Unit VI





				UNIT VI - 1845-1860 Prelude to War

THEMES:

Slavery as an economic and social institution

The emergence of Sectionalism over issues of expansion and morality

Economic, social, and political causes of the Civil War

Abolitionists:Fanatics or Reformers

The Industrial Revolution comes to America

The rise of Sectionalism

OUTLINE:

I. Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy (1841-1848)

1. William Harrison (1773-1841)

Whig president served shortest time in office (4 weeks) after contracting pneumonia and dying. Regarded as a figure-head by his own party, he was assaulted by Whig spoilmen after he took the presidency (Daniel Webster- Sec. of State, Henry Clay spokesman of the Senate [whom he had to keep in check]).

2. John Tyler (1790-1862)

Vice President who became pres. after Harrison died in 1841. Virginian who left the Jacksonians because he opposed Jackson's "tyranny". At heart he was largely still a Democrat who was placed on the Whig ticket to attract a minority group of Democrat Jeffersonian states' righters. He worked against much of the Whig's strong nationalistic platform of centralized banking, high protect. tariff, and internal improvements (roads etc.).: a. Let a law pass ending Van Buren's independent treasury system early in term.; b. Vetoed Clay's Fiscal Bank (a centralized banking system) as well as the Fiscal Corporation passed in Congress as its substitute.; c. Expelled from the Whig party by a caucus of Whig congressmen- he became the "man without a party". His entire cabinet resigned except Webster, who was negotiating the Maine boarder dispute in England.; d. Rejected initial Whig tariff bill because it would distribute among the states revenue from the sale of public lands in the west (and the fed. gov. lacked money).; e. Passed Tariff of 1842 as it did not have the dollar-distribution system and it had a moderate rate of 32% for fed. revenue.; f. Signed the joint resolution to annex Texas (annexed in 1845) as he saw James Polk's election as president as a "mandate" by the country to annex Texas. see James K. Polk
3. Third War with Britain-
There was a lingering resentment toward Britain in this period due to Rev. War and War of 1812. US was a "borrowing" nation in the 19th century (for internal improvements) that resented Britain as the lender of the funds. It was a war of words as both countries attacked each others' cultures. Things got hot as neutrality legislation was disregarded in 1837 when American supported a small minority Canadian insurrection against Britain (feeling sympathy thru their own revolution).: a. The Caroline- an American steamer carrying supplies to Canadian rebels across the Niagara River, burned by British force on NY shore in 1837. Americans regarded this as a violation of "neutrality". Painters dramatized the event even though the steamer sank fast and only killed 1 American. Washington officials protested unsuccessfully.; b. Caroline incident revived in 1840 when Canadian McLeod arrested and indicted for murder for boasting about his alleged part in the Caroline burning. London Foreign Office threatened war if he was executed as they regarded him as a member of a sanctioned armed force, not as a criminal. He was freed after establishing an alibi.; c. Creole- American ship w/ 130 Virginia slaves who rebelled and captured the ship off the Bahamas in 1841. British officials offered them asylum, further hurting American-British relations.
4. Maine Boarder Dispute of the 1840's- the Aroostook War British determined to build a defensive precaution road from Halifax to Quebec after memories of War of 1812. The road ran through disputed territory (the Aroostook River Valley) claimed by Maine under the misleading Treaty of 1783. Lumberjacks from Canada and the US disputed in the valley, calling the local militia, in the small Aroostook War.: a. Lord Ashburton- Nonprofessional diplomat sent to America in 1842 to help settle the Maine dispute. Married to an American woman, he compromised on the Maine boundary with Sec. of State Daniel Webster in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842.; b. Webster-Ashburton Treaty US got more land (7,000 of the 12,000 sq. miles) but Britain got the defensive road from Halifax to Quebec. US also got more land in Minnesota which was later found to have priceless Mesabi ore. Caroline incident was also patched up (from back in 1837).
5. TEXAS!!!!!!!
Since 1836, Lone Star Republic in unstable situation. Mexico refused to recognize Texas's independence and threatened war against any help from US.. Texas was forced into open negotiations with Britain and France (which stirred desire for US annexation of Texas.: a. France wanted Texas independence to challenge Monroe Doctrine.; b. England wanted Texas independence as a place to land British troops in the event of a war. They wanted to free slaves in Texas to inflame the US. They wanted Texas as a source for fiber as they were dependent on the US for fiber. Finally, Texas was potentially a place for free-trade against US tariff walls.
6. Texas as a campaign platform in 1844 and James K. Polk, a dark horse pres.
British interest in Texas made the question of its annexation a major issue in the pres. Election in 1844. Conscience Whigs opposed annexation as it would be a slave state. Southern Democrats were the main supporters of expansion. James K. Polk, the Democratic nomination on a platform of annexation, narrowly defeated Whig nominee Henry Clay.: a. Pres. John Tyler saw Polk's victory as a mandate to annex Texas, and he did so by a joint-resolution (a simple majority in both houses in Congress) over the traditional 2/3 majority.; b. Texas as an independent nation would potentially drag the US into foreign disputes.; c. Oregon issue part of platform, but overshadowed by Texas issue.
7. Oregon issue overshadowed by Texas issue
Oregon Country- area spanning from N. CA tip to 54' 40' (sorry, I can't type degrees) or the bottom of Alaska. Territory was at some point in time claimed by Spain, Russia, Britain, and US.. Spain gave up claim in the Florida Treaty of 1819. Russia gave up it's claim in the treaties of 1824 and 1825 (connected with the Monroe Doctrine). Britain and US left to dispute the area.: a. British claim to Oregon Country- Mainly on portion north of Columbia River on the basis of previous exploration, treaties, and actual occupation. Hudson's Bay Company was an important colonizing factor as it maintained a profitable fur trade w/ Indians of the Pacific Northwest.; b. US claim to Oregon Country- On basis of exploration and occupation. Capt. Robert Gray in 1792 named the Columbia River after his ship. Lewis and Clark expedition also exploration in Oregon in 1804-1806. Missionaries in the area played key in getting US Oregon.; c. American and British Oregon pioneers lived peacefully together by the joint occupation agreement in the Treaty of 1818.; d. By 1846, 5,000 Americans settled south of Columbia River by way of 2,000 mile Oregon Trail. Britain only had about 700.; e. Oregon became a part of the Manifest Destiny election of 1844. (God manifestly destined US to spread democracy). Southern expansionist Democrats chanted 54' 40' in support of Polk. Some Whigs agreed, but Democrats overshadow.; g. Liberty Party- tiny antislavery/Texas party in 1844 which ironically took about 16,000 votes away from Clay (who opposed slavery but equivocated on his platform).; h. This election was taken as a "clear-cut mandate" on issues such as Manifest Destiny, slavery, Texas, etc., which would lead to increased sectionalism. (one major theme)
8. James K. Polk (1795-1849)
Polk was a dark horse Democrat candidate who defeated Clay narrowly in 1844(popular vote 1,338464 to 1,300,097 and 170 to 105 in the electoral college). Not an impressive figure @ about 5' 8", he was determined, shrewd, but unwilling to delegate his authority. His campaign platform was one of Manifest Destiny. He had a positive 4-point program which he achieved in his four year administration.: a. Walker Tariff- 1846 lower tariff of 25% which was part of Polk's 4-point program. A tariff-for-revenue bill devised by his secretary of the treasury Robert J. Walker. Protest came from Clayites especially in New England and middle states. It proved to be an excellent revenue producer as a result of heavy imports that followed its passage.; b. Independent Treasury- Dropped by the Pres. Tyler in 1841, Polk revived the system in 1846.; c. Acquisition of CA and settlement of Oregon dispute were the 3rd and 4th points in Polk's program.; d. Oregon dispute- Became less of an issue with the annex of Texas in 1845. Polk had no intention of intention sticking with "54' 40' forever" pledge of his platform. He proposed the compromise line of 49 degrees, but the British minister rejected the offer. The minister was later persuaded to change his mind by Englanders who argued that the fur trade of the Hudson's River Company was drying up, and in 1846, Britain offered the 49 degree line. The Senate approved despite protest of extreme expansionists and antislavery men who wanted more of the Oregon territory. US was already deep at war with Mexico, which no doubt influenced the vote.
9. Mexico, Texas, and CA
CA was one of Polk's points in his 4-point program, for its fertile valleys and the bay of San Fran.. In 1845, the pop. consisted of 13,000 Span-Mexicans, 75, 000 Indians, and fewer than 1,000 foreigners including Americans. Polk intended to buy CA from Mexico, but relation were bad at the time. US had claims for about $3 million in damages against US citizens, most of which Mexico formally agreed to pay, but the country was forced to default. Texas was a more serious problem at the time.: a. The US felt a there was a boundary problem with Texas to be settled. The southern boundary of Texas been the Nueces River, but expansive Texans felt it was the Rio Grande, which was further south. Mexico thought the point was moot as they felt that all of Texas was still theirs. Still, Polk kept US soldiers out of almost all disputed zones.; b. John Slidell was the US minister to Mexico sent to Mex. City by Polk in 1845 to offer a max. of $25 Million for AS and territory to the east. The Mexicans spurned him before listening to the "insulting" proposition. Polk then was prepared to force a showdown.; c. General Zachary Taylor was ordered by Polk to take 4 thousand men to cross the Nueces River on Jan. 13, 1846. Mex. did not attack, and Polk tried asking Congress unsuccessfully to declare war on the basis of unpaid claims and Slidell's rejection, which were narrow grounds. On April 25, 1846, Mexican troops attacked Taylor, killing or wounding 16 men. Polk then sent a fruitful war message to Congress saying that Mex. had spilled "American blood on American soil" despite "all our efforts" to avoid a clash.; d. Spot Resolutions were proposed by Abraham Lincoln, then a Whig congressman. They requested the exact location on American soil where blood was spilled. Antislavery agitators unsuccessfully supported the resolutions.
10. Mexican-American War
War was caused by want of land (CA, Texas), Slidell's rejection, & urgency of "beating" Britain to CA and Texas. Mexico felt insulted by Texas annexation and envoy Slidell. Polk had agreed to let exiled Santa Anna back into Mexico on the condition that he would sell out his country, but Anna tricked him and led his country against the US.: a. Operations in CA & in the Southwest were successful. In 1846, General Stephen W. Kearny led 1700 troops on the Santa Fe trail from Fort Leaven worth to Santa Fe. The outpost was easily won, but before he could get to CA, Captain John C. Fremont, an explorer, had helped the US naval officers and local Americans to overthrow the Mexican government, setting up the short-lived CA Bear Flag Republic.; b. General Zachary Taylor lead a thrust into Mexico thru the Rio Grande. He successfully repelled 22,000 under Santa Anna w/ 5000 men when he reach Buena Vista, earning him the title of "Hero of Buena Vista". He was also known as "Old Rough and Ready" and "Old Zach".; c. General Winfield Scott- Hero from the War of 1812, "Old Fuss and Feathers" (he was strict with uniforms), he lead the campaign against Mexico City starting from the coast city Vera Cruz early in 1847. He proved to be a military genius. He was also tall and hansome.; d. Nicholas P. Trist- chief clerk of the State Department and envoy sent along with Winfield Scott to negotiate a treaty with Mexico. He gave $10,000 to Santa Anna for an armistice, which the dictator pocketed to help further build up his defense. Polk, angered, tried to recall Trist back to Washington, but Trist had soon there after negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.; e. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo- Feb. 2, 1848 treaty forwarded to Washington and quickly passed by Congress (38 to 14 in the Senate). It provided for: land from Texas to CA for $15 million. The US agreed to pay the claims of citizens against Mexico ($3,250,000).; f. Conscience Whigs- Also dubbed "Mexican Whigs" they denounced the Mexican War and threatened to cut off supplies to Winfield Scott in 1847 thru Congress.; g. Some greedy expansionists wanted "All of Mexico", but it would have been an unprofitable campaign with extreme policing problems.
11. Results
US 1/3 bigger at $18,250,000 and 13,000 American lives (mostly from disease). Land proved to add to flame on question of slave territory. Military experience also gained. Captain Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant fought in the war.: a. Wilmot Proviso- Twice passed in the House but not in the Senate, it stipulated that slavery should never exist in any territory gained from Mex. Made by representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania, fearful of the southern "slavocracy".

II. Renewing the Sectional Struggle (1848-1854)

The Mexican land Cession was making the slavery issue worse. For the election of 1848, General Lewis Cass was nominated by the Democrats (as Polk had ill health and had pledged himself 1 term). Thought both parties would state no clear opinion on slavery in their platforms, Cass's opinion was well known. He was the reputed father of popular sovereignty (the people of the area would vote on the issue.

1. General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) and Election of 1848 "Hero of Buena Vista", he had never held civil office or voted for a president. Whig nominee for pres., had no solid platform on slavery (Democrats didn't have one either), but he had a plantation in Louisiana with scores of slaves (he was also born in Viriginia. Antislavery men in the North distrusted both Cass and Taylor, so they formed the Free Soil party.: a. Free Soil party- Platform that supported the Wilmot Proviso, federal aid for internal improvements, and free government homesteads for settlers. The party attracted abolitionists, industrialists against the lowered protective tariff, Democrats who resented Polk's settlement on part of Oregon rather than all of it, and those who weren't antislavery but rather anti-black, as some did not want to share the new cession with blacks. The party condemned slavery as it took away from the opportunity of whites to get jobs. Martin Van Buren was their candidate for pres.; b. As the 2 major parties refused to take any stand on the issue of slavery, the election became a battle of had the better personality. Taylor's wartime popularity defeated Cass (1,360,967 to 1,222,342 and 163 to 127). Free Soil got 291,263 pop. vote but no Electoral votes.
2. Gold Rush in California
Gold discovered in CA in 1848 blows the lid off the slavery issue. Only a few of the many '49ers struck it rich. The overnight inpouring of 10's of thousands overwhelmed CA's inadequate government. Most of the settlers were lawless men, and there was an outbreak of crime. The majority of CA were law: -abiding and in need of protection. Privately encouraged by Pres. Taylor, Californians drafted a state constitution in 1849, excluding slavery, and applied to Congress for admission (bypassing the usual territorial stage). Slaverites protested.
3. Sectional Balance and the Underground Railroad
South of 1850 was well off- good portion of representation in the gov. At the time that CA wanted admission, there were 15 slave and 15 free states. South felt that CA might set an example for rest of Mexican cession, and the cession was won mostly with Southern blood. Gripes of the South included:: a. Balance in the Senate- 15 to 15 slave to free prior to CA. Mostly Southerners fought in the Mex.- Amer. War, and a nonslave CA might serve as an example for the rest of the Mexican cession.; b. Texas boarder dispute- There was disputed land between Texas and present-day New Mexico. The fed. gov. was threatenning to detach the land from Texas.; c. District of Columbia- Antislavery agitators wanted to make the District of Columbia free- a 10 sq. mile area between the slave-holding states of Virginia and Maryland.; d. Underground Railroad- Informal chain of homes that helped slaves escape to Canada. Harriet Tubman was the most famous of it's "conductors", rescuing over 300 slaves. During the Civil War, she served as a Union spy, and after the war, she worked to bring education to blacks. By 1850, South wanted more stringent fugitive-slave law, as the old one of 1793 was not adequate. To the South, the loss of their "property" as they saw it was infuriating. By 1850, there were 1,000 runaways a year, though more became free by self-purchase or voluntary-emancipation.
4. Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster would appear together for the last time to try and solve the slavery-crisis. Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, the "Little Giant", backed Clay in urging that both the North and South compromise. Calhoun wanted to leave slavery alone, return escaped slaves, return political balance, and provide adequate safeguards to Clay's scheme of compromise. He also proposed that the North and South have separate presidents. Calhoun died in 1850 before the compromise. Webster supported Clay and called for a stricter fugitive-slave law. He also said, in regard to the status of slavery in the territories, that God had already passed the Wilmot Proviso as a plantation economies wouldn't be profitable in the climate of the Mexican cession. His speech did much to preserve the Union, but abolitionists felt betrayed by Webster's speech.
The Young Guard had its say after the Old Guard (the generation of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster). William Seward, a senator from NY, went against concession, in saying that God's moral law was higher than the Constitution, and that slavery should be prohibited in the new territories. Pres. Taylor agreed with Seward, and threatened to veto any compromise. Taylor's death in 1850 did much for concession. Vice Pres. Millard Fillmore, a colorless lawyer politician of NY, took the reigns and gladly signed Clay's series of compromises (the Compromise of 1850). North and South reluctantly accepted the verdict of Congress and a second Era of Good Feelings dawned. Compromise of 1850 Concessions to North Concessions to South CA admitted as a free state Remainder of Mexican Cession (New Mexico & Utah) open to popular sovereignty (but the land was not fit for slavery anyway) Territory disputed between New Mexico and Texas goes to Texas Texas recieves $10 million from fed. gov. as compensation (thought it would just go to paying debts) Abolition of slave trade (but not slavery) in District of Columbia More stringent Fugitive-Slave Law, going beyond the one of 1793 (this touch off anger in North) The North clearly had a better deal! You can figure out why�
5. New Fugitive-Slave Law: i. fleeing slaves could not testify on own behalf; ii. fleeing slaves denied a jury trial; iii. fed. commisioner that handled case would receive $5 to free slave or $10 if not.; iv. people who aid the escaped subject to fines, jail, or they had to join the slave-catchers themselves!!!!!!!!!
This harsher law drove many to become antislaveryites. Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison said of the law "We execrate it, we spit upon it, we trample it under our feet." As time went one, North grew stronger industrially (economically) and morally, giving them the edge to win the Civil War. The Compromise of 1850 "won" the Civil War for the North.
6. Election of 1852: Democrat nominee- Franklin Pierce, dark horse, handsome, served in Mex. War. His obscurity meant that he had no enemies. His platform was one of supporting the Compromise of 1850.; Whig nominee- General Winfield Scott of the Mex.-Amer. War. He was pompous and not very likable. The platform also supported the Comp. of 1850. The election again degenerated into a battle of personalities. The Democrats came out on top because the Whig party was split by Winfield Scott. Northern Whigs didn't like his support of the Compromise of the 1850 (w/fug. slave law) and Southern Whigs doubted his loyalty to it. Many Democrats were sectionalists(the Slavocrats). Pierce won (254 to 42, & 1,601,117 to 1,385,453). Clay and Webster died in 1852.
7. Pres. Franklin Pierce the expansionist
Secretary of war was Jefferson Davis (future pres. of Confederacy). As the South could not get slave territory out of the Comp. of 1850, Pierce was the tool to get slave territory in the Pacific (ie Panama, Nicaragua, and Cuba). The Southern "Republic" was bound by the Mason-Dixie line to the North, but to the South there was opportunity to expand.: a. Nicaragua- American adventurer William Walker tried to take hold of this country many times. In July 1856, he proclaimed himself president of the country and legalized slavery there. A coalition of Central American countries struck back and had him executed. Pierce withdrew diplomatic recognition of him.; b. Clayton Bulwar Treaty of 1850- Stipulated that neither America or Britain would fortify or secure exclusive control over any isthmian waterway. Britain was afraid of Yankee grabs for Nicaragua and obtained a foot-hold in the country, violating the Monroe Doctrine. This treaty prevented any conflict.; c. China and Japan- US already had established contacts with China and shippers were urging US to push for commercial intercourse w/ Japan. Japan was isolationist up to 1853 due to bad experiences w/ Europe. Commodore Matthew C. Perry (Brother of Oliver Hazard Perry the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813) was dispatched by the US to open relations in Japan, and in 1854, he had signed a treaty that had provided a commercial foot in the door.; d. Cuba- Cuba was the primary objective of Manifest Destiny stimulated by the Mex.-American War. Polk had offered spain $100 million for it but the Spaniards would rather have it sunk than sold to America. Private adventurers from the South took to seized the island. Two unsuccessful attempts were made, and the second ended in the shooting or strangle of 50 adventurers. US and Spain were on the verge of war, when Spanish officials in Cuba seized the US steamer, Black Warrior, on a technicality. England, France, and Russia were about to be bogged down in the Crimean War, so they could not aid Spain.; e. Ostend Manifesto of 1854- The secretary of state of the US urged the American ministers in Spain, England, and France to prepare confidential recommendations for the acquisition of Cuba. The 3 envoys met in Ostend, Belgium to draft their recommendation: The US was to offer $120 million for Cuba, and if Spain refused, the US would wrestle the island away from them as Spanish ownership "endangered" American interests. This secret Ostend Manifesto leaked out, and the North stopped the scandal. The North had a renewed appetite for Canada, so neither Canada nor Cuba were taken.
8. Pacific Railroad Promoters and the Gadsden Purchase
Acute transport problems were another legacy of the Mex. War. A transcontinental railroad was the only feasible answer. There was a question of whether the railroad would end in the North or South. Another issue inflamed in sectionalism! At this point an ideal route would run through another portion of Mexico. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis sent South Carolina railroad man James Gadsden as minister to Mexico to negotiate. He arranged for the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, which obtained land on to the south of the New Mexico territory for $10 million. Santa Anna was in power for the last time, and he was in need of the money. The Senate passed the treaty despite protest from the North. However, a southern railroad be easier to build, w/lower mountains and organized territory (it would run from So. CA, thru New Mexico territory, and to Houston Texas). The North responded with an scheme to organize Nebraska.
9. Kansas-Nebraska Scheme
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, was eager to make the transcontinental railroad run west from Chicago. The proposed Territory of Nebraska would be slit into Nebraska and Kansas, and the status of slavery in the territories would be determined by popular sovereignty. Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, Nebraska would supposedly be free as it bordered free Iowa, and Kansas would be slave, as it bordered Missouri (as a concession to the South). However, for this scheme to work, the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery north of the line 36 degrees 30 minutes, would have to be repealed. Despite strong opposition from Free-soilers who held the Missouri Compromise as sacred, Douglas had the bill passed w/ Southern support. Douglas, who cared little about the status of slavery, unknowingly inflamed many abolitionists. Any future compromise w/ the South would be very difficult. The Kansas-Nebraska Act wrecked the Miss. Compromise and upset the delicate balance of the Comp. of 1850. This meant the end of the Whig party and the beginning of the Republican party which went against slavery. Note: fire-eaters= Southerners who supported slavery.

III. Drifting Toward Disunion (1854- 1861)

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)- Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin published in 1852, an antislavery book which made anyone with abolitionist tendencies to stop supporting the Fugitive Slave Law. The book had a very powerful role in starting the Civil War.

The Impending Crisis of the South was written by Hinton R. Helper a nonaristocratic white of North Carolina. Hating both blacks and slavery, he tried to prove that slavery hurt nonslaveholding whites in the South the most. The book was published in 1857 in the North, another inflammatory book.

Concessions to North	Concessions to South
CA admitted as a free state	Remainder of Mexican Cession (New Mexico & Utah) open to popular sovereignty (but the land was not fit for slavery anyway)
Territory disputed between New Mexico and Texas goes to Texas	Texas recieves $10 million from fed. gov. as compensation (thought it would just go to paying debts)
Abolition of slave trade (but not slavery) in District of Columbia	More stringent Fugitive-Slave Law, going beyond the one of 1793 (this touch off anger in North)

1. North-South fight for Kansas
A small number of emigrants of Kansas were financed by the abolitionist New England Emigrant Aid Company. About 2,000 were sent, with "Beecher's Bibles", rifles named after Reverend Henry Ward Beecher (Harriet's brother). The South protested, with the unspoken understanding the Kansas would go to slavery. Slaveholders wanted to respond by sending slaves and fire-eaters to Kansas, a dangerous move, as slaves were valuable. By 1855, when the time came to elect the 1st territorial legislature, proslaverites poured in from Missouri to vote early and often. The South triumphed. Free-soilers, smelling fraud set up their own extralegal regime in Topeka. Tensions shot when proslaverites burned a part of the antislavery town Lawrence.
2. John Brown (1800-1859)
Extreme and militant abolitionist that led the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre in Kansas in 1856, hacking & killing 5 supposed proslaverites in retaliation to the burning of Lawrence. Thus the civil war in Kansas started. Scores of lives were lost, foreshadowing the Civil War.
3. Lecompton Constitution
The population of Kansas, chiefly Free-soilers, was high enough by 1857 to apply for statehood on a basis of popular sovereignty. Proslaverites in power devised the Lecompton Constitution. Voters could either vote for the document with slavery or for the it without slavery. The document w/o slavery had a proviso that would protect slaveholders in the state. Antislaverites refused to vote for the scheme and the Lecompton Constitution was passed with slavery. The president of the time, James Buchanon, supported the constitution, but Stephen Douglas, the champion of fair popular sovereignty, had the entire Lecompton Constitution submitted for vote, in which it was defeated by free-soilers. Buchanon had antagonized numerous Douglas Democrats in the North. The party was split.
4. Turmoil in the Senate
Charles Sumner, an unpopular abolitionist senator had insulted one of the best-liked Southern senators, Andrew Butler of S. Carolina. Sumner had spoken of "The Crime Against Kansas". Hot-tempered Congressman Preston Brooks beat Sumner with an 11 ounce cane in 1856. He [Sumner] was forced to leave his seat for 3 & * years, getting treatment in Europe for him injuries. This added more fuel to the sectional battle ensuing.
5. Election of 1856: James Buchanan- Democratic nominee for pres., he was a prominent Pennsylvania lawyer & had served as minister to London during the Kansas ordeal. Therefore, he had no enemies. He advocated a platform supporting popular sovereignty.; John C. Fremont- The intrepid explorer soldier who helped free CA from Mexico and Republican nominee with a platform which came out against extension of slavery into the territories. He was no Abraham Lincoln, with no prior political experience.; Know-Nothing Party- New political party of nativists who were antiforeign and anti-Catholic. The party was a result of a recent influx of immigrants from Germany and Ireland. The party nominated ex-pres. Millard Fillmore. Remnants of the dead Whig party also supported him.
Outcome?: Buchanan- 1,832,955 & 174, Fremont 1,339,932 & 114, Fillmore 871,731 & 8.
A Republican victory at this time may have meant secession & a Union loss w/o Lincoln's leadership.
5. Dred Scott Decision of 1857
Dred Scott, a black slave who had lived with his master for 5 years in Illinois and Wisconsin Territory. Backed by abolitionists, he sued for his freedom on the basis of long-time residence on free soil. The Supreme Court ruled that Scott was a slave and property, not a citizen, so that he was not freed. The decision made by Chief Justice Taney, went further. Since slaves were property, they could be taken to any territory. Also, the Missouri Compromise repealed in 1854, had been unconstitutional all along. However, this Southern victory made issue popular sovereignty void. Northerners were inflamed by the decision and regarded it as merely an opinion, and Southerners were in turn mad at their defiance.
6. Financial Crash of 1857
Panic late in 1857, not as economically fierce as the one of 1937, but psychologically the worst of the 19th century.: a. CA gold causes inflation.; b. Crimean War overstimulates the need for grain.; c. Speculation in land and railroads.
5,000 businesses failed, unemployment, and hunger ensued. North was hit the hardest, but the South was supported by favorable cotton prices abroad. Financial distress in the North causes them to want free land for pioneers who were willing to risk it all on the plains (this becomes an issue in the campaign of 1860). Industrialist opposed the idea as workers would be attracted west, and South opposed because land would be filled with free-soilers, as plantation required at least 160 acres. The Homestead Act of 1860, which provided land @ 25 cents/acre, was vetoed by Buchanon. Higher tariffs were also desired as the Tariff of 1857, of 20%, was blamed for the crash. The tariff was originally passed as there was an embarrassing treasury surplus. This would become another campaign issue.
7. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Self-educated Illinois lawyer born to impoverished parents. He had a massively tall figure and was a rail-splitter. The Republicans looked to replace Senator Douglas with him for Illinois. Lincoln rose quickly politically. He served one distinguished term in Congress. The Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 motivated him to be more ambitious. The Dred Scott Decision even more.
8. Lincoln-Douglas debates
Lincoln challenged Douglas for the senate seat and a series of seven debates were arranged from August to October in 1858. At first they seem ill-matched. Douglas was a master at debate, but Lincoln almost beat him in Freeport, Illinois. Under popular sovereignty, people would vote on slavery. The Dred Scott decision decreed that they could not. Would the court prevail or the people? Douglas answered with the Freeport Doctrine- Any unpopular law would be impossible to enforce and would be defeated by the people. Douglas won the senate seat, but Lincoln won morally, paving his way to the presidency. Douglas had merely split his party further.
9. Harpers Ferry Raid
John Brown had devised a scheme to invade Virginia, give arms to blacks, and create a black free state. On October 1859, he seized the fed. arsenal in 1859 in West Virginia, killing 7 innocents, including a free black and injuring 10+. Slave's ignorant of Brown's strike failed to rise, and the raid was put down by Lieutenant Robert E. Lee. Brown was executed for murder, and he became a martyr. However, his action discredited the abolitionist cause.
10. Election of 1860
Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas (platform of pop. sovereignty), but the South spurned him for his actions in the Lecompton Constitution and the Freeport Doctrine. Democrats were split. Southern Democrats broke from the North and nominated John C. Breckinridge, a man or moderate views from Kentucky. His platform favored the extension of slavery in the territories and the annexation of slave-holding Cuba. John Bell of Tennessee was nominated by the new Constitutional Union Party, "Do Nothing", or "Old Gentleman's" party . It consisted of mainly Know-Nothings and Whigs that were middle-of-the-road. Abraham Lincoln, the "favorite son of Illinois", was nominated by the Republicans over William Seward (because of Seward's radical utterances [his "irrepressible conflict" speech]). Platform = nonextension of slavery, a protective tariff, no abridgement of rights for immigrants, a Pacific railroad, internal improvements, and free homesteads from the public domain. Lincoln only had 40% of the popular vote but in the electoral college, he dominated: Lincoln: 180, Douglas: 12, Breckinridge: 72, and Bell: 39 Lincoln was a minority president. His victory gave the South an excuse to secede.
11. Secession
S. Carolina secedes by unanimous vote in a convention in Charleston, 4 days after election. In the next 6 weeks Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede. 4 more secede later. Total secede? 11!: a. Confederate States of America formed under Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), a West Pointer and cabinet member, he suffered from chronic ill-health.; b. Pres. James Buchanan felt that the states could not legally secede, but he saw nothing in the Constitution that gave him the authority to stop them.; c. Tiny army of 15, 000 men was tied up fighting Indians for the US.
12. Collapse of the Crittenden Compromise of 1860
Sponsored by Senator James Henry Crittenden of Kentucky, the proposed Crittenden amendments were designed to appease the South. North of 36 degrees and 30 minutes, slavery was prohibited in territories. South of the line slavery was protected. Popular sovereignty would determine the status of slavery in new states. Lincoln flatly rejected the proposal. South was a minority, blamed North for economic problems, Underground Railroad, tipping of political balance, and militant abolitionists caused secession.

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