Chapter 13: The Union in Peril 1848-1861 Introduction Shit, this is a long one = /. The southerners twisted the Constitution to their own designs, claiming that by abolishing slavery, the government was taking away their property. The Compromise of 1850 Thought up by Henry Clay - California entered as a free state - Utah and New Mexico formed out of the ashes of the Mexican Secession. The Fugitive Slave Law slaves who escaped from the
Chapter 13: The Union in Peril 1848-1861 Introduction Shit, this is a long one = /. The southerners twisted the Constitution to their own designs, claiming that by abolishing slavery, the government was taking away their property. The Compromise of 1850 Thought up by Henry Clay - California entered as a free state - Utah and New Mexico formed out of the ashes of the Mexican Secession. The Fugitive Slave Law slaves who escaped from the
Chapter 13: The Union in Peril 1848-1861 Introduction Shit, this is a long one = /. The southerners twisted the Constitution to their own designs, claiming that by abolishing slavery, the government was taking away their property. The Compromise of 1850 Thought up by Henry Clay - California entered as a free state - Utah and New Mexico formed out of the ashes of the Mexican Secession. The Fugitive Slave Law slaves who escaped from the
1848-1861 Introduction • Shit, this is a long one =/ The Free-Soil Movement • Free-Soilers believed that the western frontier should be kept white-only • During the election of 1848, the Free Soil party came into existence • Main idea was to prevent the further spread of slavery, but not to completely remove it Southern Position • In general, the southerners twisted the Constitution to their own designs, claiming that by abolishing slavery, the government was taking away their property Popular Sovereignty • Lewis Cass brought about the idea of letting the people who live in the territory decide on the issue of slavery. This was known as Popular Sovereignty The Election of 1848 • Democrats – Lewis Cass • Whigs – General Zachary Taylor • Free-Soil Party – Martin Van Buren • Taylor was victorious The Compromise of 1850 • Thought up by Henry Clay – California entered as a free state – Utah and New Mexico formed out of the ashes of the Mexican Secession, and Popular Soveriegnty imposed – The traffiking of slaves was banned in DC – The Fugitive Slave Law was created Fugitive Slave Law • Slaves who escaped from the south and looked for protection in the north were hunted down and given back to their owners • People who assisted the fugitive slaves were fined greatly The Underground Railroad • Harriet Tubman helped over 300 slaves escape to Canada or the northern states Literature on Slavery • Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Conflict between slave (Tom) and his evil white master Simon Legree – The south banned this book • Impending Crisis of the South – Used statistics to show that slavery was bad in general for the economy – The south banned this book as well. Go figure. • Southern Reaction (Not a book) – Preached that slavery was supported in the bible – Claimed that bonds developed between slave and master – Reacted by accusing the capitalist system of being worse than slavery Effects of Law and Literature • Did nothing but turn the two parts of the nation further against eachother The Election of 1852 • Whigs – General Winfield Scott – Internal improvements supporter • Democrats – Franklin Pierce – Won all states but four The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) • The Nebraska territory was split into two states: Kansas and Nebraska • Went against the Compromise of 1820 New Parties • Know-Nothing party – Formed by aggression toward Protestants and immigrants – Served only to weaken the Whig party slightly, as no president was ever elected • Republican party – Made up of remnants of the Free-Soil party, and abolitionist Whigs and Democrats – Felt that slavery was justified as long as it stayed in the south The Election of 1856 • Republican – John Fremont – Stop the spread of slavery • Know Nothings – Millard Filmore • Democrats – James Buchanan • Buchanan won the election Extremists and Violence Bleeding Kansas • Stephen Douglas – Expected slavery to end peacefully and quietly • Pro-slavery citizens in the states next to Kansas moved into Kansas, for the sole purpose of winning that state for the south • Fighting erupted (State-wide) between anti- slavery advocates and slavery advocates, and the state was cristened ‘Bleeding Kansas’ The Caning of Charles Sumner • This paragraph really does deserve a slide all to itself. How freakin’ boss. • After a particularly emphatic and passionate speech against slavery, Congressman Preston Brooks beat Sumner over the head with a cane Constitutional Issues Lecompton Constitution • A proslavery constitution was submitted from Kansas, and Buchanan approved it • This pissed many people off, and the document was later destroyed by anti-slavery settlers Dred Scott vs. Sandford • Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in freedom for two years. When he was returned to his slave state, he sued for his freedom • He was shot down (Figuratively), because – African Americans were not citizens and were not allowed to sue – The court could not take away the property of citizens The Road to Secession John Brown’s Raid at Harpers ferry • John Brown tried to take the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry with the help of slaves • Robert E. Lee captured, charged, and executed them The Election of 1860 • The Breakup of the Democrats – Stephen Douglas was the favorite, but the south rejected him. The south nominated John C. Breckinridge, and Douglas was nominated by the north. • Republican Nomination of Lincoln • Fourth Political Party – The Constitutional Union Party • John Bell of Tennesse • Election Results – Lincoln was elected without any votes from the south The Secession of the Deep South • In December 1860, South Carolina seceded. • Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas followed them • The Confederate States of America were formed in Februrary 1861 • The CSA was the same as the USA, besides the fact that the government had less power to impose tariffs and restrict slavery • Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens served as President and Vice President, respectively Crittenden Compromise • Senator John Crittenden proposed a compromise with the south that would give them the absolute rights to hold slaves, but Lincoln would not give it to theme