Lincoln, Secession, and War

Lincoln, Secession, and War

Dred Scott Aftermath John C. Breckinridge James Buchanan Abraham Lincoln Dred Scott Stephen Douglas John Bell

Republicans in Chicago The Wigwam

Chicago convention hall at it prepared to nominate Abe Lincoln for president, from Harper's Weekly, May 1860

The Platforms--Republicans Opposed expansion of slavery into the territories Upheld the rights of slaveholders in the South no interference with slavery where it already exists Opposed the Dred-Scott decision Homestead Act Transcontinental railroad Protective tariff

And the Nominees Are William Seward Salmon P. Chase Edward Bates Simon Cameron

Four-Way Contest Abraham Lincoln Republican Stephen Douglas Northern Democrat John Bell Constitutional Unionist John Breckinridge Southern Democrat

The Platforms--Democrats Supported popular sovereignty Attacked Lincoln s supposed support of social equality for African Americans Favored acquisition of Cuba Condemned Personal Liberty Laws as subversive to Constitution

The Platforms National (Southern) Democrats Supported passage of a national slave code Supported protection of slavery and slaveholders property rights in the territories Attacked Lincoln s supposed support of social equality for African Americans Favored acquisition of Cuba Condemned Personal Liberty Laws as subversive to Constitution

The Platforms Constitutional Union Party Offered no well-defined platform Federal government should support slavery and also defend the Union Appealed to adherence to the Constitution, the Union, and the Pledge body of to laws maintain, protect, and defend, separately and unitedly, these great principles of public liberty and national safety, against all enemies, at home and abroad

The Campaign Strategies-- Lincoln Focused on the northern and western states Stayed away from the South Thousands of young men turned out in "Wide Awake" torchlight parades in support of Lincoln Barbecues, picnics, rallies, rail-splitter battalions, and marches composed of six-foot-four Lincoln supporters listened to party celebrities extolling the honesty of Old Abe, the "Woodchopper of the West Sympathetic voters were urged to "Vote Yourself a Farm" by voting for Lincoln and his Homestead Act platform

The Campaign Strategies-- Douglas Focused on all states Became the first Presidential candidate in American history to go on a national tour, delivering campaign speeches himself Warned that secession would cause a civil war Resorted to racial slurs

The Campaign Strategies-- Breckinridge Focused on the South Stayed away from the northern and western states Resorted to racial slurs Made fun of Lincoln's limited experience as a statesman and his "slang-whanging stump speaker" style, which they said reflected a limited intellect that would be an embarrassment to the nation should he be elected President

The Campaign Strategies-- Breckinridge The Charleston Mercury ridiculed his looks, depicting him as a "horrid looking wretch..." unfit for office. Cartoons showed Lincoln dancing with black women and championing "amalgamation" and "miscegenation" (mixing of the races) One widely distributed picture showed Lincoln steering a ship with a thick-lipped black man embracing a young white girl sitting at his feet on deckone secessionist in Georgia warned that Lincoln planned to force the inter-marriage of black and white children, and that within "ten years or less our children will be the slaves of Negroes."

The Campaign Strategies-- Bell Win enough electoral votes to throw the election into the House of Representatives No strong position on the issues of slavery or secession

Election of 1856

Election of 1856 Election of 1860 Candidates Party Electoral Vote Popular Vote Abraham Lincoln (Illinois) Hannibal Hamlin (Maine) Republican 180 1,865,593 Stephen A. Douglas (Illinois) Herschel V. Johnson (Ga.) (Northern) Democratic 12 1,382,713 John C. Breckinridge (Ky.) Joseph Lane (Oregon) Southern (Independent) Democrat 72 848,356 John Bell (Tennessee) Edward Everett (Mass.) Constitutional Union 39 592,906

The Union Collapses

The Union Collapses State South Carolina Mississippi Florida Alabama Georgia Louisiana Texas Date of Secession December 20, 1860 January 9, 1861 January 10, 1861 January 11, 1861 January 19, 1861 January 26, 1861 February 1, 1861

Attempt to Save Union Peace Convention (2/8-27/ 61) Slavery in the territories would be dealt with by extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific coast with no provision for newly acquired territory The acquisition of all future territories had to be approved by a majority of both the slave states and the Free states A prohibition on Congress passing any legislation that would affect the status of slavery where it currently existed A prohibition on state legislatures from passing laws that would restrict the ability of officials to apprehend and return fugitive slaves A permanent prohibition on the foreign slave trade 100% compensation to any master whose fugitive slave was freed by illegal mob action or intimidation of officials required to administer the Fugitive Slave Act Key sections of this amendment could only be further amended with the concurrence of all of the states.

Attempt to Save Union Crittenden Compromise Amendmendments to Constitution Slavery would be prohibited in all territory of the United States "now held, or hereafter acquired," north of latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes. In territory south of this line, slavery was "hereby recognized" and could not be interfered with by Congress. Further, property in slaves was to be "protected by all the departments of the territorial government during its continuance." States would be admitted to the Union from any territory with or without slavery as their constitutions provided. Congress was forbidden to abolish slavery in places under its jurisdiction within a slave state, such as a military post. Congress could not abolish slavery in the District of Columbia so long as it existed in the adjoining states of Virginia and Maryland, and without the consent of the District's inhabitants. Compensation would be given to owners who refused consent to abolition.

Attempt to Save Union Crittenden Compromise Amendmendments to Constitution Congress could not prohibit or interfere with the interstate slave trade. Congress would provide full compensation to owners of rescued fugitive slaves. Congress was empowered to sue the county in which obstruction to the fugitive slave laws took place to recover payment; the county, in turn, could sue "the wrong doers or rescuers" who prevented the return of the fugitive. No future amendment of the Constitution could change these amendments, or authorize or empower Congress to interfere with slavery within any slave state.

Attempt to Save Union Crittenden Compromise Resolutions That fugitive slave laws were constitutional and should be faithfully observed and executed. That all state laws which impeded the operation of fugitive slave laws, the so-called "Personal Liberty laws," were unconstitutional and should be repealed. That the Fugitive Slave act of 1850 should be modified (and rendered less objectionable to the North) by equalizing the fee schedule for returning or releasing alleged fugitives, and limiting the powers of marshals to summon citizens to aid in their c apture. That laws for the suppression of the African slave trade should be effectively and thoroughly executed.

Attempt to Save Union Crittenden Compromise Disposition Vote was 25 against the compromise and 23 in favor of it All 25 votes against it were cast by Republicans Six senators from states that were in the process of seceding abstained One Republican editorial insisted that the party "cannot be made to surrender the fruits of its recent victory. There would be no compromise; with the secession of states continuing, America marched inexorably towards civil war.

Fort Sumter