Drifting Toward Disunion 1854-1861
Stowe 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe s Uncle Tom s Cabin which showed the cruelty of slavery Helped start the war So you re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war. Lincoln South believed it as an unfair indictment Countless readers Stowe had never witnessed slavery first hand in the Deep South
Hinton R. Helper 1857 Wrote The Impending Crisis of the South Nonaristocratic white from NC Attempted to prove that nonslaveholding whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery Book was banned in the South Distributed by the Republicans in campaign literature
The Contest for Kansas Popular sovereignty was not working New England Emigrant Aid Company sent 2,000 Free-Soilers into Kansas Pro-slavery Border Ruffians crossed the border from Missouri Southerners had agreed with the Kansas- Nebraska Act believing that Kansas would be slave & Nebraska would be free Few slaves were brought to Kansas
Kansas Election 1855 Border Ruffians poured in from Missouri to vote early & often Slave supporters triumphed Set up their gov t at Shawnee Mission Free-Soilers set up their gov t in Topeka One gov t based on fraud, the other on illegality 1856 Problems begin A gang of proslavery raiders shot up & burned part of the free-soil town of Lawrence Prelude to a bloodier tragedy
John Brown & Civil War in Kansas John Brown obsessively dedicated to the abolitionist movement Old Brown led a band of his followers to Pottawatomie Creek May 1856 Brutally murdered 5 surprised men proslaveryites Brought retaliation from the proslavery forces Bleeding Kansas Civil War in Kansas 1856 Continued until it merged with the Civil War 1861-1865
Kansas Applies for Statehood 1857 Kansas applies for statehood Lecompton Constitution Vote for or against constitution as a whole, but not for the constitution either with slavery or with no slavery If they voted against slavery, one of the remaining provisions would protect the owners of slaves already in Kansas Supported by President/ opposed by Douglas Divided the Democratic Party Many free-soilers boycotted the polls Slaveryites approved the constitution with slavery
Problems in the US Senate Senator Charles Sumner - Massachusetts leading abolitionist Disliked by other senators Gave a speech, The Crime against Kansas, condemning slavery Referred insultingly to SC & Senator Andrew Butler from SC Congressman Preston Brooks SC Resented the insults to his state & senator
Sumner-Brooks Clash May 22, 1856 Brooks beat Sumner over the head with his cane until it broke No one interfered House of Rep. could not get enough votes to expel Brooks He resigned Later reelected Sumner reelected couldn t serve for 3½ years
Results of Sumner-Brooks Increased support for Republican Party South was angry because Sumner s speech was applauded in the North Emotion was displacing thought
Election of 1856 Democrats James Buchanan Penn lawyer & former minister to London Platform - popular sovereignty Republicans John C. Frémont Platform against extension of slavery into the territories Know-Nothing Party Millard Fillmore Nativists antiforeign & anti-catholic
Electoral Fruits of 1856 Buchanan won election Why were the Republicans defeated? Violent threats of southerners that the election of a sectional Black Republican would be a declaration of war on them, forcing them to secede Many northerners that depended on the South for their financial gain, voted for Buchanan
The Dred Scott Bombshell March 6, 1857 Supreme Court ruled The Case Dred Scott, a slave, had lived with his master for 5 years in free territory Sued for his freedom Basis because of his long residence on free soil
The Ruling Scott was a slave & not a citizen. Therefore, he could not sue in federal court Chief Justice Taney went further: Slaves were property & could be taken to any territory (5 th Amendment) Can not deprive people of property without due process Ruled that Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional Congress had no power to ban slavery from the territories
Reactions to the Ruling Republicans were infuriated Ruling was opinion, not a decision Southerners were inflamed by all of the defiance by the North Applauded by pro-slavery southerners
Financial Crash of 1857 Causes of the crash: CA gold helped to inflate the currency Too much grain production Frenzied speculation in land & railroads Over 5,000 businesses failed within 1 year
Effects of the Crash North was hardest hit South was well off - proof that cotton was king North demanded free farms of 160 acres from the public domain Land should be given as a reward instead of sold Opposed by: Eastern industrialists would cause workers to move out West South slavery would not flourish/ free farmers would fill up the territories Homestead Act 1860 vetoed by Buchanan
Push for higher tariff rates Tariff of 1857 reduced duties by 20% Lowest point since War of 1812 Many blamed low tariff for problems Push to increase tariff for protection Gave the Republicans 2 surefire economic issues for the election of 1860 Protection for the unprotected Farms for the farmless
Douglas & Lincoln Senator Douglas s term was up & Lincoln decided to run for his seat Lincoln Lawyer Honest Abe Served 1 term in Congress 1847-1849 After the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, he emerged as one of the foremost politicians & orators of the Northwest. Why is that?
The Great Debate Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates Debate in Freeport, Ill Most famous Lincoln asked the following: Suppose the people of a territory should vote down slavery? The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision had decreed that they could not. Who would prevail, the Court or the people? (Freeport Question) What was the response?
Douglas s Response Freeport Doctrine No matter how the Supreme Court ruled, slavery would stay down if the people voted it down. Territorial legislatures could keep slavery out despite Supreme Court s decision. Douglas defeated Lincoln Senators were chosen by state legislatures at this time. Lincoln emerges as a possible presidential candidate Douglas s opposition to the Lecompton Constitution & defiance of the Supreme Court at Freeport, hurt his chances of being president Review what is LeCompton Const?
Involved in Bleeding Kansas His scheme: John Brown Invade the South secretly with a handful of followers Call on slaves to rise up Furnish slaves with weapons Establish a black state as a sanctuary
October 1859 Raid at Harper s Ferry John Brown & his followers seized the federal arsenal in Virginia Killed 7 innocent people and injured several others Slaves did not rise up. Why? John Brown & his followers were captured by the Marines under the command of Robert E. Lee Brown was convicted of murder & treason Was put to death
Effects of Harpers Ferry In the South: Viewed as a murder & an apostle of treason How could the South remain in the Union while a murderous gang of abolitionists were financing armed bands to Brown them. Believed that the abolitionists views were shared by all Northerners In the North: Many openly deplored the raid Abolitionists & other freesoilers were upset about Brown s execution
John Brown: Murder or Martyr? Crazy or Sane?
Democratic National Convention Met in Charleston, SC Stephen Douglas was the leading candidate Regarded by southerners as a traitor because of his stand on the Lecompton Constitution & Freeport Doctrine Delegates from the cotton states walked out Remaining delegates could not decide and convention fell apart
Democrats try again in Baltimore Northerners were still set on Douglas Cotton states walked out Remaining democrats select Douglas Platform: Popular sovereignty Against obstruction of the Fugitive Slave Law
Southern Democrats Southerners organized a rival convention in Baltimore Selected John C. Breckinridge Platform: Extension of slavery into the territories Annexation of slave-populated Cuba Where else will they want to annex?
Minor Party Constitutional Union Party Do Nothing / Old Gentlemen s Party Made up of former Whigs & Know-Nothings Nominated John Bell from Tennessee Compromise candidate to prevent breakup of the union at any cost
Republican Party Gathered in Chicago William H. Seward was the best candidate Too many enemies Abraham Lincoln was selected Fewer enemies Platform: Nonextension of slavery (Free-soilers) Protective tariff (Industrialists) No abridgement of rights (immigrants) Pacific Railroad (Northwest) Internal improvements at federal expense (West) Free homesteads from the public domain (farmers) Who are they leaving out?
Election of 1860 Lincoln s victory- Result of: Split in the Democratic Party Formation of a third party Divided the southern vote & gave Lincoln 40% of the vote all in the north
Electoral Upheaval of 1860 Lincoln was a minority president He was a sectional president Not allowed on the ballot in 10 southern states The election was virtually 2 elections One in the North & one in the South Gave SC a reason to secede Douglas campaigned for himself very unusual
Election of 1860 Was the South really that bad off after the election? Politically? Economically?
The South & Secession South still had political advantages 5-4 Supreme Court majority Democratic control of Congress 15 slave states could block any constitutional amendment to abolish slavery (requires 2/3 vote) December 1860 SC seceded from the union, followed by 10 other southern states over the next 6 months
First capital Montgomery, Alabama President The Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis from Mississippi South Carolina Alabama Mississippi Florida Georgia Louisiana Texas Virginia Tennessee Arkansas North Carolina
The Crisis Deepened by the lame duck interlude Period between Lincoln s election & when he took office Pres. Buchanan believed that the southern states could not legally secede but he could find no authority in the Constitution for stopping them with guns Wanted to hold on to any hope of reconciliation
The Collapse of Compromise Senator James Henry Crittenden of KY Proposed the Crittenden Amendments (Designed to appease the South) Slavery in the territories - prohibited north of 36 30 South of the line slavery would be protected Future states north or south of the line, could come into the union with or without slavery, as they should choose Slavery would be protected in southern territories regardless of popular sovereignty Rejected by Lincoln would result in war against every people, tribe, & state owning land
Reasons for Secession Lack of political balance Upset with the success of the Republican Party Weary of free-soil criticism, abolitionist nagging, & northern interference Underground Railroad & Harpers Ferry ********* All reasons related to slavery*********
Farewell to Union Most southerners supported secession Believed that the Yankees would not fight Why? View as a way to end their vassalage to the North Could now establish their own banks & shipping/ trade industry with Europe Impulse of nationalism Principles of self-determination Few if any southerners believed they were doing anything wrong The states voluntarily entered the Union & they could voluntarily leave the Union. Do you think they were right?