Download Chapter 20: Drifting Toward Disunion 1854-1861

Chapter 19: Drifting Toward
Disunion
1854-1861
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this
government cannot endure permanently half slave and half
free. “ – Abraham Lincoln, 1858
A country divided in two sections cannot survive together.
Lincoln is saying the country can’t move on when it is half
and half. It has to end the disunion. He is taking a stand on
slavery, unlike many other politicians at the time.
A) Stowe & Helper: Literacy
Incendiaries
1.
1852 – sectional tensions strained further by Harriet
Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
a. Wanted to awaken North to evils of slavery
b. Dismayed by the passing of the Fugitive Slave Laws
c. Great political force
d. Lincoln comment: “little lady that started this great
civil war”
e. South condemned her as “vile wretch in petticoats”
Made North not want to enforce F.S.A. even more
2.
3.
England & France thought of helping the South, but
so many people in those nations read Stowe’s book –
they thought their own people wouldn’t support them
1857 – Impending Crisis of the South by Hinton R.
Helper
a. Non-aristocratic white from NC
b. Hated slavery & blacks
c. Said non-slaveholding whites suffering
the most (former slaves took their jobs)
from slavery
d. Book banned in South
e. Campaign literature for Republican Party in
North – made more tension
B) The North-South Contest for KS
1. People started to venture to KS – some northern
abolitionists/free-soilers financed by their groups – most
famous: New England Emigrant Aid Co. – sent about
2,000 carrying breech-loading sharps called “Beecher’s
Bibles” – named after Rev. brother of Harriet Beecher
Stowe who financed them
2. Southerners mad because they were under the
impression that KS would become slave & NE free under
Compromise of 1850.
3. Census of 1860 – 2 slaves out of 107,000 ppl. in KS and
15 in NE. Because slaves were valuable, owners were
dumb to bring slaves to a place that may become free
after popular sovereignty vote.
4. 1855 – election day – southerners from MO came to
vote and made KS a slave state & set up a puppet
government at Shawnee Mission.
5. The free-soilers unable to deal with the outcome set up
a regime of their own in Topeka (illegal) – KS ppl. had
to choose between the two governments, one based on
fraud and the other on illegality
6. 1856 – breaking point – gang of proslavery raiders shot
up and burned free-soil town of Lawrence – prelude to a
bloodier tragedy
C) Kansas in Convulsion
1. John Brown: obsessively dedicated to the abolitionist
cause
– Brooding over the Lawrence attack, Brown led a
band of his followers to Pottawatomie Creek in May
1856
• Hacked five men to pieces (presumed to be proslavery)
3. 1856 – Civil war in KS continued until it merged with
the American Civil War – it cost millions in property,
agriculture and lives.
4. By 1857 – KS had enough people (free-soilers mostly)
to apply for statehood on the basis of popular
sovereignty
5.
Proslaveryites devised the Lecompton Constitution:
a. Had to vote for constitution “with” or “without
slavery”
b. If voted for “without slavery”, slave holders
would still have protection
c. No matter the vote, there would still be black
bondage in KS
d. Free-soilers boycotted the polls
e. Passed in 1857
6. James Buchanan won presidency
7.
Douglas didn’t like the
Lecompton Constitution
and dropped his
southern support when
he fought for a ‘fair
election’ – wanted the
Lecompton Constitution
voted on as a whole –
KS remained as a
territory until 1861
8. Democratic party
became divided –
ending last national
party
D) “Bully” Brooks and His Bludgeon
1.
“Bleeding KS” issue made it all the way to Congress
in 1856
2. Senator Charles Sumner of MA was a leading
abolitionist
3. Sumner’s speeches were based on condemning
proslaveryites
4. Congressmen Preston S. Brooks decided one of
Sumner’s attacks of SC Senator Andrew Butler, one of
the most liked men in Congress, was too much –
wanted to take revenge on Sumner – Brooks knew
Sumner wouldn’t agree to a duel
5. May 22, 1856: Brooks approached Sumner, who was
sitting at his Senate desk, and pounded him with an 11
ounce cane until it broke
• Sumner fell bleeding and unconscious to the floor,
while nearby Senators refrained from interfering
6. Brooks resigned but was later reelected
• Southerners deluged Brooks with canes
7. Bleeding Sumner joined Bleeding KS as a political issue
E) “Old Buck” v. “The Pathfinder”
1.
Democrats met in Cincinnati to nominate a candidate
for 1856 – chose James Buchanan because he was
“Kansasless” aka “enemyless” – “Old Buck”
2. Republicans met in Philly and chose Cpt. John C.
Frémont – “Pathfinder of the West” – Republican
platform was against slavery (also KS-less)
3. Antiforeignism was injected into the campaign –
immigrants alarmed “nativists” – organized the
American Party – “Know Nothing Party” – nominated
Fillmore as presidential candidate in 1856 because he
was navtivist and very anti-Catholic – party motto:
“Americans Must Rule America” – Whigs lent their
support to the American Party
4. Mudslinging started:
a) Buchanan criticized because he was a bachelor
b) Frémont was supposedly an illegitimate child
and was Roman Catholic
FREMONT
F) The Electoral Fruits of 1856
1. Buchanan won the presidential election of 1856 with 1.8
million popular votes and 174 Electoral College votes.
Frémont raked in 1.3 million popular votes with 114 EC votes
and Fillmore attained 871,000 popular votes along with 8 EC
votes.
2. Why did the Republican train lose speed?
1. Doubts about Frémont’s honesty, capacity and judgement
2. Violent threats of the southern “fire-eaters” that the election
of a Black Republican would be a declaration of war on
them, forcing them to secede
3. People were intimidated into voting for Buchanan because
they wanted to save the Union and preserve business
relations with the South
4. Better that Union was saved in 1856 than enter civil war
under “no Abe Lincoln”
G) The Dred Scott Bombshell
1. Dred Scott decision made by Supreme Court on March
6, 1857
a) Scott was a black slave that lived with his master
for 5 years in IL & WI Territory – backed by abolitionists,
he sued for freedom, since he had lived on free-soil
b) MO court freed Scott, but this decision was
overturned by the Supreme Court
c) Dred Scott = black slave = not a citizen (he
couldn’t legally sue)
d) The case could have been thrown out, but it
proceeded under SCJ Taney (who hailed from the slave
state of MD)
e) The SC decreed that since a slave was property,
it could be taken anywhere as property – even to freesoil  5th amendment (forbade Congress to deprive
people of their property without due process of the law)
f) MO Compromise had previously been repealed
by the KS-NE Act (of 1854) – This stated that the MO
Compromise had been unconstitutional all along –
Congress had no right to ban slavery from the territories
2. Southerners were delighted with this decision –
Northerners were outraged (Republicans) – Followers
of Douglas were not delighted, however.
3. Northerners saw decision as merely “opinion”, not law –
Southerners were mad at this defiance (similar to the
opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act)
H) The Financial Crash of 1857
1.
1857 crash was psychologically worse than the crash
in 1837 that was worse in reality
2. What caused the crash of 1857?
a) CA gold caused inflation of currency
b) Crimean War caused over-stimulated grain
production (nowhere to put it)
c) Overspeculation in land and railroad “ripped
economic fabric”
3. 5,000 businesses failed that year
4.
Effects: unemployment and hunger were widespread
 “Bread of Death”
5. North was hardest hit (grain growers) – South was fine
with their production of cotton
6. 1860 – Congress passed the Homestead Act
a) Would provide 160 acres of land @ 25¢ per acre
for poor
b) “Stabbed” to death by Buchanan (vetoed it)
7. The panic caused a clamor for higher tariffs
7. Several months before the crash Congress had
enacted the Tariff of 1857 – reduced duties to
about 20% on dutiable goods (lowest since War of
1812)
I) An Illinois Rail-Splitter Emerges
1. Senatorial election of 1858 – Sen. Douglas’ term almost
expired
2. Republican Abe Lincoln decided to run against Douglas
3. Abraham Lincoln facts:
1. 1809: born in a KY log cabin to impoverished parents
2. Attended a frontier school for less than a year
3. Mostly self-educated – read a lot
4. Married up the social ladder into the Todd family of KY
1. His wife taught him patience and forbearance
5. Gradually emerged as one of the better known trial
lawyers in Illinois
6. Known as “Honest Abe” because he would refuse cases
that he had to suspend his conscious to defend
4. Lincoln served one term in Congress from 1847-1849
5. After the passing of the KS-NE Act in 1854, he joined
the Republicans and emerged as one of the foremost
politicians and orators of the Northwest
J) The Great Debate: Lincoln v. Douglas
1. Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of joint debates
for the Senate seat. This was a very bold move on the
part of Lincoln – he was challenging the “best debater”
2. Seven meetings were arranged from August to October
1858
3. Odd pair to debate – Douglas was polished and “Old
Abe” wasn’t
4. Freeport, IL – most famous debate – Lincoln proposed
that if the people in a territory voted for no slavery,
would the people be right even though the Supreme
Court said they couldn’t do so? (Dred Scott case)
5. Douglas’ reply – “Freeport Doctrine”: said
that slavery would stay down if people
voted it down
6. Douglas defeated Lincoln for the Senate
seat because of his loyalty to popular
sovereignty - Lincoln gained moral
support, however.
7. Lincoln came into national limelight with
these debates – began to emerge as a
potential Republican nominee for
President
8. Douglas lost ground – opposed Lecompton
Constitution and his defiance at Freeport
killed his popularity – Democrats wanted to
break up the party and the Union.
K) John Brown: Murderer or Martyr?
1. Brown had a plan to secretly invade the South with some other
extremists, arm slaves and get them to revolt. The next step in
the plan was to create a “black free state”.
2. Harper’s Ferry, VA – October 1859 – Brown seized federal
arsenal and killed 7 innocent people, including an innocent black
– slaves failed to revolt – Brown and men were captured by U.S.
Marshals (under Robert E. Lee – preeminent general for the
Confederates)
3. “Old Brown” was convicted of murder and treason (punishable
by death)
- presumed insane (had 13 insane family members)
- hanged
5. Effects of Harper’s Ferry:
a) South: Brown was a murderer and committed
treason
b) Moderate Northerners (Republicans): deplored
by murderous rampage
c) Abolitionists and other free-soilers mad at
Brown’s death
d) Ghost of “Old Brown” not put to rest easily
L) The Disruption of the Democrats
1. Democrats became deeply divided
2. Charleston, SC – committee couldn’t decide on Douglas
(Northern Democrat) as a presidential candidate (didn’t
have 2/3 vote)
3. Tried again at the DNC in Baltimore – Northern
Democrats backed Douglas
4. DNC of Southern Democrats also met in Baltimore –
decided to back John C. Breckinridge
5. Middle-of-the-road group organized the Constitutional
Union Party – “Do Nothing Party” complied of former
Whigs or Know-Nothings – elected John Bell of TN for
presidency
M) A Rail-Splitter Splits the Union
1. Republicans sensed victory due to their opponents division of
party
2. Seward’s dreams of presidency vanished after a bad speech
– “Honest Abe” had less enemies
3. Lincoln was nominated over Seward
4. Republican platform:
-Appeal to every non-southern group:
-Free-soilers  no extension of slavery
-Northern manufacturers  protective tariff
- Immigrants  no abridgement of rights
-Westerners  internal improvements,feds pay
- Farmers  free homesteads
5. Southerners warned that if
Abe was elected, the South
split the Union
6. Lincoln was known as a
“straight out” abolitionist –
February 1865 – inclined to
favor cash compensation to
the owners of free slaves
7. Despite no appearing on the
ballot in the South, Lincoln
won the presidency with 1.8
million popular votes (39%)
and 180 EC votes – won
every free state EC except
for 3/7 of NJ’s
N) The Electoral Upheaval of 1860
1. Lincoln was a minority president – 60% of people voted
for another candidate – Lincoln only managed about
40%
2. Abe wasn’t on the ballot in 10 Southern states
3. Two Elections: 1 in the North, 1 in the South in 1860
4. SC was happy – they could secede now that
Republican Lincoln was in office
5. Douglas only received 12 EC, but campaigned
energetically for himself – usually dignified – ranked
close second in popular votes
6. Together Douglas Democrats and Breckinridge Democrats
amassed 366,484 more votes than Lincoln
7. If Democrats were organized and enthusiastic, they may have
won in 1860
8. South had 5 to 4 majority in Supreme Court
9. Slavery amendment to the US Constitution could not be shot
down by ¼ of the states – 15 slave states out of 31 in total.
Lincoln
Douglas
Breckinridge
O) The Secessionist Exodus
1. SC threatened to secede from the Union if Lincoln was
elected President and they did so in December of 1860
unanimously in Charleston, SC.
2. Over the next 6 weeks, 6 states followed SC:
a) Alabama
b) Mississippi
c) Florida
d) Georgia
e) Louisiana
f) Texas
g) 4 more joined later  11 total seceded from the
Union
3. February 1861 – Montgomery, AL – 7 states met to
create the Confederate States of America – chose
Jefferson Davis as president – a former US Senator
from Mississippi and graduate from West Point
4. “Lame Duck” interlude – period of 4 months until
presidency was official – Elected in November of 1860,
but took over in March of ’61
5. Buchanan didn’t do anything to force the Confederate
States back into the Union – troops needed in West to
deal with the Native Americans and the North was
apathetic toward secession - thought South was better
off seceding
P) The Collapse of Compromise
1. Another compromise – proposed by James Henry
Crittenden of KY – proposed the ‘Crittenden
Amendments’ to appease the South:
a) Slavery in territories prohibited North of 36°30’
b) South of 36°30’ – protection given in all
territories existing or future acquired
c) Future states North or South of 36°30’ could
enter Union with or without slavery – the state\
would choose
2. Lincoln rejected the Crittenden Amendments– all hopes
of compromise evaporated
3. Could Buchanan have saved the Union? – No, conflict
was inevitable.
Q) Farewell to Union
1. Why did the South secede from the Union?
a) Alarmed at tipping of political balance against
them
b) Dismayed at the triumph of the new sectional
Republican Party (threatened their rights as a
slaveholding minority)
c) Weary of Free-Soil criticism, abolitionist nagging
and northern influence (Underground Railroad
John Brown)
d) Slaveholding minority
e) Thought they’d be unopposed despite what
Northerners said
2. Wanted to develop their own banking and shipping –
direct trade with Europe
3. Thought that if the 13 Original Colonies seceded
successfully from Britain, why couldn’t they do it and do
it “successfully” too?
-THE CW varying viewpoints
1.) Slavery
2.) Economic struggle
3.) Breaking of political parties
4.) Difference in morality and culture
5.) N- no slaver b/c free labor
ideology
6.) Split of Dem. Parties
7.) Agree not to agree regional
parties
Key Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hinton R. Helper
John Brown
Charles Sumner
Dred Scott
Roger Taney
John Breckinridge
John Bell
Abraham Lincoln
• John Crittendon
• The Impending
Crisis of the South
• Bleeding Kansas
• American (“Know
Nothing”) Party
• Panic of 1857
• Lincoln-Douglas
Debates
Key Terms (cont’d)
• Freeport Doctrine
• Harper’s Ferry Raid
• Constitutional Union Party
Political
- UTC
- “Crisis of South”
- 1855 KS election (legis., 2 missions)
- John Brown
- LeCompton Constitution
- Dem’s divided
- “Bleeding KS”
- Sumner/Brooks
- Election of 1856
- Dred Scott decision (1857)
- Financial Crash 1857
- Crimean War
- Lincoln/Douglas Debates
Political (cont’d)
- Harper’s Ferry
- Douglas/Breckenridge split
- Const. Union Party
- Free Soilers
- Election of 1860
- SC secedes, 6 others (during “lame duck”)
- Confederate States (Feb. 1861), Jefferson Davis
- Crittendon Amendment
- Homestead Act
- Freeport Doctrine
- No intervention for South by England and France
Social
- UTC
- “Crisis of South”
- John Brown
- LeCompton Constitution
- Dem’s divided
- “Bleeding KS”
- Sumner/Brooks
- Rep.’s strength in 1856
- Dred Scott (1857)
- Financial Crash 1857
- Know Nothing Party
- No help from England and France (South)
Social (cont’d)
- Lincoln/Douglas debates
- Harper’s Ferry
- Const. Union Party
- Election of 1860
- Secession
- Conf. States
- Crittendon Amendment
- Homestead Act
- Freeport Doctrine
-1856 Lawrence burned
- CW in KS
Economic
- “Crisis of South”
- NE Em. Aid Co.
- LeCompton Constitution
- “Bleeding KS”
- Election of 1856 (KS-less)
- Dred Scott (1857)
- Financial Crash 1857
- secession
- Confederate States
- Crittendon Amendment
- Homestead Act
Key Figure: Harriet Beecher Stowe
• What?
– Author, abolitionist,
mother
• When?
– Life: 1811 - 1896
• Where?
– Born: Litchfield, CT
– Lived in KY, giving her
knowledge of slavery
and the Underground
Railroad
Why?
• Positive
– Enlightened the North
(and the rest of the
world) to the horrors of
slavery with her book,
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
– Helped to start Civil War
– Helped to drive the
abolition movement
– Fought for women’s
rights
– Sheltered runaway slaves
• Negative
– Helped start the
Civil War
Interesting Facts
• Lincoln called her “the little lady who made
this big war” (the Civil War)
• Wrote a few adult novels before writing
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Father was a Congregational minister and
later President of Lane Theological
Seminary
• Gave birth to 5 children in first 7 years of
marriage
Interesting Facts (cont’d)
• Her family was actively involved in hiding
runaway slaves
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published in
40 installments in The National Era; Stowe
received $300 for the entire work
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold 3,000 copies the
first day, 10,000 within a week, and
300,000 within a year
Key Figure: Charles Sumner
• What?
– Senator
• When?
– Life: 1811-1874
– Senator: 1851-1874
• Where?
– Radical Republican
Why?
• Positive
– Against the Fugitive Slave
Law
– Gained diplomatic
recognition of Haiti by the
US
– Helped block war with GB
and France
– Advocate for black Civil
Rights
• Negative
– Jumped from party
to party
– Was involved in
events that led to the
CW
Interesting Facts
• Good friends with Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
• Was a bachelor for most of his life
• Strongly opposed Johnson’s Reconstruction
because he thought it was too kind to the
South
• His last words were “save my civil rights
bill”
• Graduated from Harvard Law School
Interesting Facts cont…
• Introduced the 13th amendment to the
Senate in 1864
• Nominated a black man to the Supreme
Court
• Was severely beaten by Congressman
Preston Brooks with a cane