Unit 5: Civil War and Reconstruc5on Part 4: A Na5on Breaks Apart
Objec&ves: 1. Explain why Abraham Lincoln was able to win the elec&on of 1860. 2. Describe how the South reacted to the elec&on of Abraham Lincoln. 3. Iden&fy causes/events that led to the outbreak of the American Civil War.
I. The Elec5on of 1860 A. Due to disagreement over the issue of slavery in the territories, the Democra5c party split in two: Northern Democrat and Southern Democrat. 1. Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas. 2. Southern Democrats nominated John Breckinridge. B. Some Americans tried to heal the split by forming a new party, the Cons5tu5onal Union party. 1. The Cons5tu5onal Union party nominated John Bell.
I. The Elec5on of 1860 (con t) C. The Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln. D. The split of the Democrats resulted in differing views of the candidates: Northern Democrats: Stephen Douglas con5nued to support the idea of popular sovereignty in the territories. Southern Democrats: John Breckenridge sought federal protec5on of slavery in the territories.
I. The Elec5on of 1860 (con t) E. The Cons5tu5onal Union Party: John Bell supported a compromise between the North and South to keep the union together. F. The Republican Party: Abraham Lincoln was nominated and seen as a moderate that believed in keeping the union together yet opposing the expansion of slavery. In addi5on to not suppor5ng slavery the Republicans also called for high tariffs for industry, free homesteads for small farmers, and government aid for internal improvements.
I. The Elec5on of 1860 (con t) G. The elec5on split the na5on with two contests taking place: 1. North: Lincoln vs. Douglas 2. South: Bell vs. Breckenridge H. Republicans get electoral majority with all but 3 Northern electoral votes, although only 40% of popular vote na5onwide.
I. The Elec5on of 1860 (con t) I. The South sees Lincoln s elec5on as the beginning of permanent minority status in American poli5cs and the loss of Southern voice in the na5onal government. J. The response of Lincoln s elec5on leads to the Deep South poli5cal leaders launching secession movements.
I. The Elec5on of 1860 (con t)
II. The South s Reac5on to the A. In a last ditch effort to save the Union, Senator John Cri]enden of Kentucky introduced a bill to extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific. He proposed an amendment to the Cons5tu5on that would guarantee slavery south of the compromise line forever. His proposals received li]le support. Elec5on of 1860
II. The South s Reac5on to the Elec5on of 1860 (con t) B. Other southerners believed secession was their only choice. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede. By late February 1861, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas had followed. C. At a conven5on in Montgomery, Alabama, the seven states formed a new na5on, the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis became its president.
III. The Civil War Begins A. On March 4, 1861 Abraham Lincoln took office and faced some immediate difficult decisions. Lincoln made it clear his first priority was to preserve the Union but at the same 5me he insisted the South were not our enemies. B. When Lincoln took office, he warned that no state could lawfully leave the Union. C. Jefferson Davis had already ordered Confederate forces to begin seizing federal forts in the South.
III. The Civil War Begins (con t) D. President Lincoln had to make a decision. Should he let Confederates take over federal property and look like he was admidng that states had a right to leave the Union? Or should he send troops to hold the forts and risk a war? E. By April 1861, the Union held only four forts in the South. Food supplies at one Fort Sumter in South Carolina were running low. Lincoln no5fied the governor of South Carolina that he was going to ship food to Fort Sumter. He said he would not send troops or weapons.
III. The Civil War Begins (con t) F. The Confederates demanded that Fort Sumter surrender to them. The Union commander refused to give in. The Confederates opened fire. The Union troops ran out of ammuni5on and had to surrender. The beginning of a 4 year civil war had begun.