Download Ch 10 Union in crisis

Chapter 10 U.S. History
The Union in Crisis
1848-1861
Vs.
Slavery, States’ Rights, and Western Expansion
Slavery Divides the Nation
Main Idea: From the nation’s earliest days, the issue of slavery divided Americans. As the
nation expanded, the problem became more pressing. Southerners believed slavery should
be allowed in the new western territories; many northerners believed it should not.
The Election of 1848
Main Idea: In the 1848 presidential campaign, both Democrats and Whigs split over the
question of whether to limit the expansion of slavery. New political factions emerged,
with slavery at the center of debate.
A Compromise Avoids a Crisis
Main Idea: Henry Clay’s Compromise of 1850 offered concessions to both the South and
the North and suggested that popular sovereignty should decide the slavery issue in the
Utah and New Mexico territories.
Senate Adopts the Compromise of 1850
Main Idea: In an attempt to ward off division among the states, the Senate adopted the
Compromise of 1850. Though the legislation restored calm for the moment, it carried the
seeds of new crises to come.
Section #1: Two Nations?
 By the 1850’s, the North and The South had
developed into regions with very different
economics, societies and views on slavery.
NOTE TAKING
Reading Skill: Categorize
Northern Views on Slavery
 By 1850’s many saw it as violating the basic
principals of the United States and
Christianity.

Believed all humans had the right to choose their
own destiny and follow God’s laws.
 Many were prejudiced against Af. Americans

Meaning they had an unfavorable opinion of
another group that is not based on fact.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
 Abolitionist writer.
 Set in pre-civil war south.
 A man Simon Legree molests a
female slave and kills the African
American hero, Uncle Tom.
 Abe Lincoln said to her, “So this
is the little lady who made this big
war.”
 Vivid picture of slavery & the
South.
 Convinced many slavery would
ruin the nation.
Southern Views on Slavery
 Southerners saw “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as a book of lies.
 To some southerners, plantation homes were like a big,
happy family.
 Many claimed that most planters were interested in the wellbeing of their slaves, and gave them the basic necessities of
life.
 Southerners would not let Northerners who they saw as
haughty and self-righteous, tell them how to live.
Differences Between the North & South
Northern States
Southern States
Population
21.5 million
9 million
Number of
Factories
Miles of
Railroad
Bank Deposits
110,100
20,600
21,700
9,000
$207 million
$47 million
Cotton
Production
4 thousand bales 5 million bales
 Gotta deal with all these new states – free or slave?
 Tried to figure this out with the Missouri
Compromise of 1820.

No slave states above the 36`30 line.
 Mexican Cession was almost all below 36`30 line
and that would throw off the balance, worried
North.
 Southerners felt that states should have a right to
choose!
Issues – Election of 1848
 Because slavery was such a divided issue, both
parties avoided it in 1848.


Democrats – Gov. Lewis Cass of Michigan
Whigs – Mexican War Gen. Zachary Taylor
 Some party members were angry that their parties
ignored the issue, so they split to form new parties!

Free Soil Party

Didn’t win enough states in 1848, but did take enough votes
away from Cass to win the Presidency for Zachary Taylor.
CHART
Clay’s Compromise of 1850
John C. Calhoun’s Opinion
 “I have, Senators, believed from the first that…the
subject of slavery would, if not prevented by some
timely and effective measure, end in disunion [of
the U.S.]… It has reached a point when it can no
longer be disguised or denied that the Union is in
danger. You have thus had forced upon you the
greatest and gravest question that can ever come
under your consideration: How can the Union be
preserved?”
Does the North Control the Gov’t?
 North did have more wealth and more
people.

More representatives in the House and more
votes in the Electoral College.
 Calhoun talked about state’s rights.

This theory said that states have the right to
nullify acts of the federal gov’t and even leave
the Union if they wish to do so.
Calhoun’s Thoughts…
 Calhoun didn’t want the South to leave the Union…
at first!
 Calhoun felt stopping slavery was wrong, b/c it
interfered with people’s liberty to own enslaved
people as property.
 “I have exerted myself…with the intention of
saving the Union, if it could be done; and if it could
not, [with saving] the section…which I sincerely
believe has justice and the Constitution on its side.”
Daniel Webster’s Opinion
 A magnificent speaker, had a different
opinion.
 He feared for the existence of the Union and
supported Henry Clay’s Compromise,

“I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts
man, nor as a northern man, but as an
American…I speak today for the preservation of
the Union. Hear me for my cause.”
Fate of the Compromise of 1850
 Congress approves!


Southerners were not happy…but it brought a
brief calm.
Fugitive Slave Act portion angered many
Northerners.
 Many feared that Pres. Zach Taylor would
veto…

He died… so his VP Millard Fillmore became
President.
A Rising Tide of Protest and Violence
Resistance Against the Fugitive Slave Act
Main Idea: The Compromise of 1850 was meant to calm the fears of
Americans. But one provision, the new Fugitive Slave Act, had the
opposite effect. Black Americans and abolitionists despised the law and
organized to try to help enslaved people to freedom through the
Underground Railroad.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act Undoes the Missouri Compromise
Main Idea: Although Congress meant well, its repeated attempts to
resolve the question of slavery resulted in a jumble of contradictory, and
often unenforceable, policies.
A Battle Rages in “Bleeding Kansas”
Main Idea: Kansas attracted not only farmers but settlers with political
motives. Violence erupted between abolitionists and proslavery settlers
and eventually spread to the Senate.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
 Stephen Douglas (S, IL) raises the issue of
slavery again.

1.) He wanted Chicago to benefit from the
development of the west.


So if Kansas and Nebraska became states RR could be
built to link Chicago with the West.
2.) He wanted to run for President.
He would need southern democrats support… but
under the Miss Comp 1820, they would be free states.
 So he tried to avoid this by proposing the KansasNebraska Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act
 Supported practice of popular sovereignty.

Letting the people in a territory decide whether slavery
would be allowed there.
 Basically Douglas was asking Congress to repeal
the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
 He knew this would make ___ happy, and the ___
mad!

Would have been impossible for K and N to become
slave states under M.C. of 1820.
 Passed after 9 months, North livid!!!

Northern Democrats denounced Douglas, saw him as a
sell-out to the South.
The Violence Begins…
 Free soilers –

People sent to Kansas by anti-slavery societies,
to vote for entering the Union as a free state.
 Many southerners also crossed the border to
vote illegally in Kansas, to be a slave state.

By 1855 – Kansas had an anti-slavery capital and
pro-slavery capital.

It was no surprise that violence was coming...
“Bleeding Kansas”
 Pro-slavery people looted offices and homes in Lawrence,
Kansas.
 John Brown – stern evangelist who believed he was God’s
instrument to end slavery.
 On May 24-25, he led several free soilers to a proslavery
settlement near Pottawatomie Creek.

There he roused five men from their beds, drug them from homes,
and killed them with swords in front of their families.
 Sparked violent raids throughout Kansas known as
“Bleeding Kansas”.
 In the Lecompton Constitution, Kansas decided they would
be a slave state. (New pres will say that is okay)
TRANSPARENCY
Bleeding Kansas
Political Realignment Deepens the Crisis
The Shifting Political Scene
Main Idea: Traditionally, American political parties extended across sectional lines. But
starting in the 1840s, American politics increasingly reflected regional tensions, especially
over the issue of slavery.
Sectional Divisions Intensify
Main Idea: For many years, the North and South tried to ignore or patch over their
differences. But by the mid-1850s, the dispute over slavery caused sectional differences to
intensify.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Main Idea: In 1858, Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln held a series of seven debates
while competing for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Thousands of Americans attended the
Lincoln-Douglas debates and listened intently as the two candidates presented opposing
views of slavery and its role in America.
John Brown’s Raid
Main Idea: Abolitionist John Brown concluded that violence was the best way to reach his
goal of avenging the evil of slavery. In 1859, he and 21 followers seized the federal arsenal
in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However, federal troops ended the attack, and Brown was
eventually executed.
What led to the Civil War?
 Sectionalism – State’s Rights over Federal Rights
 Slavery – 1860=4,000,000 in U.S
 Solvency – The ability to pay off debt; economics,
taxes
 Styles – Life style; Rural v. Urban
 Secession – Leave the Union
1854
54-55 1856
Kansas- Pro- &
Nebraska
Anti –
Act is
Slavery
passed
Settlers
Move
to
Kansas
Tensions
lead to
open
violence;
“Bleeding
Kansas”
1857
1858
1859
Supreme
Court
issues
Dred
Scott
Decision;
Enslaved
persons
are
property
Lincoln
&
Douglas
debate
slavery
John
Brown’s
raid on
Harper’s
Ferry;
deepens
distrust
between
the North
& South
CHART
American Political Parties During the 1850s
Rise of the Know-Nothings
 Nativism – a movement to ensure that native-born Americans
receive better treatment than immigrants.

This arose due to immigration. (B/t 1846-1854, 3 mil Europeans came to US)
 This lead to formation of a secret nativist society called the
Order of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Had a million members; Used secret passwords/ handshakes.
 They always said “I know nothing” about their organization.


Against Irish Catholic candidates, wanted immigrants to wait longer
to become citizens.
Supported by Americans who worried immigration would lead to
crime and vice, & those afraid to losing jobs to immigrants.
Change in Political Parties
 In 1852 the Whigs, rejecting Pres Fillmore
b/c he supported Comp of 1850, nominated
Winfield Scott.

Democrats nominated Franklin Pierce…won!
 Whigs never won again and by end of 1850’s
they were gone!
The Creation of the Republican Party
 Summer of 1854, many people had meetings to
protest the K-N Act.
 During a meeting, angry Northerners launched a
new party – The Republican Party.




Dedicated themselves to stopping the “slave power”, the
South.
To them, slavery was a moral evil, vowed to fight against
its extension into new territories.
Demanded repeal of K-N Act, and Fugitive Slave Act.
Got support from anti-slavery Democrats, Whigs, and
Free Soilers.
The Caning of Charles Sumner:
aka: “Bleeding Sumner” May 22, 1856
Charles Sumner
Preston Brooks
Election of 1856
 Democrats: nominated James Buchanan

Had been out of country with no connection with
Kansas violence.
 Republicans: nominated John C. Fremont

Mexican War hero with no political experience
 Know-nothings: nominated Millard Fillmore
Election of 1856
 Dems – supported Comp of 1850 and K-N Act.
 Repubs – declared Fed Gov’t had right to restrict
slavery in territories, and let Kansas in as a free
state.
 Buchanan and Democrats won.

Said he would stop the slavery debate, wanted
Supreme Court to use its power.

Two days later, the Supreme Court handed down a decision
that would further anger the North and divide the nation.
The Dred Scott Case (March 1857)
 Scott sued (Supreme Court) on
grounds that his master took him
into a free state (IL) and free
territory (Wisconsin).
 Taney denied back citizenship,
arguing “Negroes” had “no rights
which any white man was bound
to respect.” (no right to courts).
 Declared the Missouri
Compromise unconstitutional for
denying property rights
 Strengthened the Republicans and
northern antislavery sentiment
(Slave Power Conspiracy).
Dred Scott
Chief Justice,
Roger B. Taney
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
“It is none of my business which way
the slavery clause (in Kansas) is
decided. I CARE NOT WHETHER
IT IS VOTED DOWN OR VOTED
UP” (1857 Senate remarks).
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I
believe this government cannot endure,
permanently half slave and half free . . . It will
become all one thing, or all the other.”
William Seward’s Speech:
“Irrepressible Conflict”
 Delivered at Rochester, New
York, October 1858.
 “It is an irrepressible conflict
between opposing and
enduring forces, and it means
that the United States must and
will, sooner or later, become
either entirely a slave-holding
nation or entirely a free-labor
nation.”
John Brown’s Raid
October 16-18, 1859
Info on John Brown’s Raid
 John Brown attacked the federal arsenal in Harpers
Ferry, Virginia.


Arsenal – place where weapons
Had 21 men and 5 Af Amers with him.
 Supported by abolitionists in North.
 He wanted to seize weapons and give them to
enslaved people.

Wanted slaves to rise up against masters and fight!!!
Federal Gov’t Finds Out!
 US troops, led by General Robert E. Lee, surround
the arsenal.
 Troops kill half of Brown’s men, including 2 of his
sons.
 J. Brown convicted to be hanged.

“I John Brown an now quite certain that the crimes of
this guilty land will never be purged away; but with
blood.”
 North called him a martyr, southerners denounced
him… further divided the nation.
Brown’s Martyrdom
The Last Moments of John
Brown, Thomas Hovenden,
c. 1884
On leaving the Jail, John Brown had on his
face an expression of calmness and serenity
characteristic of the patriot who is about to
die with a living consciousness that he is
laying his life down for the good of his
fellow creatures. As he stepped out of door a
black woman, with her little child in her
arms, stood near his way. The twain were of
the despised race for whose emancipation
and elevation to the dignity of children of
God he was about to lay down his life. He
stopped for a moment in his course, stooped
over, and with the tenderness of one whose
love is as broad as the brotherhood of man,
kissed [the child] affectionately.
- New York Tribune, December 5, 1859
Lincoln, Secession, and War
The Election of 1860
Main Idea: The Election of 1860 was a turning point for the United States.
The election demonstrated that there were no longer any national political
parties. The North and South were now effectively two political entities,
and there seemed no way to bridge the gap.
The Union Collapses
Main Idea: Southerners were outraged that a President could be elected
without a single southern vote. In Southerners’ perception, the South no
longer had a voice in the national government. They decided to act by
leaving the Union and forming the Confederacy.
The Civil War Begins
Main Idea: The Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, hoping to seize it from
Union hands. Lincoln declared that “insurrection” existed and called for
75,000 volunteers to fight against the Confederacy.
NOTE TAKING
Reading Skill: Identify Causes and Effects
A Nation Divided Against Itself
11/6/60 – Lincoln is elected Prez. without any electoral vote in the South
12/18/60 – Senate & Lincoln reject Sen. Crittenden of Kentucky plan to recognizing
slavery in territories south of 36.30N
12/20/60-2/8/1861 – South Carolina Secedes, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana, & Texas = Confederate State of America
2/9/1861- Jefferson Davis = Prez. Of Confederacy
3/4/1861 – Lincoln is sworn into office
REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE CONFEDERACY
April 12-13 1861 – Firing on Fort Sumter, S.C.
April 15th, 1861 – Lincon Declares a state of insurrection; calls of
volunteers to fight!
Democratic Party Convention – 1860
 Split b/c couldn’t agree on issue of slavery.
 Southern Democrats – John Breckenridge


Supported by Southern states
He was committed to spreading slavery in the territories.
 Northern Democrats – Stephen Douglas
 Moderate Democrats formed the Constitutional
Union Party – John Bell (Tenn)


Owned slaves, didn’t want to spread.
Supported by Border States…

Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri
The 1860 Republican Convention
 Republicans had high hopes of
victory.
 William Seward was the party
front-runner.
 Lincoln captured attention on
subsequent ballots because of
his moderate position and lack
of political “baggage.”
 Lincoln won because he
was everyone’s second
choice.
The Elections
 Obviously no united national parties.


Breckenridge and Bell fight for the South.
Lincoln and Douglas fight for the North.
 Lincoln’s name didn’t even appear on some
southern ballots.
 Lincoln wins without getting a single
electoral vote in the South!

Only 39% of the popular vote.
CHART
The Candidates for President
The Lower South Secedes
 Call for the South to secede, or withdraw,
from the Union b/c of Lincoln’s election.

“[The Republican Party] stands forth today,
hideous, revolting, loathsome, a menace not only
to the Union of these states, but to Society, to
Liberty, and to Law.” - Augusta newspaper
 Secessionists argued that sine the states had
voluntarily joined the U.S., they could also
leave it.
 South Carolina left on Dec. 20, 1860.
South Carolina Secedes
 Dec. 20, 1860 – unanimous vote!
 “On the 4th day of March next, [the
Republican] party will take possession of the
Gov’t. It has announced that the South shall
be excluded from the common territory, that
the judicial tribunals shall be made sectional,
and that a war must be waged against slavery
until it shall cease throughout the U.S. The
guaranties of the Constitution will no longer
exist; the equal rights of the States will be
lost. The slaveholding states will no longer
have the power of self-government, or selfprotection, and the Federal Gov’t will have
become their enemy.
The Confederacy is Formed
State
Date
Vote in Favor
South Carolina
Dec. 20
169-0
Mississippi
Jan. 9
84-15
Florida
Jan. 10
62-7
Alabama
Jan. 11
61-39
Georgia
Jan. 19
166-130
Louisiana
Jan. 26
113-17
Texas
Feb. 1
166-8
Jefferson Davis
 These states met in Montgomery,
AL in Feb. 1861. There they
created a new nation, the
Confederate States of America.
They elected Jefferson Davis
their President.
Events leading to the Civil War
Date
Event
Nov. 6, 1860
A. Lincoln is elected President without the support of the southern
states.
Dec. 18, 1860
Sen. John Crittendon, KY, proposes a plan that would recognize
slavery in territories south of 36’30’ N. The Senate rejects the plan
on Lincoln’s advice.
Dec. 20, 1860 to Feb.
8, 1861
South Carolina secedes from the U.S., followed MS, FL, AL, GA,
LA, TX. They form the Confederate States of America.
Feb. 9, 1861
Jeff Davis is elected as the Confederacy’s provisional President.
March 4, 1861
Lincoln is sworn into office and refuses to recognize the Confederacy.
April 12-13, 1861
Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard opens fire on Fort Sumter.
Major Robert Anderson surrenders.
April 15, 1861
Lincoln declares a state of insurrection, or rebellion, and calls for
volunteers to fight.
TRANSPARENCY
Forming the Confederacy
Fort Sumter
Info on Fort Sumter
 A federal fort in South Carolina.
 Jan – a federal ship sent to supply the fort had to turn around
b/c fired on by Confeds.

Now, Major Robert Anderson (Union) was running out of supplies.

If Lincoln didn’t re-supply they would run out of supplies and abandon
the fort to the Confeds.
 Lincoln had promised not to attack the south, but also to
defend the property of the Gov’t.


To send things might make him responsible for starting a war.
To abandon the fort would mean to acknowledge the authority of the
Confederate Gov’t.
 What to do????
What did Lincoln do?
 He told Gov. of South Carolina he was sending
food to the Fort, but no soldiers or arms.
 Before supplies could arrive, Confed Pres Davis
orders P.G.T. Beauregard to demand that Ft.
Sumter surrender.

If Anderson refused, Beauregard was to take it by force!
 Anderson refused, and after 24 hours of
bombardment Anderson surrenders.
Fort Sumter’s Significance
 By firing on federal property, the Confederacy had
committed an open act of rebellion.
 As THE defender of the Constitution, Lincoln had
to respond.

He called for volunteers and the South took it as an act of
war against them.
 Upper South states (VA, NC, TN, AK) now joined
the South.
 84 years after being independent the US was apart!
 Now… can the Union be preserved through force?