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Chapter 19 (1854-1861) Drifting Toward Disunion * The Kansas Territory erupted in violence in 1855 between proslavery and antislavery

arguments. -1857, the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision invalidated the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Stowe and Helper: Literary Incendiaries Harriet Beecher Stowe: white - published Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) to show N the horrors of slavery (splitting families) - novel published abroad (France/Britain) helped start Civil War and end it. - many did not follow the Fugitive slave law and helped in the Civil War (Boys in Blue) Hinton R. Helper: non-aristocrat from NC, wrote The Impending Crisis of the South(1857). Hated both slavery and blacks tried to use stats to prove indirectly that non-slaveholding whites suffering most from slavery. The North-South Contest for Kansas * Most people in Kansas were just westward-moving pioneers. Minority was financed by N abolitionists (wanted free state) New England Emigrant Aid Company * losing battle for S bc its risky to bring slaves to Kansas 1855: first territorial legislature election - pro-slavery from MO vote for pro-slavery officials; government at Shawnee Mission. Free-soilers set up their own government in Topeka Kansas has two governments. 1856: conflicting land claims battle began when pro-slavery riders burned part of free-soil town of Lawrence. Kansas in Convulsion John Brown: fanatical abolitionist - May 1856, hacked 5 men at Pottawatomie Creek in response to events in Lawrence Civil War: 1856, continued & merged with the Civil War of 1861-1865 -X property, paralyze agriculture, cost lives 1857: Kansas applied for statehood. Citizens were going to vote on issue of slavery. Lecompton Constitution: attempt to prevent a free state; people not allowed to vote for/against constitution; only on whether the constitution would be "with slavery" or "without" - if against, provision in constitution protects those already owning slaves. - Many free-soilers boycott voting, pro-slaveryites voted approving the constitution to include slavery. James Buchanan: democrat, succeeded Pierce as the President of the United States. Strong southern influence, approved of Constitution. Senator Stephen Douglas: strongly opposed document, campaigned against it. Compromise reached, enabled Kansas to vote on Lecompton Constitution, itself. It was revoked by free-soil voters, but Kansas remained territory until 1861, when southern states seceded from Union. President Buchanan: divided Democratic Party by enraging Northern Douglas Democrats. Divided the national party & Union. "Bully" Brooks and His Bludgeon * 1856, Senator Charles Sumner: in a speech, condemned pro-slavery + insulted Preston Brooks. Bleeding Sumner: Brooks beat Sumner unconscious in response (May 22). - Speech applauded in N, angered S; clash showed how violent/impassioned N & S are for their cause. "Old Buck" Versus "The Pathfinder" James Buchanan: Democrat candidate (1856) bc he wasn't influenced by the Kansas-Nebraska Act (like Pierce & Douglas) - Democratic platform campaigned for popular sovereignty Captain John C. Fremont: Republican, wasn't influenced by Kansas-Nebraska Act. - Republican platform campaigned against extension of slavery Millard Fillmore: American/Know-Nothing Party - formed by nativist Protestants, alarmed by increase of immigrants - Antiforeign + anti-Catholic The Electoral Fruits of 1856 James Buchanan President; South threatened to secede if Fremont was elected so electing Buchanan was the safest way to keep the nation together and to secure N interests in the S. The Dred Scott Bombshell Dred Scott: sued for his freedom on the basis of his long residence on free soil. Supreme Court ruled:

(1) bc a slave was private property, he can be taken into any territory and legally held there in slavery. (2) 5th Amendment forbade Congress from depriving people of property without due process of law (3) MO Compromise unconstitutional; Congress has no power to ban slavery no matter what territorial legislatures wanted. * This victory delighted Southerners, while it infuriated Northerners and supporters of popular sovereignty. The Financial Crash of 1857 Panic of 1857: due to inflation of currency from CA gold + over-speculation in land & railroads. - N was hardest hit, while S flourished with its cotton (cotton is king) - N demand free 160-acre plots of farming land from the gov. to pioneers for. * Two groups opposed the idea: Eastern industrialists feared free land would drain supply of workers & South feared West would fill up with free-soilers who would form anti-slavery states Homestead Act: passed by Congress (1860) making public lands available at $0.25/acre BUT vetoed by President Buchanan Tariff of 1857: lowered duties to about 20%. N blamed it for causing the panic. * Republicans have two economic issues for 1860 election: protection for the unprotected and farms for the farmless. An Illinois Rail-Splitter Emerges Abraham Lincoln: elected at Illinois's senatorial election (1858) He served in the Illinois legislature as a Whig politician and served one term in Congress. The Great Debate: Lincoln versus Douglas Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of seven debates (August - October 1858) * The most famous debate came at Freeport, Illinois. Lincoln asked Douglas, "What if the people of a territory should vote down slavery?" The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision had decreed that the people could not. - known as the Freeport Doctrine Douglas argued that no matter how the Supreme Court ruled, slavery would stay down if the people voted it down. Laws to protect slavery would have to be voted on by the territorial legislatures. - Douglas won the senatorial election, but Lincoln won the popular vote. John Brown: Murderer or Martyr? John Brown: planned to invade S with followers + give arms to slaves and establish a black free state. October 1859 - he seized the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry BUT supporters failed to show up and he was caught and hanged. - People believe he was a martyr to the abolitionist cause. The Disruption of the Democrats * Northern democratic wing wants to nominate Stephen Douglas, but the southern wing see him as a traitor for his unpopular Freeport Doctrine and opposition to the Lecompton Constitution. - Northerners elect Stephen A. Douglas; platform for popular sovereignty and against obstruction of Fugitive Slave Law - Southerners choose John C. Breckenridge; platform favored extension of slavery into territories and annexation of Cuba. Constitutional Union Party: formed by former Whigs and Know-Nothings nominated John Bell as their presidential candidate. A Rail-Splitter Splits the Union Abraham Lincoln nominated for Republicans; platform appealed to nearly every part of the nation free-soilers - non-extension of slavery; northern manufacturers - protective tariff; immigrants - no abridgment of rights; Northwest - Pacific railroad; West - internal improvements at federal expense; farmers - free homesteads from public domain. * The Southerners said that if Abraham Lincoln was elected as President, the Union would split. The Electoral Upheaval of 1860 Abraham Lincoln won 1860 election, but he did not win with popular vote. - 60% of the nation voted for another candidate + 10 southern states didn't even allow Lincoln to appear on the ballot - SC had a reason to secede. * Even though Republicans won the election, they did not control the House of Representatives, Senate, or Supreme Court. The Secessionist Exodus December 1860 - SC legislature met in Charleston and voted unanimously to secede. 6 other joined: AL, MS, FL, GA, LA, TX - At Montgomery, Alabama February 1861 they created the Confederate States of America w/ Jefferson Davis, as President.

* During this time, Buchanan was still President . He did not hold the seceders in the Union because he was surrounded by southern advisors + he believed the southerners couldn't legally secede + he couldn't find authority in the Constitution to stop them with force (the army was needed to control Indians in the West) + there was hope of reconciliation. The Collapse of Compromise Crittenden amendments: designed to appease S - slavery in territories prohibited north of 360 30', but all territories existing or acquired south of the line was given federal protection BUT Lincoln rejected the amendments. Farewell to the Union - Spurred by Nationalism; differences in culture and interests always held conflicts - Encouraged by self determination; voluntarily join and leave the Union - Alarmed by political unbalance - Dismayed by Republican victory; feared it would threaten their rights to own slaves - Weary of free-soil criticism, abolitionist nagging, and northern interference - Felt they would be unopposed; the North would be too busy to fight - Assumed N manufacturers/bankers were too dependent on S cotton and markets that they wouldn't dare cut them off - They can develop their own banking/shipping and trade directly w/ Europe - Feared N would increase tariffs again

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