supporters of Andrew Jackson– Whigs: opponents of Jackson

• Kansas-Nebraska Act “killed” the Whig Party

The Gadsden Purchase, 1853

Ostend Manifesto, 1854

Bleeding-Kansas (1855-56)

• Supporters and opponents of slavery converged in Kansas

• Many pro-slavery candidates voted illegally in 1855 election

• Eventually, there was bloodshed…

Bleeding-Kansas (1855-56)

• Pottawatomi Creek, 1856– John Brown and others abducted 5 pro-

slavery supporters– The men were murdered

Bleeding Kansas/Fight in the Senate(Preston Brooks vs. Charles Sumner)

Election of 1856

Dred Scott Case (Background)

• Dred Scott was from a slave state, but he then resided in a free state (Illinois) and territory (Wisconsin)

• • He sued to obtain his

freedom

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

• Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote the decision:– Scott did not receive his

freedom– Blacks were not citizens

and had no citizenship rights

– Congress cannot prohibit slavery anywhere, only states have this power

Chief Justice, Roger Taney

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

• Infuriated many in the north

• Southerners saw it as a validation for previous arguments

• Significance:– Opponents of slavery feared that slavery

might expand into additional areas– Reinforced argument that slavery was a

national issue, not regional

Stephen Douglas

• Incumbent Senator for IL

• Supported westward expansion and popular sovereignty

• Sponsored legislation: Compromise of 1850 and Kansas-Nebraska Act

Abraham Lincoln

• Humble origins and IL lawyer

• Served one term in US House; opposed Mexican War

• Member of the newly formed Republican party– Opposed the expansion

of slavery into territories

Lincoln/Douglas Debates (1858)• Candidates debated national

politics in wake of Dred-Scott Decision

• Lincoln was morally opposed to slavery, but rejected abolitionism

• Freeport Doctrine: Douglas argued people in territories could prohibit slavery if laws protecting slavery were not enforced

• Result: Douglas won re-election to Senate

Lincoln/Douglas Debates (1858)(Impact)

• Significance:– Segments of speeches were printed nationally

and Lincoln became a “rising star” in the newly formed Republican Party

John Brown’s Raid, 1859• John Brown was an abolitionist• Pottawatomi Creek Massacre,

1856• Goal: capture federal arsenal in

Harper’s Ferry, VA and lead a slave uprising

• Successfully captured the arsenal, but no slave rebellion

• Brown and his small group fought against the US Government

• Brown captured and put on trial; executed December 1859

John Brown’s Raid, 1859

• Significance:– Brown’s correspondence

with northern abolitionists was shocking

– He was treated like a martyr (not traitor) in some parts of the north

– Some in South believe that many in the North were abolitionists willing to fight to free slaves

– A final straw…?

Presidential Election of 1860

• Ripping the nation apart?

Presidential Election of 1860(Candidates)

• Stephen Douglas: (Northern Democrat)– Supported popular sovereignty

• John Breckenridge: (Southern Democrat)– Supported expansion of slavery into territories

• Abraham Lincoln: (Republican)– Allow slavery to remain where it exists; no new

expansion

• John Bell: (Constitutional Union)– Stood for Constitution, Union, and enforcement of

laws

Presidential Election of 1860

Following Lincoln’s Victory

• 7 states seceded, even before Lincoln’s inauguration – SC, MS, FL, AL,

GA, LA, and TX

Southern Secession

Jefferson Davis and the C.S.A.

Crittenden Compromise, 1861

Ft. Sumter, S.C.

Events Leading to the Civil War:

Review

• Focus = politics 1850-1861

• Describe several “crises” and evaluate which you believe was more important in leading to secession

Websites of Interest