Download Impending Crisis

The Impending Crisis
Events Leading Toward Civil War
Mexican War
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Opinions of war’s aftermath
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Wilmot Proviso (Aug 1846)
– annex Tex as slave state
but no extension of slavery
into any territory that may
be gained from Mexico
Politicized slavery debate:
House adopted; Senate
refused; Polk tried to
suppress but kept coming
up for a vote
3 Positions on Slavery’s Future
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1. Calhoun: slaves should be considered
property; property rights protected by 5th
Amend.; Southerners could move anywhere and
take slaves
2. Polk: extend Missouri Compromise line
3. Cass: “popular sovereignty” – let people in
territory decide status of slavery
Election of 1848
Zachary Taylor (Whig) v. Lewis Cass (Dem)
v. Martin Van Buren (Free Soil)
 Dem’s refused to endorse pop. sovereignty;
denied power of Cong to interfere w/ slavery &
criticized anti-slavery petitions
 Free Soilers endorsed Wilmot Proviso
“free soil, free speech, free labor, & free men”
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Impact of Free Soil Party
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Split Demo vote in some areas and Whig vote in
other areas
Taylor won election (war hero)
Significance: slavery becoming political issue
Gold Rush (1848)
People from all over the world rush to California
Greatest mass migration in Amer. History
California applies for Statehood in 1849 – wants
admission as free state
Taylor’s opinion: protect slavery where exists but
make CA and NM free states
Compromise of 1850
CA petition touched off great debate – esp. in
Senate
 Key players: Clay, Calhoun, Webster
 Divisive issues:
- CA admission as free state
- controversy over TX boundary
- proposal to abolish slave trade in D.C.
- S demand for stronger fugitive slave laws
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Jan 1850, Clay presented 8 resolutions as
package
Emotional debate continued Jan – March 1850
Clay presented compromise; Calhoun opposed;
Webster supported (political risk)
By mid-April, 8 proposals bundled into one bill
Taylor’s support of NM statehood petition
caused controversy w/ TX boundaries
Taylor died; Fillmore supported Compromise
Compromise of 1850
S. Douglas suggested breaking Compromise into
separate bills; Clay agreed:
1. California admitted as free state
2. Popular Sovereignty in NM and Utah
3. Texas compensated by fed. gov’t to surrender
controversial boundary claims
4. Slave trade in DC ended (Slavery remains)
5. A tougher fugitive slave law
Key Players
John C. Calhoun
Argues for State’s Rights
Daniel Webster
Agrees with Clay to avoid war
Stephen Douglas
Breaks the compromise into pieces and it is
eventually passed
Reaction to Compromise
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Factions found fault with Compromise almost
from beginning
Anti-slavery forces upset about Fugitive Slave
Law; motivated Abolitionists & deepened antislavery impulse in North
South found fault w/ failure in enforcement of
Fugitive Slave Law
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Used stereotypes: Simon Legree evil slave owner;
Uncle Tom sympathetic character
 Widely read & discussed; turned into popular
play
 Polarized opinions both N & S:
- Convinced Northerners slavery would ruin
nation; won many over to anti-slavery cause
- Enraged Southerners; wrote numerous novels
in reply; became defensive
Election of 1852
Franklin Pierce (D) v. Winfield Scott (W)
Pierce becomes 14th President
North resist the Fugitive Slave Act
Ostend Manifesto - 1854
Secret plan to take Cuba by force
Anti-slavery northerners get upset
Gadsden Purchase - 1853
US gets southern part of NM and Arizona for $10
million
Kansas Nebraska Act (1854)
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Gadsden Purchase reopened sectional rivalries
1852-3 Debate over route for transcontinental
railroad
Sen. S. Douglas (IL) favored route w/ Chicago
as E terminus – needed S. support
1854 proposed organizing Kansas & Nebraska
Terr. w/ popular sovereignty to determine
slavery status
In effect, would repeal Mo. Compromise
Significance of Kan-Neb Act
Bill passed both houses by narrow margin
 Effects:
- pushed moderate politicians to extremes on
slavery issue
- fragmented Demo party
- led to decline of Whigs and formation of new
party – Rep Party
- led to bloody civil war in Kansas
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Birth of Republican Party
By mid-1850s, slavery splitting nation:
- Demo Party dividing into N (anti-slavery) and
S (pro slavery) factions but no split until 1860
- Whig Party dissolved
 1854 in reaction to K-N Act, N Whigs, indep Dems &
Free Soilers formed Republican Party
 Anti-slavery; platform: opposed ext of slavery into new
territories
 1st Pres candidate 1856; 1st Pres elected 1860
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Bleeding Kansas
Taken for granted that Neb. would be free
Kansas became battleground over slavery issue
1855 Terr. governor called for elections: “border
ruffians” from Mo. streamed across border;
swayed election in their favor
By 1856 2 gov’ts claimed authority: 1 pro(Lecompton) and 1 anti-slavery (Topeka)
Civil War erupted between factions
“Crime Against Kansas”: 1856
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Title of Charles Sumner’s speech May 19-20;
inflammatory criticism of pro-slavery forces
May 21 “Sack of Lawrence” – pro-slavery
settlers raided anti-slavery settlement
May 22 Preston Brooks beat C. Sumner w/ cane
on floor of Senate chamber
May 24-25 J. Brown & followers; “Pottawatomie
Massacre” (5 pro-slavery settlers murdered)
Sumner absent from Senate for
2 ½ yrs; seat stayed empty
 Sumner’s speech & beating
inflamed both sides
 Series of events set off guerrilla war in Kansas
 Congress adjourned 1856 session w/ no
decision on Kansas
 Became burning issue in Election of 1856
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Election of 1856
James Buchanan (D) – endorsed Kan-Neb Act;
wanted better enforcement of Fugitive Slave law;
Cong. should not interfere w/ slavery; courted
Irish & German voters
 John C. Fremont (R) – opposed ext. of slavery;
called for admission of Kan. as free state;
condemned repeal of Mo. Comp and
expansionist policies of Dem’s
 Amer. (Know Nothing – anti-immigrant, started
from secret societies) Party – M. Fillmore
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Election Results / Significance
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Buchanan won
Voting along sectional lines:
Dem’s won 14 slave, 5 free states
Rep’s won 11 free states (not on ballot in slave
states)
Appearance of Rep Party – 1st time major party
platform took stand against slavery
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
Dred Scott slave – had been taken into free state
to live then back to slave state – sued for his
freedom in 1843 after master’s death
 Taney court ruling:
1. slaves not citizens; could not sue in fed court
2. slaves property; state law cannot deprive a
slaveowner of his property
3. Mo. Compromise line unconstitutional
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Reaction to Dred Scott
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Decision basically said Congress could not
exclude slavery anywhere – therefore, there
could be no such thing as a free state
North & Rep’s enraged; believed “slavocracy”
conspiracy existed (majority of justices,
including Taney were southerners)
Southerners celebrated decision; said Congress
now obligated to protect property of
slaveholders w/ federal slave codes
Kansas Again (still)
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Continuing effort to get Kansas admitted to
union
Lecompton Constitution (proslavery) approved
& supported by Buchanan but ultimately
rejected by Kansas voters
Buchanan’s action further split Dem Party
Kansas finally admitted as free state in 1858
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
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Lincoln challenged S. Douglas for Senate seat
from Ill.
Candidates held 7 debates in 1858
2nd debate Lincoln challenged Douglas’ popular
sovereignty in light of Dred Scott decision –
resulted in Douglas’ “Freeport Doctrine”
Douglas won reelection
Lincoln gained nat’l attention as result of
debates – aided his nomination in 1860
John Brown’s Raid
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Radical abolitionist (Pottawatomie Crk)
Oct. 1859 – Harper’s Ferry, VA (now W WA)
Planned to seize federal arsenal w/ hopes of
starting an armed slave rebellion
Shoot-out w/ U.S. forces; captured & tried for
treason & conspiracy to incite insurrection
Executed Dec. 2nd
Significance of John Brown
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Immediate reaction: condemned widely, N & S
although some in North called him a martyr
(Emerson)
Southerners believed Brown had widespread
support in North – esp. among Republicans; in
aftermath, rumors of abolitionist conspiracies
and slave insurrections swept thro slave states
Further alienated South & deepened divisions,
distrust & anger between N. and S.
Election of 1860
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Dems divided over slavery
Reps – A. Lincoln – opposed ext. of slavery
S. Dems - J. Breckenridge (KY) – adopted proslavery platform
N. Dems - S. Douglas – supported pop sov &
warned Lincoln’s election would split nation
Const Union – J. Bell – “for Const & Union”
Election Results
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Campaign real contest between Lincoln &
Douglas in N; Breckinridge & Bell in S.
Lincoln won Elect Coll & 39% of pop. vote; 18
free states (not on ballot in any Southern state)
Breckinridge – 2nd in electoral vote; swept all
slave states except VA, KY, TN (went to Bell)
Significance: secession of S. states began
Confederacy Forms
By Feb. 1, 1861 – 7 states had seceded – SC (1st), MS, FL, AL,
GA, LA, TX
Met in Montgomery, AL; adopted constitution of Confederate
States of America (CSA); elected Jefferson Davis President
 Significance: Southern states pledged allegiance to
separate gov’t; began seizing federal property, arsenals &
forts; people had to choose sides
 Buchanan’s reaction: secession illegal but he could not
stop it; decided to “wait it out” and led Lincoln handle the
problem
 Fed gov’t action would determine fate of nation
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Last Chance: Crittenden
Compromise
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Dec, 1860 - Proposed by Sen John J. Crittenden
Series of amendments and resolutions to reunite
nation and prevent war
Peace Conference in Wash, DC in Feb endorsed
content of Crittenden Compromise but failed to
gain support of Congress