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America: Pathways to the Present Chapter 10 The Coming of the Civil War (1846–1861) Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. All rights reserved. America: Pathways to the Present Chapter 10: The Coming of the Civil War (1846–1861) Section 1: Two Nations Section 2: The Mexican War and Slavery Extension Section 3: New Political Parties Section 4: The System Fails Section 5: A Nation Divided Against Itself Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. All rights reserved. Two Nations Chapter 10, Section 1 • Why do some historians think the Civil War was unavoidable? • What arguments did abolitionists use against slavery? • How did Southerners view slavery? • What were some important differences between the North and the South? Historians and the Civil War Chapter 10, Section 1 • Many historians have debated whether or not the United States could have avoided the Civil War, a conflict whose outcome determined the fate of the Union, or the unified nation. • Some historians have suggested that with stronger leaders, opposing groups of Americans could have settled their differences and avoided war. • However, others believe that the differences between the regions, racial groups, and social classes of the North and the South outweighed their similarities, making conflict inevitable. The Case Against Slavery Chapter 10, Section 1 Slavery’s White Opponents • By the 1850s, many white Northerners had come to believe that slavery violated both American and Christian principles. • However, these opponents did not necessarily also believe in equality. Many felt prejudice, or an unreasonable opinion of another group that is not based on fact, toward African Americans. Uncle Tom’s Cabin • Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin became a powerful statement about the impact of slavery. • Uncle Tom’s Cabin presented a vivid, if exaggerated, picture of slavery which convinced many Northerners that slavery would ruin United States society. Southern Views on Slavery Chapter 10, Section 1 • • • In the thirty years before the Civil War, even as northern criticism of the “peculiar institution” began to deepen, proslavery thought came to dominate southern public life. Fewer and fewer white southerners shared the view, common among the founding fathers, that slavery was, at best, a “necessary evil.” John C. Calhoun proclaimed in 1837, “once believed that [slavery] was a moral and political evil…That folly and delusion are gone; we now see it in its true light, and regard it as the most safe and stable basis for free institutions in the world.” (GML, p.386) Southern Views on Slavery Chapter 10, Section 1 • Calhoun and other proslavery southerners attacked the Declaration of Independence for its “dangerous” ideas of universal equality and freedom. • Even those w/no direct stake in slavery shared w/planters a deep commitment to racism. • Many white Southerners saw Northerners as arrogant and selfrighteous, and they resented being told how they should live. • Southerners, like Virginian George Fitzhugh, author of Cannibals All! defended their views on slavery, arguing that slave owners treated their slaves better than northern industrialists treated their workers. Southern Views on Slavery Chapter 10, Section 1 • The Virginia writer George Fitzhugh took the argument to its most radical conclusion, not only repudiating Jeffersonian ideals but the notion of America’s special mission in the world. Far from being the natural condition of mankind, Fitzhugh wrote, “universal liberty” was the exception. • Slavery was “the general…normal, natural” basis of “civilized society.” • Many Southerners objected to Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s portrayal of slave owners and pointed out that many Revolutionary War heroes had also owned slaves. Differences Between the North and the South Chapter 10, Section 1 Trains and Trade • Newly built railroads were quickly making canals obsolete, or outdated. • The 1850s saw a large increase in the number of United States railroads. Most of these new railroads, though, were in the North. • Railroads had a heavy impact on trade as well as the growth of both northern and southern cities. The Telegraph • Samuel F. B. Morse’s invention of the telegraph in 1844 improved communication, nourishing the booming industries of the North. • Because telegraph wires were strung along railroad tracks, the North benefited more than the South from this new communication technology. Competing Visions Chapter 10, Section 1 • The North and the South held competing visions of what American society should become. • These differences, as well as economic contrasts and differences in population levels, would soon lead to conflict. Two Nations—Assessment Chapter 10, Section 1 What was the significance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin? (A) It whipped up northern sentiment against slavery. (B) It pointed out the need for more railroads. (C) It advocated white southerners’ views. (D) It showed the economic contrasts between the north and the south. Which of the following was a southern argument in favor of slavery? (A) Slavery violated American and Christian principles. (B) Southern slaves were treated better than northern free workers. (C) Slavery was essential to southern industry. (D) Northern prejudice was damaging to African Americans. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! Two Nations—Assessment Chapter 10, Section 1 What was the significance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin? (A) It whipped up northern sentiment against slavery. (B) It pointed out the need for more railroads. (C) It advocated white southerners’ views. (D) It showed the economic contrasts between the north and the south. Which of the following was a southern argument in favor of slavery? (A) Slavery violated American and Christian principles. (B) Southern slaves were treated better than northern free workers. (C) Slavery was essential to southern industry. (D) Northern prejudice was damaging to African Americans. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! The Mexican War and Slavery Extension Chapter 10, Section 2 • What events led to the annexation of Texas? • Why did the United States go to war with Mexico? • Why did the Wilmot Proviso lead to conflict? A Nation Divided • Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson had a warning that Polk and others ignored. He predicted that if the United States gobbled up a part of Mexico, “it will be as the man who swallows arsenic…Mexico will poison us.” • What did Emerson mean by “Mexico will poison us”? Was he right? Why or why not? The Mexican War and a Warning • What did Emerson mean by “Mexico will poison us”? Was he right? Why or why not? Annexation of Texas Chapter 10, Section 2 • During the 1830s and 1840s, many Americans favored expanding United States territory. The term manifest destiny, meaning obvious or undeniable fate of the USA to expand and control North America, was applied to this goal. Central to the idea of manifest destiny was a sense that [WASP] America was favored by God to rule over others because of a superior civilization. Ironically, part of the justification of [WASP] America to gain new territories was a sense of duty to spread democratic principles. (Why was this justification ironic?) Annexation of Texas Chapter 10, Section 2 • After winning its independence from Mexico, Texas voted in 1836 to be annexed, or joined, to the United States. • Most Southerners and Democrats approved of annexing Texas, hoping to create additional slave states out of the Texas territory. Northerners and Whigs, though, did not want to shift the balance of power to the South. Both sides also worried that annexation would lead to war with Mexico. • Texas was annexed in early 1845, and became the twenty-eighth state in the Union later that year. Polk Embraces Manifest Destiny • James K. Polk • President James K. Polk believed that expansion would unite all Americans, North, South, and West. With so many divisions over slavery, the tariff, internal improvements, and money supply, Polk saw adding new territory as something all Americans could agree. Yet, even before the war ended there were signs that Polk miscalculated. The Mexican War and a Warning • What did Emerson mean by “Mexico will poison us”? Was he right? Why or why not? • Define manifest destiny and explain it role in bringing about the election of James K. Polk, war with Mexico, increasing tension between the North and South, and ultimately the Civil War. The Mexican War Chapter 10, Section 2 The Mexican War provided an opportunity to extend America’s borders across the continent. What did the US victory over Mexico mean? • The USA gained an enormous amount of territory in the Southwest from Mexico. • Would slavery expand into these new lands? • David Wilmot, a northern Democrat in Congress had an answer. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Chapter 10, Section 2 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo • The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War with substantial gains for the United States. • In the treaty, Mexico gave up its claims to Texas, California, and New Mexico in return for $15 million. • Five years later, Mexico sold more land to the United States. This Gadsden Purchase included land that became southern New Mexico and Arizona. Results of the Mexican War • The Mexican War, together with the Gadsden Purchase and the 1846 division of Oregon, established the borders of the continental United States as they are today. • In Mexico, bitterness developed toward the United States that would last for decades. • New American territory in the West opened the door to an even larger wave of western migration. • The acquisition of new territory once again raised the question of whether the new lands would be slave or free. Be careful what you wish… • President James K. Polk believed that expansion would unite all Americans, North, South, and West. With so many divisions over slavery, the tariff, internal improvements, and money supply, Polk saw adding new territory as something all Americans could agree. Yet, even before the war ended there were signs that Polk miscalculated. Victory Over Mexico Brings More Problems • Before the US went to war against Mexico, writer Ralph Waldo Emerson issued a warning. He said that if the US gobbled up part of Mexico, “it will be as the man who swallowed arsenic…Mexico will poison us.” • What did Emerson mean? Was he right? (All of Chapter 10 helps provide the answers and evidence needed to these questions.) The Impact of Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War • 1. What was the Wilmot Proviso and why was it important? • 2. Why was the North and South unlikely to compromise on the issue of slavery in the western territories? • 3. Why did California’s request for admission as a free state set off great controversy? • 4. What concessions did the South receive as part of the Compromise of 1850? • 5. Explain whether or not the Compromise of 1850 ended the controversy between the North and South over slavery. The Wilmot Proviso Chapter 10, Section 2 • Another important effect of the Mexican War was its role in bringing the question of slavery to the forefront of American politics. When Ralph Waldo Emerson warned: “Mexico will poison us” he meant that the gaining of all of this new territory would reopen wounds between North and South over whether or not to allow the spread of slavery. Both sections disagreed on this and this disagreement seemed impossible to compromise. • Congress faced a decision about whether or not to allow slavery in the newly acquired territories. Its decision could tip the balance of political power toward either the North or the South. The Wilmot Proviso Chapter 10, Section 2 • Northerners were determined to keep slavery out of the territories. Increasingly, northerners came to see the spread of slavery as a threat to northern economic and political interests. Southerners were equally determined to spread slavery, which they also viewed as vital to their political and economic interests. For southerners, slavery was more than just an economic necessity, the right to hold slaves was viewed as a property rights issue. • Ultimately, the sections could not settle their differences in the 1850s and by 1861 the nation split and fell into civil war. The Wilmot Proviso Chapter 10, Section 2 • The Wilmot Proviso, first attached to an 1846 bill, by Pennsylvania Representative David Wilmot stated that slavery would be forbidden in new territories acquired from Mexico. This proposal was made by a member of Polk’s own Democratic Party. Although the proviso was not passed, it continued to be added to bills concerning the new territories. • The Wilmot Proviso never became law. However, it revealed the growing gap between the North and the South over slavery. It also indicated that Emerson’s warning might very well come true. Why was the expansion of slavery essential to its survival? Chapter 10, Section 2 • Southern planters saw control of the West as essential to the survival of slavery. As overworked tobacco and cotton lands the older southern states became infertile from overuse, the West, particularly the Southwest became increasingly attractive. These new lands promised new opportunities both for new arrivals and for those who need to sell excess slaves. Why was the expansion of slavery essential to its survival? Chapter 10, Section 2 • Planters also saw the West as a “safety valve” for the growing discontent of southern whites who did not own slaves. By 1850, only about 1 in 3 southern whites owned slaves. Ten years later that number was down to 1 out of 4. By opening up the West to southern settlement, the planter class could defuse the unhappiness of lowerclass whites in the South. Why was the expansion of slavery essential to its survival? Chapter 10, Section 2 • Additionally, southerners feared northern control of the government. If new free states were added this could enable the industrial, free-labor North to control policy. Their greatest fear was that a northern majority could one day abolish slavery. To prevent the free states in the North from using the federal government against the interests of slaveholders, planters needed to retain equal representation in the U.S. Senate. Why did northerners increasingly oppose the spread of slavery? • Northerners were determined to keep slavery out of the territories. Increasingly, northerners came to see the spread of slavery as a threat to northern economic interests. (Northern industrialists saw investment opportunities. “For ordinary white northerners, the West became the place where they could fulfill the ‘American dream’ of individual progress and freedom represented by land ownership.”) • So as we see, northerners and southerners had opposing views on the status of western territories. It would be very difficult, if not impossible to find compromise. The Main Effect of the Mexican War • The most important effect of the Mexican War was its role in bringing the question of slavery to the forefront of American politics. • The massive extension of U.S. territory undercut thirty years of compromises that had kept the scales of power balanced between free and slave states in the U.S. Senate. The precedent set by the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unraveling. • Congress faced a decision about whether or not to allow slavery in the newly acquired territories. Its decision could tip the balance of political power toward either the North or the South. (Many in the North were unwilling to allow any spread of slavery. The time to compromise over slavery was quickly passing.) The Mexican War and Slavery Extension— Assessment Chapter 10, Section 2 What was manifest destiny? (A) The balance of power between northern and southern states (B) The fate of the United States to expand across the continent (C) The conquest of Mexico City by American forces (D) The decision that all new territories would become free states Which of these lists the territories acquired by the United States as a result of the Mexican War? (A) Florida, Louisiana, and California (B) Texas, California, and New Mexico (C) New Mexico, Oregon, and California (D) Texas, New Mexico, and Florida Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! The Mexican War and Slavery Extension— Assessment Chapter 10, Section 2 What was manifest destiny? (A) The balance of power between northern and southern states (B) The fate of the United States to expand across the continent (C) The conquest of Mexico City by American forces (D) The decision that all new territories would become free states Which of these lists the territories acquired by the United States as a result of the Mexican War? (A) Florida, Louisiana, and California (B) Texas, California, and New Mexico (C) New Mexico, Oregon, and California (D) Texas, New Mexico, and Florida Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! New Political Parties Chapter 10, Section 3 • • • • What were the effects of the Missouri Compromise? What did the Compromise of 1850 accomplish? How did political parties change in the 1850s? Why did Stephen Douglas propose the KansasNebraska Act? Compromises over Slavery Effects of the Missouri Compromise Chapter 10, Section 3 • • • • Territories acquired after the Mexican War forced an old question back into politics about whether or not slavery would be permitted in new territories. Each new state that was admitted to the Union could tip the balance for or against slavery. Both sides wanted to establish their practices in the new territories before these territories became states. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 had stated that any new states created north of 36° 30' N latitude had to be free states. Much of the new territory, however, was south of this line. Some members of both parties who opposed slavery in the territories formed the Free Soil Party. The Free Soil Party did not win any states in the presidential election of 1848, but it did tip the balance in favor of Whig candidate Zachary Taylor. In the election of 1848, the two political parties, the Democrats and the Whigs, split over the issue of slavery and a third party was formed, the Free-Soil Party. The Free Soil Party did not favor abolition, but it did favor banning slavery in the western territories. The Free-Soil party lost the election but had a large influence on politics before the Civil War. Platform Impact “Free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men.” It won 10 percent of the vote Keep slavery out of the western territories. It raised the question as to who would decide the slavery issue. A national platform of “freedom.” Tensions increased when California sought to join the Union as a free state. The Democrats and Whigs were forced to address the slavery issue. •Both parties supported popular sovereignty, having voters in a territory decide whether their territory would be free or slave. •Having voters decide had wide appeal since it seemed to keep with the tradition of American democracy. It would also remove Congress from the controversy. Crisis Over California • In 1849, thanks to the gold rush, California’s population had grown sufficiently for it to qualify for statehood. The territory wrote a constitution banning slavery and asked for admittance to the Union as a free state. • California’s admittance would not only upset the balance in the Senate, it dealt a devastating blow to southern hopes of spreading slavery into the southwest. If slavery couldn’t expand into southern California, perhaps it couldn’t spread anywhere. • An aging John C. Calhoun spoke against admittance of a free California. Once again a crisis had emerged over the issue of slavery. (Isn’t that what Emerson warned of?) Once again, the slavery issue was debated in the Senate by three political leaders. •Henry Clay from the West •Daniel Webster from the North •John Calhoun from the South • Once again, Henry Clay stepped up and offered a compromise to maintain the Union. This time, the compromise was much harder to reach than the Missouri Compromise and the bitter feelings left behind would never truly heal. The Compromise of 1850 Chapter 10, Section 3 The Compromise of 1850 Clay Proposes a Compromise In 1849, Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky proposed what would become known as the Compromise of 1850 as a middle ground on the slavery debate. Terms of the Compromise As part of the Compromise, California would become a free state, New Mexico and Utah would decide their own slavery status, and a Fugitive Slave Act would order United States citizens to help return enslaved people who had escaped. Calhoun’s Opposition Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina represented much of the South’s view when he opposed the Compromise. Calhoun believed that southern states had the right to leave the Union if their rights were no longer being respected. Webster’s Support Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts supported the Compromise, believing that it would help keep the Union together. Northern abolitionists, however, felt that Webster was putting financial matters ahead of humanitarian issues. Congress Approves the Compromise The Compromise of 1850 was passed, but it did little besides establish California as a free state. The Fugitive Slave Act infuriated northern abolitionists, including author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The Compromise of 1850—Map Chapter 10, Section 3 The Compromise of 1850 helped define which states and territories would become free states and which would become slave states. Uncle Tom’s Cabin • The publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852 helped undermine the delicate Compromise of 1850. • Uncle Tom’s Cabin presented a vivid, if exaggerated, picture of slavery which convinced many Northerners that slavery would ruin United States society. Stowe portrayed slavery as un-Christian and un-American. • Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel turned many northerners against slavery. While it did not turn most northerners into abolitionists, it did increase anti-slavery and antisouthern feelings. Uncle Tom’s Cabin • • • • • • The publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852 helped undermine the delicate Compromise of 1850. Uncle Tom’s Cabin presented a vivid, if exaggerated, picture of slavery which convinced many Northerners that slavery would ruin United States society. Stowe portrayed slavery as un-Christian and un-American. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel turned many northerners against slavery. While it did not turn most northerners into abolitionists, it did increase anti-slavery and anti-southern feelings. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written in response to the Fugitive Slave Act. Southerners saw this book as nothing more than northern propaganda and lies. They saw it as further proof that the North was out to destroy their way of life. Defenders of slavery attacked the book and offered rebuttals. Among the southern responses was George Fitzhugh’s Cannibals All. Fitzhugh argued that slaves were treated far better than northern factory workers. Uncle Tom’s Cabin • • • • • The new law (part of the Compromise of 1850) allowed special federal commissioners to determine the fate of alleged fugitives without benefit of a jury trail or even testimony by the accused individual. The law also prohibited local authorities from interfering with the capture of fugitives and required individual citizens to assist in such capture when called upon by federal agents. Thus, southern leaders, usually strong defenders of states’ rights and local autonomy, supported a measure that brought federal agents into communities armed with the power to override local enforcement and judicial procedures to secure the return of runaway slaves. Stowe’s book inspired northern citizens to resist this law and northern states to pass personal liberty laws defying the federal law. Southerners saw northern actions as growing proof that they could not trust the North to protect southern rights. Changes in Political Parties Chapter 10, Section 3 Decline of the Whigs • The slavery issue divided the Whigs, as northern Whigs became disgusted with Whig leaders’ willingness to compromise on slavery. • Issues such as banks, which had once been central to the Whig Party, had been resolved, and many Whig leaders were dead or dying. • By the end of the 1850s, the Whig Party had largely disappeared. Rise of the Know-Nothings • Nativism, a movement to ensure that native-born Americans received better treatment than immigrants, helped a new political party arise. • The American Party, also called the Know-Nothings after its association with a secret society, opposed immigration, believing that it would lead to crime, vice, and unemployment. The Kansas-Nebraska Act Chapter 10, Section 3 • • • • Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas had two goals: to make Chicago benefit from trade with the West and to run for President. To accomplish these goals, Douglas needed Kansas and Nebraska to become states, but without angering Southerners by becoming free states. To accomplish these goals, Douglas proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in January 1854. This act would essentially repeal the Missouri Compromise by letting the people of a territory decide for themselves whether to become a free or slave state according to the principles of popular sovereignty. Douglas envisioned that Kansas and Nebraska would peacefully vote to become free states. The act passed, but Northerners were enraged by what they saw as a sellout to the South. Kansas-Nebraska Act Repeals the Missouri Compromise Ban on Slavery Reaction to the Kansas-Nebraska Act The Creation of the Republican Party Chapter 10, Section 3 • During the summer of 1854, Northerners disgusted with the major parties refusal to take a strong stand against the spread of slavery launched a new political party that they named the Republican Party. The Republicans argued against slavery and fought for the repeal of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Fugitive Slave Act. Their official position was opposition to the expansion of slavery into the western territories. The Creation of the Republican Party Chapter 10, Section 3 • The Republican Party soon became a strong party that competed with the Know-Nothings for political power in opposition to the Democrats. The Republicans adopted the very successful slogan of “Free soil, free labor, free men.” Following the election of 1856 the Republicans became the dominant party in the North. New Political Parties — Assessment Chapter 10, Section 3 Which of the following people opposed the Compromise of 1850? (A) Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts (B) Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina (C) Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky (D) Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act propose? (A) New states north of 36° 30' N latitude had to be free states. (B) New states could decide whether to be free or slave states. (C) New states from Mexican territory had to be slave states. (D) California would become a free state, and Utah and Nebraska would decide for themselves whether to be free or slave states. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! New Political Parties — Assessment Chapter 10, Section 3 Which of the following people opposed the Compromise of 1850? (A) Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts (B) Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina (C) Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky (D) Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act propose? (A) New states north of 36° 30' N latitude had to be free states. (B) New states could decide whether to be free or slave states. (C) New states from Mexican territory had to be slave states. (D) California would become a free state, and Utah and Nebraska would decide for themselves whether to be free or slave states. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! The System Fails Chapter 10, Section 4 • Why did violence erupt in Kansas in the mid-1850s? • How did slavery affect national politics in this period? • What problems did the Lecompton Constitution cause? • What important issues were discussed in the LincolnDouglas Debates? • How did John Brown’s raid increase tensions between the North and the South? Violence Erupts Chapter 10, Section 4 • • • • According to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, voters in the Kansas Territory would decide for themselves whether to become a free or slave state. Both proslavery and antislavery forces moved into Kansas to influence the territory’s decision. New England settlers known as free soilers, after the Free Soil party, worked to end slavery in the territory. Meanwhile, proslavery settlers organized secret societies to oppose the free soilers. Violence erupted in 1856 as murders, raids, and counterraids took place throughout Kansas, earning it the name “Bleeding Kansas.” “Bleeding Sumner”The violence spread to Washington, D.C., where proslavery Representative Preston Brooks attacked antislavery Senator Charles Sumner by beating him with a cane. Sumner never fully recovered, and his empty Senate seat served as reminder of brutal North-South tensions. Bleeding Sumner Slavery and National Politics Chapter 10, Section 4 The Election of 1856 • All three major parties were eager to choose candidates with no ties to “Bleeding Kansas.” • Democratic nominee James Buchanan won the election, promising to stop “the agitation of the slavery issue.” • President Buchanan hoped that the Supreme Court would resolve the slavery issue. Northern Democrat and Southern Sympathizer, James Buchanan Election of 1856 Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857 • The Supreme Court’s March 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision angered antislavery forces. • In the decision, the Court reasoned that slaves were the property of their owners, and that the Constitution protected the right to own property. It ruled that slaves were not citizens, had no right to sue in court, and could not be considered free even if living in a free state or territory. • The decision meant that Congress had no power to ban slavery anywhere. The Dred Scott Decision • The Supreme Court’s March 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision angered antislavery forces. • In the decision, the Court reasoned that slaves were the property of their owners, and that the Constitution protected the right to own property. It ruled that slaves were not citizens, had no right to sue in court, and could not be considered free even if living in a free state or territory. • The decision meant that Congress had no power to ban slavery anywhere. (The Missouri Compromise had been unconstitutional.) The Dred Scott Decision • The decision also strongly suggested that slavery could spread everywhere, even in the northern states. • Lincoln spoke for an increasing number of northerners who feared the implications of Dred Scott when he said: We shall lie down pleasantly dreaming that the people of Missouri are on the verge of making their state free and we shall awake to the reality instead, that the Supreme Court has made Illinois a slave state. The Dred Scott Case Further Divides Nation • What were the different reactions from northerners and southerners over the Dred Scott decision? The Dred Scott Decision: Reactions Differ • The South felt vindicated by the Court’s decision. Proslavery forces in the South became even bolder in their demands. • The decision outraged the North. The Court had now stated that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the West. More northerners joined the Republican Party. • Some Republicans now accused the South of trying to nationalize slavery. Even poor white men could be slaves next. The Lecompton Constitution Chapter 10, Section 4 The Lecompton Constitution • In the fall of 1857, a small proslavery group wrote a constitution for Kansas, a necessary step toward statehood. • The document they produced was called the Lecompton Constitution, after the proslavery capital of Kansas. Reactions to the Lecompton Constitution • Most Kansans were opposed to slavery and to the Lecompton Constitution. President Buchanan, hoping to end the slavery problem in Kansas, endorsed it. • The people of Kansas rejected the Lecompton Constitution in 1858. • Slavery remained legal in the territory of Kansas, although the antislavery majority prohibited it in practice. Lincoln-Douglas Debates • In the Illinois Senate campaign of 1858, Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas ran for reelection against Republican Abraham Lincoln. • The campaign drew nationwide attention for the Lincoln-Douglas debates, a series of seven debates on the issue of slavery in the territories. Lincoln-Douglas Debate Slavery • Neither Lincoln nor Douglas believed in racial equality. However, Lincoln thought slavery was morally wrong and wanted to confine it to the states where it already existed. Douglas, however, tolerated slavery, believing that white Americans should choose the kind of society that they wanted. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Chapter 10, Section 4 • Douglas made blatantly racist appeals for votes. He accused Lincoln and his “Black Republicans” of being dangerous radicals out to degrade white Americans. • Lincoln also publicly stated that the promises of the Declaration of Independence applied to African-Americans, but when repeatedly accused by Douglas of favoring complete political and social equality between blacks and whites, Lincoln equivocated. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Chapter 10, Section 4 • “Lincoln shared many of the racial prejudices of his day. He opposed giving Illinois blacks the right to vote or serve on juries and spoke frequently of colonizing blacks overseas as the best solution to the problem of slavery and race. Yet, unlike Douglas, Lincoln did not use appeals to racism to garner votes. And he refused to exclude blacks from the human family. No less than whites, they were entitled to the inalienable rights of the Declaration of Independence, which applied to ‘all men, in all lands, everywhere,’ not merely to Europeans and their descendants.” (GML, p.470) The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Chapter 10, Section 4 • Lincoln developed a critique of slavery and its expansion that gave voice to the central values of the emerging Republican Party and the millions of northerners whose loyalty it commanded. (GML, p.467) • If slavery were allowed to expand, he warned, the “love of liberty” would be extinguished and with it America’s special mission to be symbol of democracy for the entire world. (GML, p.467) The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Chapter 10, Section 4 • Douglas claimed to represent the freedom of local governments to decide what was best for themselves. (This is why he viewed popular sovereignty as true democracy.) • Lincoln argued that national majorities, not local majorities counted more. Moreover, some issues went beyond majority rule. Freedom did not include the right to take another persons’ freedom. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates Chapter 10, Section 4 • In a now-famous speech, Lincoln stated that, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” referring to the division between free and slave states. Lincoln’s point was not that civil war was imminent, but that Americans must choose between favoring and opposing slavery. There could be no middle ground. • Douglas won the election, but Lincoln earned a reputation for eloquence and moral commitment. John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry • On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and a group of followers attacked the federal arsenal, a place where weapons are made or stored, at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. • Brown hoped to give the weapons from the arsenal to enslaved people so that they could rebel. John Brown’s Raid Chapter 10, Section 4 • United States troops, under Colonel Robert E. Lee, surrounded the arsenal, killed half of Brown’s men, and forced the rest to surrender. Brown was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. • Even though most northern political leaders, including Lincoln condemned Brown’s violence, many Northerners hailed Brown as a martyr. Southerners saw him as a criminal. Southerners equated the entire Republican Party with Brown. The reactions caused by Brown’s raid deepened the anger between the North and the South. The System Fails—Assessment Chapter 10, Section 4 Which of the following groups were probably pleased with the Dred Scott decision? (A) Proslavery forces (B) Antislavery forces (C) Former slaves living in free territories (D) Supporters of John Brown Which of the following best describes Lincoln’s early attitude toward slavery? (A) He believed in equality between whites and African Americans. (B) He believed that Kansas should become a slave state. (C) He wanted to confine slavery to states where it already existed. (D) He wanted to help enslaved people rebel against their owners. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! The System Fails—Assessment Chapter 10, Section 4 Which of the following groups were probably pleased with the Dred Scott decision? (A) Proslavery forces (B) Antislavery forces (C) Former slaves living in free territories (D) Supporters of John Brown Which of the following best describes Lincoln’s early attitude toward slavery? (A) He believed in equality between whites and African Americans. (B) He believed that Kansas should become a slave state. (C) He wanted to confine slavery to states where it already existed. (D) He wanted to help enslaved people rebel against their owners. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! A Nation Divided Against Itself Chapter 10, Section 5 • How did the election of 1860 demonstrate the split between the North and the South? • What concerns led the Lower South to secede from the Union? • What event started the Civil War? The Election of 1860 Chapter 10, Section 5 • • • • The presidential election of 1860 further demonstrated the division between the North and the South. National political parties no longer existed. Voters in the North chose between Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas and Republican Abraham Lincoln, while Southerners voted for Southern Democrat J.C. Breckinridge or John Bell of the newly formed Constitutional Union Party. While votes in the Border States (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri) were mixed, many in the Lower South (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina) supported Breckinridge. Abraham Lincoln won the election without winning a single electoral from a southern state. The election of 1860 had four candidates. The Lower South Secedes Chapter 10, Section 5 • • • • Southerners were outraged that a President had been elected without any southern electoral votes. They were also worried that the Republican Party would ruin the southern way of life. Secessionists, or those who wanted the South to secede, argued that since the states had voluntarily joined the Union, they could also voluntarily leave it. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina officially seceded. Six other states of the Lower South followed. In early February 1861, these states proclaimed themselves a new nation, the Confederate States of America, or Confederacy. Jefferson Davis, a former senator from Mississippi, became president of the Confederacy. With no national candidate dominating the campaign, Lincoln won with just over half of the electoral votes needed and 40 percent of the popular vote. •The vote for Abraham Lincoln was mostly a vote for moderation toward the issue of slavery and a vote for the Union. •However, the South felt it no longer had a voice in the national government and did not see how it could remain in the Union. •X South Carolina was the first southern state to leave the Union. At a state convention held six weeks after Election Day, legislators voted to secede. It was a unanimous vote. •The states with the largest enslaved populations seceded. •The constitution of the Confederate States of America: • closely resembled the U.S. Constitution. • stressed the independence of each state. • implied that states had the right to secede. • forbid importing new slaves from other countries. Jefferson Davis, former senator from Mississippi, became president of the Confederate States of America. •When Lincoln took office: • he urged peace between the Confederacy and the Union. • he decided to try to hold on to the Union forts the Confederacy claimed, such as Fort Sumter. •However, Confederate forces attacked and •captured the fort in defiance of Lincoln. The War Starts Chapter 10, Section 5 Views on Secession • • • • • • Some Americans felt that the South should be allowed to secede peacefully. Southerners argued that the States were sovereign and could leave the Union if they wished. Southerners also claimed the North had taken control of the government in an effort to tyrannize the South. Others objected, citing the loss of business with the South as well as a desire to keep the Union together. President-elect Lincoln believed that secession was wrong, but told the South that he would not attack them unless they struck first. Lincoln viewed secession as a threat to American democracy. Conflict at Fort Sumter • When Fort Sumter in South Carolina requested supplies from the federal government, Lincoln faced a dilemma. • Lincoln had to decide between appearing to be an aggressor against the South and maintaining federal property. He chose to send food but not soldiers or arms. • When Major Robert Anderson, the leader at Fort Sumter, refused to surrender the fort, Confederates attacked it, winning Anderson’s surrender. The Upper South Secedes Chapter 10, Section 5 • By firing on federal property, the southern states had committed an act of open rebellion. Lincoln reacted by calling for 75,000 volunteers to fight the seceding states. • Southerners saw Lincoln’s action as an act of war. The Upper South states of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas seceded and joined the Confederacy, while the Border States remained uncommitted to either side. The Union and Confederacy Chapter 10, Section 5 After the surrender of Fort Sumter, more states joined the Confederacy, making it one of the largest republics in the world. A Nation Divided Against Itself—Assessment Chapter 10, Section 5 Which of the following states were part of the Lower South? (A) Tennessee, Arkansas, and Virginia (B) Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland (C) Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina (D) North Carolina, South Carolina, and Missouri Why did Lincoln start calling for volunteers to fight the seceding states? (A) He had been elected without their electoral votes. (B) The Confederates had attacked federal property. (C) The states of the Upper South had seceded. (D) The seceding states had elected their own president. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here! A Nation Divided Against Itself—Assessment Chapter 10, Section 5 Which of the following states were part of the Lower South? (A) Tennessee, Arkansas, and Virginia (B) Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland (C) Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina (D) North Carolina, South Carolina, and Missouri Why did Lincoln start calling for volunteers to fight the seceding states? (A) He had been elected without their electoral votes. (B) The Confederates had attacked federal property. (C) The states of the Upper South had seceded. (D) The seceding states had elected their own president. Want to link to the Pathways Internet activity for this chapter? Click here!