SLAVERY IN THE SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIESTERRITORIES

• Westward movement turned out to be not Westward movement turned out to be not only dangerous for the people only dangerous for the people Americans encountered but for the safety of the encountered but for the safety of the American union itselfAmerican union itself– North and South had mainly contained their North and South had mainly contained their

differences over slavery through compromise differences over slavery through compromise that raised the level of emotional conflictthat raised the level of emotional conflict

– Party loyalties served as an antidote to Party loyalties served as an antidote to sectional allegiance until the late 1840ssectional allegiance until the late 1840s

FREE SOIL OR FREE SOIL OR CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL

PROTECTION?PROTECTION?• Wilmot Proviso: declared neither slavery nor involuntary servitude

was to exist in any territory gained from Mexico in the Mexican-American War– Resulted in purely sectional debate

• “Free Soil” wanted to prevent the spread of slavery based on the precedents of the Northwest Ordinance and the Missouri Compromise– Some supporters had moral reasons; many were concerned about

competition with cheap slave labor; and others worried about the growing political power of the South

• Opponents, led by John C. Calhoun, argued that Congress had no right to exclude slavery from the territories and, in fact, had a duty to protect it– This position saw the Wilmot Proviso, Missouri Compromise and other

acts restricting slavery as unconstitutional

POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AND THE ELECTION OF AND THE ELECTION OF

18481848

• Many Americans looked for a way to keep slavery out of politics– James Buchanan recommended simply extending the Missouri

Compromise line to the Pacific– Lewis Cass suggested “popular sovereignty” which would allow

territorial legislatures to make the final decision

• In 1848, the Democrats nominated Lewis Cass, who mainly avoided the issue of slavery, while the Whigs nominated General Zachary Taylor, who was billed as a “no party” man– Calhoun tried to create a unified southern party without much luck.– Some northern Democrats left the party and supported Martin Van

Buren– New England Conscience Whigs also explored a third party alternative

• Taylor won handily

Problems of Sectional Balancein 1850

Problems of Sectional Balancein 1850ß California statehood.

ß Southern “fire-eaters” threateningsecession.

ß Underground RR & fugitive slave issues:

Personal liberty laws

Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)

ß California statehood.

ß Southern “fire-eaters” threateningsecession.

ß Underground RR & fugitive slave issues:

Personal liberty laws

Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)

Compromise of 1850

Compromise of 1850

THE COMPROMISE OF 1850THE COMPROMISE OF 1850• Four issues confronted Taylor at his inauguration:

1. Rush of gold miners gave California enough people to apply for statehood but their entry as a free state would upset the balance.

2. Unresolved status of Mexican cession in the Southwest and dispute over Texas-New Mexico boundary

3. Existence of slavery and slave market in Washington, D.C.4. Southern resentment of lax federal enforcement of the

Fugitive Slave Act of 1793• Issues were resolved in the Compromise of 1850, which

was passed not as the omnibus bill originally proposed by Henry Clay, but as a series of resolutions– California entered the Union as a free state– Territorial governments were organized in New Mexico and

Utah to apply the principle of popular sovereignty– The slave trade, but not slavery, was abolished in the District

of Columbia– A new Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

CONSEQUENCES OF CONSEQUENCES OF COMPROMISECOMPROMISE

• Political alignment along sectional lines grew stronger• Previously unheard, Americans were now discussing ideals of

higher law than the Constitution, secession and disunion• Many Northerners were angered by the fugitive slave law

– Abolitionists stepped up work on the Underground Railroad and several states passed “personal liberty laws” that prohibited elected officials and organizations from participation in slave hunting

– Abolitionists escalated their rhetoric, fueling emotions over slavery

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe thrilled northerners and angered southerners– Became one of the all-time bestsellers in American history, selling

more than 300,000 copies in the first year– Was eventually published in 20 languages

HarrietBeecherStowe(1811 – 1896)

HarrietBeecherStowe(1811 – 1896)

So this is the lady who started the Civil War.

-- Abraham Lincoln

So this is the lady who started the Civil War.

-- Abraham Lincoln

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

1852

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

1852 Sold 300,000

copies inthe first year.

2 million in a decade!

Sold 300,000 copies inthe first year.

2 million in a decade!

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1852Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1852

WEAKENED PARTY WEAKENED PARTY POLITICS IN THE EARLY POLITICS IN THE EARLY

1850S1850S

• Between 1850 and 1854 the moral and economic differences between the parties were blurred, thereby undermining party loyalty– Rewriting of state constitutions undercut patronage and

undermined the importance of parties in citizens’ lives– Increasingly political battles were fought over social rather

than economic issues and locally rather than at the national level

• 1852 election the Whigs nominated General Winfield Scott and the Democrats nominated Franklin Pierce who won easily

1852 Presidential 1852 Presidential ElectionElection

1852 Presidential 1852 Presidential ElectionElection

√ Franklin Pierce Gen. Winfield Scott John Parker Hale Democrat Whig Free Soil

√ Franklin Pierce Gen. Winfield Scott John Parker Hale Democrat Whig Free Soil

1852Electi

on Resul

ts

1852Electi

on Resul

ts

Birth of the Republican Birth of the Republican Party, 1854Party, 1854

ß Northern Whigs.

ß Northern Democrats.

ß Free-Soilers.

ß Know-Nothings.

ß Other miscellaneous opponents of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854

Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854

THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACTACT

• The Whig party disintegrated after southern Whigs chose to support Stephen Douglas’ Nebraska bill organizing the Nebraska Territory (which included Kansas)– Douglas was interested in the continuing development of the

West and needed the territory organized for a transcontinental railroad that began in Chicago

– Also wanted to recapture the party leadership and possibly the presidency and he needed southern support for that

• Southerners opposed the organization of the territory unless slavery was permitted

• Douglas suggested the application of popular sovereignty to the issue as the entire territory fell north of the Missouri Compromise line but such a proposal cancelled the Missouri Compromise

• Northern Democrats, Whigs and abolitionists attacked Douglas, who defended his bill and ended up destroying the Whig party, planting divisions within the Democrats and creating the Know-Nothings and the Republicans

“Bleeding Kansas”“Bleeding Kansas”

Border “Ruffians”

(pro-slavery

Missourians)

Border “Ruffians”

(pro-slavery

Missourians)

“The Crime Against Kansas”

“The Crime Against Kansas”

Sen. Charles Sumner(R-MA)

Sen. Charles Sumner(R-MA)

Congr. Preston Brooks(D-SC)

Congr. Preston Brooks(D-SC)

The “Know-Nothings” [The American Party]

The “Know-Nothings” [The American Party]

ß Nativists.

ß Anti-Catholics.

ß Anti-immigrants.

ß Nativists.

ß Anti-Catholics.

ß Anti-immigrants.1849 Secret Order of the

Star-Spangled Banner created in NYC.

1849 Secret Order of the Star-Spangled Banner created in NYC.

NATIVISM, KNOW-NATIVISM, KNOW-NOTHINGS, AND NOTHINGS, AND REPUBLICANSREPUBLICANS

• Increasing immigration worried Americans who saw the newcomers as unfamiliar and threatening and who worried about the spread of Catholicism, especially after several notable conversions– Many Protestants charged the Catholics (who were

predominantly Democrats) with corrupting American politics• Mostly former Whigs founded the American Party in

1854 to oppose the new immigrants– Wanted a longer period of naturalization and pledged never

to vote for Irish Catholics– If asked about their affiliation with the group, members were

told to respond, “I Know Nothing”– Appealed to middle and lower classes

NORTHERN VIEWS AND NORTHERN VIEWS AND VISIONSVISIONS

• North saw itself as a prosperous land of bustling commerce and expanding, independent agriculture– “Free labor system” offered equality of opportunity and

upward mobility– Northern values included respect for the rights of the

people, tempered by the rule of law; individual enterprise, balanced by a concern for one’s neighbors; and a fierce morality rooted in Protestantism

• Supported government action to promote free labor, industrial growth, immigration, foreign trade and the extension of railroads and free farm homesteads

• Worst sin was the loss of freedom

THE SOUTHERN THE SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVEPERSPECTIVE

• Southerners admired the English gentry and saw themselves as courteous, refined, hospitable and chivalrous– Racial distinctions and paternalistic relationships were

crucial to maintaining order and white supremacy– Southerners educated the few for character

• Southerners believed that self-government was best preserved in local political units such as the states

• Saw Northerners as either stingy, hypocritical, moralizing Puritans or grubby, slum-dwelling Catholic immigrants

1856 Presidential 1856 Presidential ElectionElection

1856 Presidential 1856 Presidential ElectionElection

√ James Buchanan John C. Frémont Millard Fillmore Democrat Republican Whig

√ James Buchanan John C. Frémont Millard Fillmore Democrat Republican Whig

1856Electi

on Resul

ts

1856Electi

on Resul

ts

Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857

THE THE DRED SCOTTDRED SCOTT CASE CASE

• Dred and Harriet Scott sued for their freedom in 1846 claiming their master had taken them into free territory

• In 1857 the Supreme Court issued a 7-2 decision with three parts:

1. Blacks were inferior and therefore were not citizens and could not sue in federal court

2. Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional because Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories

3. Taking the Scotts into a free state did not affect their status• The implications of this decision concerned many

people and increased sectional hostilities

The Lincoln-Douglas (Illinois Senate) Debates, 1858

The Lincoln-Douglas (Illinois Senate) Debates, 1858

A House divided against itself, cannot stand.

A House divided against itself, cannot stand.

LINCOLN AND THE ILLINOIS LINCOLN AND THE ILLINOIS DEBATESDEBATES

• By 1858, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was challenging William Seward for leadership of the Republican party

• The Lincoln-Douglas debates in Illinois provided people with a preview of the 1860 presidential election– Lincoln’s persuasive debates regarding slavery drew

away a substantial chunk of the Democratic party– While Lincoln’s vision of the extinction of slavery was

ahead of his time, his views of blacks as inferior were very much of the time

– Lincoln clearly hated slavery while Douglas seemed indifferent

Stephen Douglas

& the

Freeport Doctrine

Stephen Douglas

& the

Freeport DoctrinePopular

Sovereignty?

PopularSovereig

nty?

John Brown’s Raidon Harper’s Ferry, 1859

John Brown’s Raidon Harper’s Ferry, 1859

John Brown: Madman, Hero or Martyr?

John Brown: Madman, Hero or Martyr?

Mural in the Kansas Capitol building

by John Steuart Curry (20c)

Mural in the Kansas Capitol building

by John Steuart Curry (20c)

18601860PresidePreside

ntialntialElectioElectio

nn

18601860PresidePreside

ntialntialElectioElectio

nn

√ Abraham Lincoln

Republican

√ Abraham Lincoln

Republican

John BellConstitutional

Union

John BellConstitutional

Union

Stephen A. DouglasNorthern Democrat

Stephen A. DouglasNorthern Democrat

John C. Breckinridge

Southern Democrat

John C. Breckinridge

Southern Democrat

Republican Party Platform in 1860Republican Party Platform in 1860ß Non-extension of slavery [for the

Free-Soilers.

ß Protective tariff [for the No. Industrialists].

ß No abridgment of rights for immigrants [a disappointment for the “Know-Nothings”].

ß Government aid to build a Pacific RR [for the Northwest].

ß Internal improvements [for the West] at federal expense.

ß Free homesteads for the public domain [for farmers].

ß Non-extension of slavery [for the Free-Soilers.

ß Protective tariff [for the No. Industrialists].

ß No abridgment of rights for immigrants [a disappointment for the “Know-Nothings”].

ß Government aid to build a Pacific RR [for the Northwest].

ß Internal improvements [for the West] at federal expense.

ß Free homesteads for the public domain [for farmers].

1860 Election: 3 “Outs” & 1 ”Run!”

1860 Election: 3 “Outs” & 1 ”Run!”

1860 Election: A Nation Coming Apart?!

1860 Election: A Nation Coming Apart?!

1860

Election

Results

1860

Election

Results

Crittenden Compromise:

A Last Ditch Appeal to Sanity

Crittenden Compromise:

A Last Ditch Appeal to Sanity

Senator John J. Crittenden

(Know-Nothing-KY)

Senator John J. Crittenden

(Know-Nothing-KY)

Secession!: SC Dec. 20, 1860

Secession!: SC Dec. 20, 1860

Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861

Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861

OverViewOverView

Economic Prosperity of 1850sEconomic Prosperity of 1850s

• A. Railroad building expanded tremendouslyA. Railroad building expanded tremendously– 1. Mileage increased from 9000 to 36,600 miles in 1. Mileage increased from 9000 to 36,600 miles in

18601860– 2. Most expansion concentrated in Northeast 2. Most expansion concentrated in Northeast

section of nationsection of nation– 3. First federal land grants (6 sections of land for 3. First federal land grants (6 sections of land for

each mile of track) set pattern of government each mile of track) set pattern of government assistanceassistance

– 4. By 1860 Northeast and Northwest sections 4. By 1860 Northeast and Northwest sections linked by lines. Southern railroads formed a linked by lines. Southern railroads formed a distinct unit with few links to northern rail lines.distinct unit with few links to northern rail lines.

• B. Northern industrial growthB. Northern industrial growth– 1. Market expansion for northeast manufacturers1. Market expansion for northeast manufacturers

• a) Railroads for domestic marketsa) Railroads for domestic markets• b) Clipper ships and steamships opened b) Clipper ships and steamships opened

European markets. Faster and cheaper than European markets. Faster and cheaper than sailing vesselssailing vessels

– 2. California gold rush added capital ($50 million in 2. California gold rush added capital ($50 million in gold shipped east yearly)gold shipped east yearly)

– 3. Expansion of labor supply3. Expansion of labor supply• a) Northeastern farmers unable to compete with a) Northeastern farmers unable to compete with

western goods sent more workers to citieswestern goods sent more workers to cities• b) Immigrants from Ireland and Germany as a b) Immigrants from Ireland and Germany as a

result of famines and unrest in Europeresult of famines and unrest in Europe•

• C. Spread of Southern plantation C. Spread of Southern plantation system. Slavery seen as indispensable system. Slavery seen as indispensable for South's prosperity.for South's prosperity.– 1. Expansion of cotton production1. Expansion of cotton production

• a) Price rose from 6 cents/lb. in 1845 to 14 a) Price rose from 6 cents/lb. in 1845 to 14 cents/lb. in 1857cents/lb. in 1857

• b) U.S. produced 7/8 of world cotton supply by b) U.S. produced 7/8 of world cotton supply by 18601860

– 2. Expansion of tobacco market (200 million 2. Expansion of tobacco market (200 million lbs. in 1850 to 430 million lbs. in 1860). lbs. in 1850 to 430 million lbs. in 1860).

• D. Western agriculture expanded as a D. Western agriculture expanded as a result of railroad growth and opening of result of railroad growth and opening of European markets. Results:European markets. Results:– 1. Westerners became aware of world 1. Westerners became aware of world

hostility to slaveryhostility to slavery– 2. Westerners became convinced of 2. Westerners became convinced of

importance of Northeast to their prosperity importance of Northeast to their prosperity rather than the South which purchased a rather than the South which purchased a much smaller share of their producemuch smaller share of their produce

•

• Compromise of 1850 angered extremists on Compromise of 1850 angered extremists on both sidesboth sides

• 1. Admission of California as a free state1. Admission of California as a free state• 2. Remaining western territories organized 2. Remaining western territories organized

with no restriction on slaverywith no restriction on slavery• 3. End of all slave trade in the District of 3. End of all slave trade in the District of

ColumbiaColumbia• 4. Strict federal fugitive slave law4. Strict federal fugitive slave law• 5. Assumption of Texas' debt by the national 5. Assumption of Texas' debt by the national

governmentgovernment

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• A. Stephen Douglas proposed thatA. Stephen Douglas proposed that

• 1) Kansas and Nebraska territories be 1) Kansas and Nebraska territories be divided into two sectionsdivided into two sections

• 2) Missouri Compromise be repealed, 2) Missouri Compromise be repealed, with settlers in each territory choosing with settlers in each territory choosing whether or not they wanted slavery whether or not they wanted slavery (popular sovereignty)(popular sovereignty)

• B. Effects of the Kansas-Nebraska ActB. Effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act

• 1) Party realignments1) Party realignments

– a) Whig Party collapseda) Whig Party collapsed

– b) Know-Nothing Party (anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic) b) Know-Nothing Party (anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic) emergedemerged

– c) Republican Party, organized in support of keeping c) Republican Party, organized in support of keeping slavery out of the territories, gained strength in slavery out of the territories, gained strength in northwestern statesnorthwestern states

• 2) Bleeding Kansas violence as pro- and anti-slavery 2) Bleeding Kansas violence as pro- and anti-slavery forces rushed in to Kansas territory.forces rushed in to Kansas territory.

• Dred Scott Case (1857)Dred Scott Case (1857)

• A. Chief Justice Taney ruled that Scott (Dred A. Chief Justice Taney ruled that Scott (Dred Scott v. Sanford) could not sue for his freedomScott v. Sanford) could not sue for his freedom– 1. Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional 1. Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional

(Congress had no right to restrict slavery from (Congress had no right to restrict slavery from territories)territories)

– 2. Constitution and citizenship did not apply to blacks2. Constitution and citizenship did not apply to blacks

• B. Northerners feared that slave power might B. Northerners feared that slave power might extend further, perhaps including German and extend further, perhaps including German and Irish immigrantsIrish immigrants

• Illinois Senate Election of 1858Illinois Senate Election of 1858

• A. Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln A. Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln debated throughout the state, focusing on slavery debated throughout the state, focusing on slavery and its expansionand its expansion– 1. Freeport Doctrine (Douglas): people could keep 1. Freeport Doctrine (Douglas): people could keep

slavery out by refusing to enact black codes and other slavery out by refusing to enact black codes and other laws necessary for its survivallaws necessary for its survival

– 2. Lincoln: "A house divided against itself cannot 2. Lincoln: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Slavery should not be extended into territoriesstand." Slavery should not be extended into territories

• B. Lincoln loses election, but gains national B. Lincoln loses election, but gains national prominence for his argumentsprominence for his arguments

• John Brown's Raid—1859John Brown's Raid—1859• A. Brown and his followers planned a slave A. Brown and his followers planned a slave

insurrection to begin in western Virginia.insurrection to begin in western Virginia.• B. Seized federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, but B. Seized federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, but

was quickly captured, tried, and hanged.was quickly captured, tried, and hanged.• C. Impact of BrownC. Impact of Brown

– 1. Northern abolitionists (Emerson and Thoreau) 1. Northern abolitionists (Emerson and Thoreau) viewed him as a martyr, taking action against the evil viewed him as a martyr, taking action against the evil of slaveryof slavery

– 2. Southerners generally viewed Brown as a madman, 2. Southerners generally viewed Brown as a madman, symbolizing the fanatical hatred of the Northsymbolizing the fanatical hatred of the North

– 3. Moderates (Lincoln) condemned Brown's action, 3. Moderates (Lincoln) condemned Brown's action, while admiring his commitment to countering slaverywhile admiring his commitment to countering slavery

• Election of 1860Election of 1860

• A. Democrats split into northern and southern factions and A. Democrats split into northern and southern factions and nominated two candidates (Douglas and Breckenridge)nominated two candidates (Douglas and Breckenridge)

• B. Former Whigs nominated Bell in an attempt to preserve B. Former Whigs nominated Bell in an attempt to preserve Union with Constitutional Union Party. Strong only in Union with Constitutional Union Party. Strong only in Virginia and upper SouthVirginia and upper South

• C. Republicans nominated Lincoln as a moderate C. Republicans nominated Lincoln as a moderate compromise candidate.compromise candidate.

• D. Results:D. Results:– 1) Bell wins three states (Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee)1) Bell wins three states (Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee)

– 2) Breckenridge carried the South2) Breckenridge carried the South

– 3) Lincoln carried the Northern states and won the3) Lincoln carried the Northern states and won theelectoral vote, though earning less than 40% of all votes castelectoral vote, though earning less than 40% of all votes cast

– 4) On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union4) On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union