Abraham Lincoln and Black People

10.4

The Lincoln –Douglas Debates Abraham Lincoln and his opponent Stephen Douglas had a

series of debates about slavery throughout the state of Illinois

The debates typically focused on the expansion of slavery and which candidates favored whites more

Douglas was a clear white supremacist and Lincoln didn’t believe in racial equality either, but, he did oppose slavery

Douglas won the Senate election in Illinois but Lincoln had made a name for himself in these debates

John Brown and the Raid on Harper’s Ferry

John Brown sought to overthrow slavery in the South

In May 1858, John Brown went to Canada to appeal for support for an invasion of the South

He also sought the financial support of prominent white abolitionists in the North six men anonymously contributed money to this cause, they became known as the Secret Six

The Raid Brown’s invasion began on October 16, 1859 with a raid on the

federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia

He hoped to secure weapons and then advance south, but the operation went awry

Brown’s troops held up in an engine house in Harper’s Ferry while the state militia moved in on them

They took hostages but were eventually surrounded and taken captive

The raid was an utter failure and Brown and three of his men were tried for treason and sentenced to hang

The Reaction The raid failed but Brown’s attack succeeded

in intensifying the debate on slavery

Brown and his men remained committed even as they faced execution and expressed their willingness to die for their cause

Many in the antislavery community viewed them as heroes

The Reaction Northerners held a day of mourning when

Brown was executed in December of 1859

Southerners were outraged by their reaction to the raid

Brown’s raid and reaction to it further divided an already divided nation and moved the nation closer toward civil war and the end of slavery

Assignment 1. What was the focus of the Lincoln-Douglass Debates?

2. Summarize each candidates views on race and slavery.

3. Who was John Brown and what did he seek to accomplish?

4. What happened during John Brown’s Raid of Harper’s Ferry?

5. How did the reaction to his raid differ in the North and South? Explain how this raid further divided the nation.