Bell Ringer• What was the Missouri Compromise? Use page

312 in your textbook to define.

Toward Civil War EQ: How did specific events push the United States to Civil War?

New Territories, New Debates• REVIEW- The Wilmot Proviso

attempted to ban slavery in territory won from Mexico

• John C. Calhoun argued that neither Congress or a territorial government could ban or regulate slavery

• Democrats were divided over the issue of slavery

• Democrats who opposed slavery formed the “Free Soil Party” (“Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, Free Men”)

• Whig candidate Zachary Taylor won the election of 1848, but many Free-Soil Candidates won seats in Congress

A New Compromise• Southerners wanted “fugitive slaves

laws” requiring every state to return runaway slaves.

• Southern states were upset because California was added as a free state, upsetting the balance between slave and free states. Because of this, Southern states were threatening to secede.

• Henry Clay suggested that California would be a free state, but other new territories would have no limits on slavery.

• Clay also said that the slave trade, but not slavery itself, would be illegal in Washington, D.C.

• Clay also pushed a stronger fugitive slave law.

• This became known as the Compromise of 1850

A New Compromise (cont.)• A heated debate occurred

over the Compromise of 1850

• Stephen Douglas of Illinois had a plan to solve the controversy- the plan would be divided in to separate parts, each voted on separately

• New president, Millard Fillmore, who favored the plan, convinced many Whigs (his party) to not vote on the certain parts of the plan

• Because of this manipulation, the Compromise of 1850 was passed

The Fugitive Slave Act• Stated that anyone who

helped a fugitive, or escaped, slave could be fined or imprisoned

• Northerners simply refused to obey the law

• Northern juries refused to convict violators of the law

• People donated money to officially purchase freedom for fugitive slaves

The Kansas-Nebraska Act• Stephen A. Douglas introduced this bill

to settle the issue of slavery in the territories

• Prior to this law, Kansas and Nebraska would have been free states since they were above the line that limited slavery- 36°30' N latitude

• This would have angered the South because free states would have more votes in the Senate

• Douglas wanted to repeal the Missouri Compromise by letting the voters in each state decide the issue of slavery

• Northerners were against this plan because it would allow slavery in states that had been free for years

• The law passed with the aid of Northern Democrats and the support of president, Franklin Pierce

Conflict in Kansas• Pro-slavery supporters known as

“border-ruffians” crossed over to vote for slavery

• Only 1,500 voters lived in Kansas, 6,000 people voted

• Opponents of slavery refused to accept the results. They armed themselves, held elections, and passed their own constitution

• Slavery supporters attacked Lawrence, KS, an anti-slavery stronghold

• Anti-slavery citizens retaliated and John Brown led an attack killing five supporters of slavery

• This became known as “Bleeding Kansas”

TN Connection- Attack in Congress• In Congress, Charles

Sumner lashed out against pro-slavery senators like Andrew Butler of South Carolina

• A few days later, Preston Brooks, Butler’s cousin, came into the Senate chamber and knocked Sumner out with his cane

• Brooks, himself, was a member of the House of Representatives

• This incident demonstrated the increasing tensions between people of the North and South

1854 Congressional Elections• During this election, anti-

slavery Whigs and Democrats left their parties and joined the Free-Soilers to form the Republican Party

• One of the primary goals of this new party was to prevent the spread of slavery into the new territories

• Republicans won the majority of seats in the House of Representatives

Dred Scott v. Sanford• Dred Scott was an enslaved African

American bought by a doctor in Missouri, a slave state.

• The doctor and Scott moved to the Wisconsin territory

• Slavery was banned by the Northwest Ordinance in Wisconsin

• When the slaveowner returned to Missouri, Scott tried to sue for his freedom

• Scott’s case made it all the way to the Supreme Court

• Scott and his lawyers argued that he had a right to freedom because he had lived in an area where slavery was illegal

Dred Scott v. Sanford (cont.)• The Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court was Roger Taney

• Taney’s Ruling:

• Scott was not a citizen so he had no right to sue

• Living on free soil did not make Scott free because he was considered property

• Property could not taken without due process (Taney’s interpretation of a clause in the 5th Amendment)

Impact of the Dred Scott Case• Taney argued that Congress

had no right to ban slavery

• Taney’s ruling said that The Missouri Compromise that banned slavery north of 36°30' N latitude was also unconstitutional

• Taney’s ruling also said that Voters could not ban slavery because that would mean taking someone’s property

• Taney and the Supreme Court ruled that banning slavery was unconstitutional

Reaction to the Dred Scott Decision• Stopping the spread of

slavery was the primary goal of the Republican Party

• Republicans were outraged

• Called the decision “a wicked and false judgement” and “the greatest crime” ever committed in the nation’s courts

Lincoln and Douglas• The Illinois Senate race of

1858 was receiving national attention

• Stephen Douglas was facing newcomer, Abraham Lincoln

• Douglas was a frontrunner as the candidate for president in the upcoming Election of 1860

• Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates

• These debates would occur in August throughout several cities and villages in Illinois

Lincoln-Douglas Debates• Thousands of people attended

• Newspapers provided wide coverage

• The primary topic was slavery

• In Freeport, Illinois, Lincoln asked Douglas if the people of a territory could legally exclude slavery before becoming a state

• Douglas replied that voters could exclude slavery by refusing to pass laws that protected rights of slaveholders (The Freeport Doctrine)

• The Freeport Doctrine cost Douglas support in the South

• Douglas argued that Lincoln wanted full equality between African Americans and whites (Lincoln denied this)

• Douglas won the election but Lincoln gained a national reputation as an effective politician

John Brown and Harpers Ferry• John Brown was an abolitionist

who believed that violence was the solution for ending slavery

• Brown wanted to create an armed revolt by slaves so he organized a raid on an arsenal (weapon storage) at Harpers Ferry

• The raid was stopped and Brown was executed

• Brown’s death rallied abolitionists. Some saw him as a “martyr” (someone who dies for a cause)

• John Brown’s raid made the Southerners believe there was a Northern conspiracy against slavery

Summarizer/Extension Activity- Choose ONE of the Following Options:• 1. Color and label the maps contrasting the Missouri Compromise,

The Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. You must have a map key and you will be graded on CLARITY, ACCURACY, and ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

• 2. Write two letters (1/2 a page each) expressing different points of view about the Compromise of 1850. One letter should be in support of the Compromise and directed to John C. Calhoun. The other letter should be against the compromise and addressed to Henry Clay.

• 3. Construct a newspaper article (1 page) covering one of the Lincoln/Douglas debates. You will need to perform outside research to construct your article. Your newspaper should include text and a small illustration.

• 4. Construct a newspaper article (1 page) covering the Dred Scott Case. You will need to perform outside research to construct your article. Your newspaper should include text and a small illustration.