ROAD TO CIVIL WAR: 1848-1861

Unit 8.2

ROAD TO CIVIL WAR: 1848-1861

Theme #1In the wake of the Mexican

War, sectional tensions over the Mexican Cession were temporarily eased by the

Compromise of 1850.

Theme #2The 1840s spirit of

“manifest destiny” continued into the 1850s with America’s movement westward and its first forays into overseas expansionism. As before, the issue of slavery went hand-in-hand with expansion.

Theme #3The passage of the

Kansas-Nebraska Act destroyed the Compromises of 1820 and 1850 and spurred the creation of the Republican party, placing North and South on a direct course toward Civil War.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Theme #4Major North-South crises

in the late 1850s culminated in the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860. His election caused seven southern states to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America.

ROAD TO CIVIL WAR: 1848-1861

Theme #1In the wake of the Mexican

War, sectional tensions over the Mexican Cession were temporarily eased by the

Compromise of 1850.

Total Mexican Losses due to Texas Annexation and the Mexican War

Important Events Leading up to Civil War:

Missouri Compromise of 1820 Nullification Controversy of 1832Abolitionism Gag Rule, 1836 Wilmot Proviso, 1848 Compromise of 1850 Kansas Nebraska Act, 1854 “Bleeding Kansas” Dred Scott case, 1857 John Brown’s Raid, 1859 Election of 1860: Lincoln elected

M iss Missouri Compromise

N ully Nullification Controversy

A lmost AbolitionismG agged Gag Rule

W hen Wilmot ProvisoC lay’s Compromise of 1850

K angaroo Kansas-Nebraska ActB it Bleeding KansasD ead Dred Scott caseJ ohn’s John Brown’s RaidE ar Election of 1860

I. The Mexican CessionA. Intense debate ensued over lands acquired from Mexico in 1848 (Mexican Cession) 1. Wilmot Proviso (1848):

proposed law to ban slavery in the Mexican Cession

-- Southerners were furious 2. Slavery issue once again in the forefront of U.S. politics 3. Issue threatened to split both Whigs and Democrats along sectional lines

B. “Popular sovereignty” 1. Definition: The people of a territory should decide for themselves the

status of slavery in that territory

2. Lewis Cass, Democrat, introduced the idea

during the presidential campaign of 1848

3. The idea received widespread support

4. Ultimately, it failed to avert Civil War

C. Election of 1848 1. Zachary Taylor:

Whig candidate-- Appeared neutral on

the slave issue 2. Lewis Cass: Democratic candidate -- “popular sovereignty”

3. Free Soil party: Martin Van Burena. Coalition of northern anti- extension of slavery

Whigs, Democrats, and Liberty Party

b. Supported Wilmot Proviso, federal support for

internal improvements, and free gov’t homesteads to western settlers

c. Foreshadowed Republican party in 1854

4. Result: Taylor 163, Cass 127, Van Buren 0

Election of 1848

President Zachary Taylor

1849-1850Whig

III. Sectional issues by 1850 deeply divided the nation

A. California’s application for statehood threatened the

sectional balance1. Gold Rush (1848 and

1849) -- Paved the way for rapid economic growth

in CA2. Draft of CA state

constitution excluded slavery3. Southern “fire-eaters” threatened secession if

CA was admitted to the Union

B. Mexican Cession territories seemed to lean toward free-

state status C. Underground Railroad

infuriated southerners 1. Seemed further proof

that the North did not respect the Constitution’s protection of slavery

2. Southerners demanded a new tougher fugitive slave law

D. Texas land claims east of Rio Grande

Disputed Territory

1. Texas claims were much larger than U.S.-recognized border

2. Also threatened to seize Santa Fe

3. U.S. refused to accept Texas’ land claims

4. President Taylor threatened to send troops to Texas if it moved on any of the disputed territories

E. Northerners demanded an end to slavery and slave auctions in Washington, D.C.

-- Many were embarrassed that slavery and slave auctions were highly visible to foreign visitors

A slave auction in Richmond,

Virginia, 1861

F. Nashville Convention, June 1850

1. Southern “fire-eaters” planned to meet and discuss southern rights and possible secession if California was admitted into the Union. 2. Represented an ominous sign for the Union if no compromise was reached regarding sectional issues

IV. The Compromise of 1850 A. Henry Clay initiated his third major compromise

1. Proposed a stronger fugitive slave law

2. Calhoun was opposed to compromise 3. Webster: “7th of March

Speech” a. Significance: b. Abolitionists opposed

c. William H. Seward -- “Higher Law”

Henry Clay introduces the “Compromise of 1850” in the Senate while Daniel Webster (just left of Clay), John Calhoun (just right of the speaker), and Vice President Millard Fillmore (seated above the

others) look on.

B. Threat of war persisted 1. President Taylor, swayed

by Seward, was opposed to concessions to the

South 2. Taylor was determined

to send troops to Texas if it moved on New Mexico

3. Taylor’s death resulted in Millard Fillmore’s ascension to the presidency

-- He was more willing to compromise

4. Stephen Douglass

President Millard Fillmore

1850-1853Whig

E. Provisions: (omnibus legislation) 1. Northern gains

a. California admitted as a free state

b. Abolition of the slave trade in Washington, D.C.

c. Texas would surrender disputed territory to New Mexico

2. Southern gainsa. Popular sovereignty in the remainder of Mexican

Cession area (NM & UT)b. Fugitive Slave Law of

1850c. Texas got $10 million from

the federal gov’t

Compromise of 1850

D. Results: 1. Fugitive Slave Law was the

major issue dividing North & South in the early 1850s

a. North infuriated by the law

b. Some northern states passed more “personal liberty” laws

c. Ableman v. Booth, 1859

-- Supreme Court upheld the Fugitive Slave Law

An abolitionist poster in response to the Fugitive Slave

Law, April 24, 1851

2. North got a better deal a. California became a free

state b. Popular sovereignty in

New Mexico and Utah territories favored the North

c. Texas cession was likely to be free territory

d. Halt of the slave trade in Washington, D.C.

Memory Aid: “PopFACT” Compromise of 1850

Pop ular Sovereignty in the Mexican Cession

F ugitive Slave LawA bolition of slave trade in Washington,

D.C.C alifornia enters the UnionT exas gives up claim to NM lands for

$10 million

V. Election of 1852A. Democrats: Franklin PierceB. Whigs: Gen. Winfield Scott

-- Whigs fatally split over the slavery issueC. Pierce d. Scott 254-42D. Effectively marked the end of the Whig party

-- Significance

Theme #2The 1840s spirit of

“manifest destiny” continued into the 1850s with America’s movement westward and its first forays into overseas expansionism. As before, the issue of slavery went hand-in-hand with expansion.

VI. Expansionism under President Pierce

A. “Young America” (overseas expansion)

B. Nicaragua 1. U.S. & Britain sought a

canal 2. Monroe Doctrine

3. Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, 1850

4. Walker Expedition, 1855-57

C. Asia 1. Acquisition of California and

Oregon gave U.S. access to the Pacific 2. U.S. opened trade with China

3. 1853, Pierce sent Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan to force her to open trade with the U.S.

D. Cuba1. Polk failed to purchase

Cuba a. Some southerners hoped to create two new slave states

b. Some invested in Cuban sugar plantations2. Ostend Manifesto, 1854 a. U.S. secretly demanded Cuba for $130

million b. If Spain refused, U.S.

would take it by force c. Plan seriously back-

fired

E. Gadsden Purchase, 18541. U.S. sought to connect California and Oregon to

the rest of the nation via a transcontinental railroad

2. Issue in Congress: should the route be a northern or southern one?

3. U.S. purchased the Mesilla Valley in southern New

Mexico territory from Santa Anna for $10 million

4. South now seemed poised to get the new railroad

Theme #3The passage of the

Kansas-Nebraska Act destroyed the Compromises of 1820 and 1850 and spurred the creation of the Republican party, placing North and South on a direct course toward Civil War.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

VII. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): most important short-term cause of the Civil War

A. Stephen Douglas proposed splitting the Nebraska Territory into two: Kansas and Nebraska

1. Response to Gadsden Purchase

2. Wanted Illinois to be the eastern terminus for a new transcontinental railroad

Stephen Douglas“The Little Giant”

3. Kansas would

presumably become a slave state; Nebraska would be free

4. Slavery would be determined by

popular sovereignty 5. Problem: Kansas was

above the 36˚30’ line

-- Solution: repeal the Compromise of

1820! 6. Southerners fully

supported it

B. Bill passed in 18541. Northerners were shocked: saw the Compromise of

1820 as “sacred” a. Many northerners now

were unwilling to obey the Fugitive Slave Law

b. Anti-extension of slavery movement grew significantly

2. Wrecked the two previous compromises (1820 &

1850)

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

An 1856 Cartoon

An 1856 cartoon depicts a giant freesoiler being held down by James Buchanan and Lewis Cass standing on the Democratic platform marked "Kansas", "Cuba" and "Central America". Franklin

Pierce also holds down the giant's beard as Douglas shoves a black man down his throat.

C. Birth of the Republican party

1. Formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act a. Included Whigs,

northern Democrats, Free-Soilers, and some Know Nothings

b. Lincoln came out of political retirement and ran for Illinois senate seat

2. Impact: emerged as the nation’s second major

party overnight3. Largely banned in the

South

VIII. “Bleeding Kansas”A. New England Emigrant Aid

Company-- “Beecher’s Bibles”

B. Southerners were furious the spirit of the Kansas-Nebraska

Act was being violated C. 1855 election in Kansas for the first territorial legislature

1. Missouri “border ruffians” -- “Vote early and vote

often” 2. Southerners won the

election 3. Northerners boycotted it

D. Attack on free-soil Lawrence, Kansas

E. Preston Brooks canes Charles Sumner

1. Charles Sumner’s speech2. Preston Brooks’ attack3. Significance

F. John Brown: Pottawatomie Massacre, May 18561. Revenge for sack of Lawrence and caning of Sumner

2. A mini-civil war in Kansas broke out that later

merged with the Civil War

G. Lecompton Constitution (1857) 1. Kansas applied for statehood based on popular sovereignty 2. Southerners drafted a pro-

slavery constitution 3. Free-soilers once again

boycotted the election 4. President Buchanan supported the Lecompton Constitution 5. Douglas opposed it

6. Congress sent it back to Kansas 7. Kansas was denied statehood

H. Kansas issue split the Democratic party

1. Buchanan’s support for Kansas split the party along sectional lines

2. Douglas’ opposition to Kansas alienated him among

southerners3. Republicans would win the election of 18604. Lack of unified national

parties meant the Union could not hold

IX. Antislavery literatureA. Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

B. Hinton Helper: The Impending Crisis of the South (1857)

X. Election of 1856A. James Buchanan – Democrat -- Platform: popular sovereigntyB. John C. Fremont – Republican -- Platform: non-extension of

slavery C. Millard Fillmore -- American

(“Know-Nothing”) Party-- Platform: anti-immigration

D. Results: Buchanan victorious

Election of 1856

President James Buchanan1857-1861Democrat

Theme #4Major North-South crises

in the late 1850s culminated in the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860. His election caused seven southern states to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America.

XI. Dred Scott Decision (March, 1857)A. Scott lived with his master for 5

years in Illinois and Wisconsin territories-- He sued for his freedom

arguing that he had lived on free soil

B. Three main questions before Supreme Court1. As a black man, was Scott

a citizen with a right to sue in federal courts?

2. Had prolonged residence in a free state and territory make Scott free?

3. Did Congress have the right to impose the 36˚30’ line to restrict slavery in certain areas of Louisiana Territory?

C. Roger B. Taney’s Decision 1. Scott was a slave & not a citizen

-- Result: All blacks, North & South, were no longer

citizens! 2. Slaves could not be taken away from owners without due process of law (5th Amendment)

-- Slaves could be taken

into any territory and held there

3. Missouri Compromise was ruled unconstitutional

-- Congress couldn’t

forbid slavery in the territories even if the territories wished it

D. Impact

1. Contributed to the split in the Democratic party

a. Northern Democrats who favored popular sovereignty were horrified (e.g. Stephen Douglas)

b. Southern proslavers were overjoyed and saw the possibility for the creation of several new slave states in the territories

2. Republicans were infuriated

a. Many claimed that the decision was merely

an “opinion” and that it was non-binding

b. Southern proslavers saw the Republican view as further evidence that the North would not obey the Constitution

XII. Financial Crash of 1857A. Causes

1. Overspeculation on railroads and land

2. Inflation due to California “Gold Rush”3. Overproduction of grain

(Crimean War)

B. Results1. Industrial North was

hardest hit -- Southerners boasted

that “King Cotton” was superior to the flawed northern economy

2. Renewed demand for free farms in the West3. Demand for higher tariffs

XIII. Lincoln-Douglas DebatesA. Republican Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen Douglas for Illinois’

national senate seat 1. Douglas was one of the most powerful politicians in the country

2. Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech: given during his acceptance of his

nomination

*See next slide for excerpt

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the

course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it

forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.”

Abraham Lincoln, 1858

B. Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of seven debates

1. Douglas advocated for popular sovereignty

2. Lincoln advocated non- extension of slavery3. Debates received national attention

C. Freeport Doctrine1. Lincoln insisted Douglas address the Dred

Scott case2. Douglas declared a

territory could pass laws to undermine slavery

3. Douglas’ position further split the Democratic party and damaged his run for president in 1860

D. Results1. Douglas’ popular

sovereignty position prevailed

2. Steppingstone for Lincoln’s presidential ambitions 3. Cost Douglas the presidency in 1860

 

XIV. John Brown attacks Harper’s Ferry, 1859

A. Brown’s scheme: invade Virginia and start a massive

slave rebellionB. Attack failed; several were killed and Brown was captured and executed

U.S. forces, led by Capt.

Robert E. Lee, attack

Brown’s position.

C. Northern abolitionists viewed Brown as a

martyr

D. Viewed as ominous in southern eyes

1. Brown seen as an agent of northern abolitionism and anti- slavery conspiracy

2. Southern states began to arm

3. Perhaps the most important cause of disunion (except for Lincoln’s election)

XV. Election of 1860A. Nominating conventions of 1860

1. Democratic party split in two

a. Northern Democrats nominated Stephen

Douglas b. Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckenridge2. Constitutional-Union

Party: John Bell

3. Republicans nominated Lincolna. Republican platform Non extension of slavery Protective tariffs Transcontinental railroad Internal improvements Free homesteads No loss of rights for

immigrantsb. Southerners threatened secession if Lincoln

was elected

An 1860 Republicancampaig

n flag

Lincoln and Stephen Douglas struggle to control the northern and western states while John C. Breckinridge claims the south and John

Bell attempts to glue the map back together.

Bell: “Bless my soul I give up”

Breckenridge: “ That long legged abolitionist is getting ahead of us all

Douglas: “I never run so in my life”

B. Election Results 1. Lincoln elected with only 40% of the vote

-- Most sectional election in U.S. history

2. The Democrats still had control of both houses of Congress which was dominated by the South

-- A majority of Supreme Court justices were southerners

President Abraham Lincoln

1861-1865Republican

XVI. Southern states secede from the Union

A. December 1860, South Carolina unanimously voted to secede from the UnionB. 6 other states seceded during

Buchanan’s “lame duck” period: MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TXC. Confederate States of

America-- Jefferson Davis

D. Buchanan’s response

E. Reasons for southern secession1. Political balance seemed to

favor the North2. Hated victory of the

Republican party that seemed anti-South

3. Angry over free-soil criticism & abolitionism, northern

interference (Underground RR), and John Brown’s raid

4. Many southerners thought secession would be

unopposed5. Desired end to dependence

on the North 6. South had the moral high ground

XVII. Crittenden Compromise1. Motive: appease the

South2. Provisions3. Lincoln’s response