Midterm Elections 1858

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

1858 race for the U.S. Senate seat for Illinois

Democrats represented by Stephen Douglas

Republicans represented by Abraham Lincoln

Douglas: •2 term senator•Good political record, including standing up to slavery being extended into Kansas over 200 slaves•Large campaign fund

Lincoln: •Self educated•Only known locally•Started career as a Whig and changed parties to the Republicans because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act

Purpose

To combat the well known reputation of Douglas and the large amount of money he had, Lincoln challenged him to 7 debates throughout Illinois

Main Topic of Debates: slavery in the territories

Locations:◦ Ottawa

◦ Freeport

◦ Jonesboro

◦ Charleston

◦ Galesburg

◦ Quincy

◦ Alton

Beliefs of Lincoln/Douglas

Lincoln◦ Slavery was immoral

◦ Slavery based on greed

◦ Did not believe slavery would eventually die out

◦ Government needed to do something to stop it

◦ Tried to make Douglas seem pro-slavery and pro-Dred Scott

Douglas◦ Believed in popular

sovereignty

◦ Slave owners would have known the prairies and plains were bad for farming

◦ Popular sovereignty would eventually allow for slavery to die out

◦ Accused Lincoln of being an abolitionist and pro racial equality

Result of Debates

Douglas won the Senate seat, but his responses in debate continued the large split in the Democratic party

Gave national attention to Lincoln

Republicans began thinking of him as a candidate for the 1860 presidency

Harpers Ferry

John Brown fled to Virginia after the Pottawatomie Massacre◦ Began studying slave rebellions

Took 21 men (black and white) to capture the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia◦ The plan was to distribute the weapons to slaves

and start an uprising

◦ Captured 60 slaveholders and wanted their slaves to then start rebelling (no slaves joined)

◦ U.S. Marines were called out (led by Robert E. Lee) to put down the “rebellion” and capture Brown

◦ Brown was hanged for treason

Causes of the War

Long-term:◦ Expansion of slavery

◦ Popular Sovereignty

◦ States’ Rights vs. Federal Power

◦ Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Immediate:◦ Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860

Lincoln wanted to PRESERVE the Union in the beginning

April 12, 1861:◦ Fort Sumter

Lincoln’s Inaugural Address

1. Find evidence of:◦ his desire to keep the union united.◦ His interpretation of the Constitution.

2. How does he use the Constitution to keep the Union united? 3. According to Lincoln, what are the only two arguments that exist in regards to slavery?4. Why can we not physically separate?

Stop reading after the first paragraph on page 5.

Key Terms To Know

Conscription:◦ Draft (forced enlistment)

Substitutes could be hired for people that were drafted

NYC Draft Riots (1863)◦ 100s of people were killed

Contraband:◦ Escaped slaves that crossed over into the Union

◦ Worked at camps and fought in the war

Copperheads:◦ Democrats that spoke out against the war

Lincoln’s Election

Lincoln wins the election of 1860 without a single vote from Southern states Lincoln’s

campaign promises: Tariffs on industry

Exclusion of slavery from the territories

Free land for settlers in the west

Railroads to the Pacific ocean

◦ Lincoln’s promises AND victory cause Southern states to begin calling for Secession

Dec. 1860: 7 states hold conventions, vote to secede (SC, FL, GA, TX, AL, MS, LA)

Create Confederate States of America (govt. same as U.S. but no tariffs/slavery protected)

Key Strategies and Battles to Know

Anaconda Plan (Northern offensive) 1. Naval Blockade of the south2. Cut south in 2 by controlling Mississippi

River3. Capture Confederate Capital

Antietam:◦ Bloodiest day of the war South withdraws

◦ Helped persuade Europe to NOT intervene on behalf of the South

◦ Helps lead to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation

The Twin Battles Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863

◦ Robert E. Lee attempted to invade the north as a means to draw the defense away from DC

◦ Lee also needed more supplies and to win a major Confederate victory

◦ If Lee could win it could end the war early ◦ 3 day battle that ended with a secret night retreat

by Lee that wasn’t followed by Meade

Vicksburg May – July 4, 1863◦ One of the most important campaigns of the war◦ Victory by Union allowed the Union to take

complete control of the Mississippi River – splitting the Confederacy in half

◦ Grant’s successes in the west eventually led to his appointment as Commander in Chief of the Union Army

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued on January 1, 1863

Freed slaves only in areas of rebellion◦ Not in Border States

◦ Not in areas under Union control

New Orleans

Helped change the goal(s) of the war◦ Originally, the war was fought to preserve the Union

The Border States

What were border states?◦ Slave states that did NOT secede during the Civil War

◦ Many fought on BEHALF of the Union.

Which states did this include?◦ Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (later)

Gettysburg Address

Issued on November 19, 1863◦ Dedicated the battlefield as a cemetery

Referenced the Declaration of Independence ◦ 4 score and 7 years ago (87 years ago)

You do not have to write this down. But consider his words - “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

African Americans in the War

Beginning in 1862, African Americans could enlist in the war

54th Regiment◦ “Glory”

Fought in segregated units

Often did manual labor

African Americans were paid less than whites

Women in the War

As men fought in the war, women’s employment opportunities increased◦ Teachers, factories, and nursing

National Woman’s Loyal League:◦ Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

◦ Hoped to abolish slavery and gain female suffrage

Clara Barton:◦ Helped distribute medical supplies during the war

◦ Later founded the Red Cross

Personal Liberties in the War

Habeas Corpus:◦ Cannot be held in jail without having charges brought against you

◦ Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus

Only Congress can suspend

Ex Parte Merriman (1861):◦ Court ruled President could not suspend Habeas Corpus, Lincoln ignored the decision

Newspapers in Maryland were shut down that were critical of Lincoln

The End and Effects of the War

April 9, 1865, Lee surrenders

April 14, 1865, Lincoln was shot

Reconstruction◦ Presidential v. Congressional

◦ Amendments: 13th, 14th, and 15th