Drifting Toward DisunionThe 1850’s

Chapter 19

I. Stowe and Helper: Literary Incendiaries Hope for compromise and keeping Union together fell

apart in the last half of the 1850’s Kansas erupted into violence, the Supreme Court in the

Dred Scott decision validated feeling of a “Southern conspiracy”

Attitudes on both sides hardened 1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin published, novel had great

political force- no Northerner wanted to support “peculiar institution”; also popular across Europe

1857 Impending Crisis of the South by Hinton Helper tried to prove that non-slave holders in South suffered the most from slavery (poor whites could not get ahead)

Planter elite feel attacked from all sides

II. The North-South Contest for Kansas Kansas issue on popular sovereignty came to a

head Various groups came to Kansas- regular pioneers,

groups financed by northern abolitionists (some armed by New England Emigrant Aid Company)

Southern spokesmen under the impression Kansas would be slave, Nebraska free and began to sponsor slave owning families to move to Kansas (risky to take slaves to region)

1855- crisis in Kansas blows up (Bleeding Kansas) Elections for first territorial legislature, many came

over border from slave state Missouri to vote (early and often)

Slavery forces won election, free soilers see this as an illegal conspiracy and set up own government

State home to two separate governments Tension increased when proslavery raiders attacked

free town of Lawrence

III. Kansas in Convulsion 1856- John Brown, insanely dedicated

abolitionist, moved to Kansas Led a band of abolitionist to a pro slavery

settlement on Pottawatomie Creek and hacked to death a group of five proslaveryites and brought swift retaliation from proslavery forces

Civil war erupted in Kansas after this attack

1857 Kansas applies for admission to US with proslavery constitution (Lecompton Constitution) approved in 1857

Constitution supported by President Buchanan, many saw this a popular fraudulency

Issue divided Democratic party along north-south lines and broke last strands that kept Union together

IV. “Bully” Brooks and His Bludgeon 1856- US Senator Charles Sumner

(MA) and Congressman Preston Brooks (SC) demonstrated how inflamed the political passions had become

Sumner gave a two day long speech on slavery and the Kansas issue

During the speech he insulted a relative of Brooks and he attacked and beat Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor

Brooks resigned and was reelected, Sumner had to leave office because of his injuries and his Senate seat remained empty

V. Old Buck Versus The Pathfinder 1856 presidential election Democrats

nominate James Buchanan a Pennsylvania lawyer not tainted by Kansas controversy

Republicans nominate John Fremont who had little political experience, also not part of Kansas dispute

Republican platform against extension of slavery under any circumstances

Democrats supported popular sovereignty Know Nothings and their stand against

foreigners also nominated Millard Fillmore, party cut into Republican strength

VI. The Electoral Fruits of 1856 Buchanan won easily Democrats won because of threats of secession if anybody else

elected Many northerners wanted to preserve Union and keep business

connections with South Events had not gotten bad enough to see no chance for

reconciliation (KS trouble had yet to explode) Democrats were losing strength as evidenced by election of 1854

VII. The Dred Scott Bombshell Dred Scott lived with master in Illinois and free territory

of Wisconsin, master died and he sued for his freedom on basis of his residency on free soil

Dred Scott vs. Sanford (1857) Pro southern Supreme Court said he could not sue in

federal court because he was a black slave and not a citizen

Said slaves were private property and they could be taken to any territory (free or slave) and they were still slaves

Basis was the 5th Amendment, it protected private property from the government

Southerners happy with decision, further drove a wedge between north and south

Used as a rallying cry for anti slavery forces, refused to follow decision

South wondered how they could exist with a group willing to defy the Supreme Court

VIII. The Financial Crash of 1857 1857 economic panic CA gold had artificially inflated

currency Over production of grain to

feed Europeans (Crimean War over and it was no longer needed), grain prices dropped

Over-speculation in land and railroads

Hit north harder than south, Southerners saw this as proof cotton was king

VIII. The Financial Crash of 1857 Northerners called for free land to help out (provide

employment), met opposition from industrialists because it would drain away people needed for factories

Opposed in the South because plantation agriculture could not flourish on small homesteads and if territories filled up it would further tip sectional balance

1860- Congress does pass Homestead Act, public lands available for 25 cents an acre

Panic caused clamor for higher tariff rates, surplus funds caused Treasury to lower tariff rates and panic wiped out surplus

North wanted higher tariffs, Southern politicians blocked tariff increases

Events gave Republicans two issues to focus on in election of 1860 that were not slavery, tariff protections and farms for farmless

IX. An Illinois Rail-splitter Emerges 1858 Senatorial election takes national

spotlight Abraham Lincoln (R) and Stephen Douglas

(D) running for Senate seat in Illinois Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of

debates, Douglas was known a great debater and Lincoln was expected to fall

Freeport, IL major debate Lincoln questioned how could popular

sovereignty survive with Dread Scott decision

Douglas’ reply became known a Freeport Doctrine, where public opinion does not support law it is almost impossible to enforce (slavery would stay down if it was voted down)

Douglas defeats Lincoln but Lincoln becomes a national figure

Douglas and his support for popular sovereignty splinters Democrats- How could they vote for him if he supported what they opposed?

X. John Brown: Murderer or Martyr? John Brown hatches scheme to invade

south, cause slave rebellion and arm them 1859- Invaded a federal arsenal in Harpers

Ferry, VA and failed Quickly captured and hanged South viewed him as a murderer and guilty

of treason, , moderate northerners agreed Abolitionists were upset by his execution

and viewed him as a martyr for their cause “ How can a barbarous community and a civilized

community constitute one state. We must either get rid of slavery, or get rid of freedom” Ralph Waldo Emerson

XI. Disruption for the Democrats Election of 1860 hung on issue of peace or

war Democrats divided could not choose presidential

nominee Southern states would not support Douglas and

they nominated their own candidate John C. Breckinridge

Middle of the road group wanted compromise candidate to keep country together nominated John Bell from Tennessee

Northern Democrats platform for popular sovereignty, and supported Fugitive Slave Law

Southern Democrat platform foe extension of slavery into territories and annexation of Cuba

XII. Rail-Splitter Splits Union Republican choice between William

Seward and Lincoln Seward seen as too radical, Lincoln

had fewer enemies Republican platform for non-

extension of slavery, higher tariffs, free homesteads and internal improvements at federal expense

Southern secessionists said if Lincoln elected they would leave Union, thought federal government would get rid of slavery

Lincoln elected as a minority president, was not even on the ballot in 10 states

Election of 1860 essentially two elections- North and South

XIII. The Secessionist Exodus Chain of secession began to erupt Dec. 1860 SC calls special convention and unanimously votes

to secede from Union Over the next 6 weeks six other states follow Feb. 1861 meet in Montgomery, AL to establish government

and choose former Senator Jefferson Davis from MS as president Buchanan, did nothing He was surrounded by pro-southern advisers and he could find

no authority in Constitution to keep states in Union Public opinion in North not for fighting to keep Union together,

so there was still hope for reconciliation Ideas proposed by James Crittenden (KY) Crittenden Compromise proposed Constitutional Amendments

designed to appease South Slavery permitted south of Missouri Compromise line and open

to popular sovereignty in all other territory Lincoln rejected plan and hope of compromise evaporated

XIV. Farewell to Union South left for a variety of reasons1. Slavery, loosing sectional balance that was a

threat to slaveholding minority2. They though departure would be unopposed3. Northern economic interests would not put up a

fight to maintain business relations4. South had a different culture and they could

form a country that fit their ideas5. Develop own economic relations with Europe,

keep tariffs low6. Felt it was their destiny and they were not doing

anything immoral or wrong