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Chapter 15 Notes: The Nation Breaking Apart
Section 1: Growing Tensions Between the North and the South
A: North and South take Different Paths
- Although both economies were mostly agricultural, the North began to develop
industry and commerce
- The Southern economy relied on plantation farming
- There was a rapid growth in the North because of industry and immigration
- Much of the profit came from trade and they replied on exports
- As a result of this, the South developed little industry
- Most Southern whites were poor farmers and owned no slaves
- They supported slavery anyway because it kept them off the bottom of society
B: Antislavery and Racism
- Abolitionists said slavery was unjust and should be abolished immediately
- Northern workers and immigrants opposed slavery because it was an economic threat
to them
- Racist – having prejudice or bias based on race
- Despite opposition of slavery, most abolitionists were racist
- Different ideas about slavery brought the North and South into conflict
C: The Wilmont Proviso
- Many Northerners believed that Southerners wanted to take territory from Mexico in
order to extend slavery
- To prevent this, David Wilmont of PA proposed the Wilmont Proviso
- Wilmont Proviso – to outlaw slavery in any territory the U.S. might acquire from
War With Mexico
- Even though the proviso never became law, it had important effects
- It lead to the creation of the Free-Soil-Party
- Free-Soil-Party- party dedicated to stopping the expansion of slavery
- This party made slavery a key issue in national politics
- Politicians could no longer ignore slavery
D: Controversy of Territories
- The proposed addition of land gains from War With Mexico presented a problem
with balance in Congress
- In March of 1850, CA applied to be admitted as a free state
- “For the first time, we are about to permanently destroy the balance of power
between sections”
E: The Compromise of 1850
- CA couldn’t just gain statehood without approval of Congress
- Congress was divided – so a compromise was sought
- Henry Clay crafted a plan to settle the CA problem
o To please the North, CA would be admitted as a free state, and the slave
trade would be abolished in D.C.
o
-
To please the South, Congress wouldn’t pass laws regarding slavery to the
rest of the territories won from Mexico, and Congress would pass a stronger
law to help slaveholders
Daniel Webster – supported compromise for the sake of the Union
The Compromise of 1850 then became law
Section 2: The Crisis Deepens
A: The Fugitive Slave Act
- Fugitive Slave Act – 1850 law to help slaveholders recapture runaway slaves
- The commissioner who ruled on the case received $5 for releasing the defendant and
$10 for turning the defendant over to a slaveholder
- Southerners felt that the Act was just because the considered slaves property
B: Uncle Tom’s Cabin
- By Harriet Beecher Stowe, it dramatically portrayed the moral issues of slavery
- The book was popular in the North, but Southerners thought it falsely criticized the
South and slavery
C: The Kansas-Nebraska Act
- In 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois drafted a bill to organize the
Nebraska Territory
- He proposed it be divided into two territories; NE and KS
- To get Southern support he suggested the issue of slavery would be decided by
popular sovereignty; Where residents vote to decide on an issue
- The would void the Missouri Compromise, where people weren’t allowed to vote on
slavery
- The bill passed and became the Kansas-Nebraska Act
D: “Bleeding Kansas”
- 5,000 Missourians came and voted in the KS election to make sure that wouldn’t lose
- Antislavery settlers boycotted the official government and formed a government of
their own
- Because of the slavery issue in KS, civil war broke out
- The territory became known as “Bleeding Kansas”.
E: Violence in Congress
- Look at the painting/picture on page 439
Section 3: Slavery Dominates Politics
A: The Republican Party Forms
- Upon the spilt of Northern and Southern Whigs because of slavery the Republican
Party was formed
- The Republicans first presidential nominee was John C. Freemont
- The Republican view on slavery was so unpopular in the South, Fremont’s name did
not appear on the ballot
B: Election of 1856
- The Democrats nominated James Buchanan
- Buchanan appealed to the Southerners
- The results of the election showed that the Republicans were a force on the North and
the nation was sharply split over slavery
C: The Case of Dred Scott
- Dred Scott – fought for freedom after his owner’s death. Claim was he was a free
man because he had lived where slavery was illegal
- The case reached the Supreme Court – Dred Scott V. Sanford
- The Court ruled against Scott; said he was not a citizen and could not sue in U.S.
Courts
- The Court also argued the Congress couldn’t ban slavery and then declared the
Missouri Compromise unconstitutional
D: Lincoln and Douglas Debate
- Abraham Lincoln was nominated to challenge Douglas for he U.S. Senate seat
- The Lincoln-Douglas Debates are now seen as models of political debates
- Lincoln thought slavery was “a moral, a social, and a political wrong.”
- Although he did not suggest abolishing slavery where it already existed
- Douglas thought that popular sovereignty was the best way to address the issue of
slavery
- Lincoln, despite his loss, became a national figure
E: John Brown Attacks Harpers Ferry
- He wanted to inspire slaves to fight for freedom, and to so this, he planned to capture
Harper’s Ferry
- Now the issue of slavery was at a boiling point
Section 4: Lincoln’s Election and Southern Secession
A: Political Parties Splinter
- Platform – statement of beliefs
- Northern and Southern Democrats disagreed about what to say about slavery
- The Southerners wanted to defend slavery; Northerners wanted to support popular
sovereignty
- The Northerners won and 50 Southern delegates walked out
B: The Election of 1860
- The election consisted of 2 different races; one on the North and one in the South
- All candidates had different views and proved that the nation was tired of
compromise
- Lincoln defeated Douglas in the North and Breckenridge won most of the South
- Lincoln won the election and white Southerners saw the Republican victory as a
threat to the Southern way of life
C: Southern States Secede
- Many Southerners threatened that is Lincoln won, they would secede – or withdraw
from thee Union
-
They agreed that the states had voluntarily joined the Union and thus had the right to
leave the Union
December 20, 1860, SC was the first state to Secede
During the next 6 weeks MS, FL, AL, GA, and TX also seceded
These states formed the Confederate States of America and named Jefferson Davis
their President
D: The Union Responds to Session
- Northerners considered secession to be unconstitutional
- James Russell Lowell wrote, the Southerners quarrel is not with the Republican
Party, but with the theory of democracy
E: Efforts to Compromise Fail
- Crittenden Plan – was proposed to extend the division set by the Missouri
Compromise to the Pacific Ocean and did not pass in Congress
- Lincoln, in his inaugural address, assured the South that he had no intention of
abolishing slavery there
- Lincoln did not press the South, he wanted no invasion
- But he could not abandon Government or Union property there