road to the civil war
DESCRIPTION
Road to the Civil War. Steps leading to secession. Sectionalism Under Polk. Polk – seen as favoring the South Failure of the Wilmot Proviso Ideas of popular sovereignty Growth of the Free Soil Party. Election of 1848. Democrats – Lewis Cass of Michigan Whigs – Zachary Taylor of LA – - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Road to the Civil WarSteps leading to secession
Sectionalism Under Polk
• Polk – seen as favoring the South• Failure of the Wilmot Proviso• Ideas of popular sovereignty• Growth of the Free Soil Party
Election of 1848
• Democrats – Lewis Cass of Michigan• Whigs – Zachary Taylor of LA – – war hero with no political experience
• Free Soil Party – Martin Van Buren
Should the Missouri Compromise line be extended?
• California????– Gold Rush – 1849– Rapidly expanding and diversifying population– Chinese immigration– Persecution of Indians– Calls for statehood– Will California be free or slave?
Compromise of 1850
• Crafted by Henry Clay• California = free state• No restriction on slavery in new territories from
Mexico• Abolition of slave trade in Washington, DC• More effective Fugitive Slave Law• Debaters: Old – Clay, Webster, and Calhoun• Debaters: New – William Seward, Jefferson Davis,
and Stephan Douglas
Election of 1852
• Zachary Taylor died in office – Millard Filmore became president
• Democrats – Franklin Pierce (NH)• Whigs – Winfield Scott (military hero)• Free Soil – John P. Hale• Pierce was elected
Franklin Pierce’s Issues
• Northern anger over Fugitive Slave Law
• Ostend Manifesto – Southern conspiracy
• Where to put the transcontinental railroad?
• Expansion – how?
Kansas-Nebraska Act
• Crafted by Stephen Douglas• New territories – Nebraska & Kansas• Use popular sovereignty to decide slavery
issue• Repeal the Missouri Compromise• The expectation was Kansas would be slave
and Nebraska free
Consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
• Divided and destroyed the Whig Party• Divided the Democrats along Northern and
Southern lines• New party emerged – Republicans – opposed
to Douglas’ compromise
Bleeding Kansas
• Violence between settlers• Attracted extremists like John Brown• Pottawatomie Massacre• Armed bans, guerrilla warfare
Sumner v. Brooks
• Senator Charles Sumner (MA) criticized the proslavery stance of Senator Andrew Butler (SC)
• Preston Brooks of SC entered the Senate chamber and beat Sumner with a cane
• Sumner = martyr to the abolitionism cause• Brooks = Southern hero
Free Soil Ideology
• Free soil and free labor• Capitalism in central to America• Capitalism = democracy• Slavery = danger to democracy• Slave Power Conspiracy• Republican focus on the strength of UNION
Growing Southern Fears
• Nat Turner uprising• Expansion of cotton
economy• Growth of abolitionist
movement• Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The Pro Slavery Argument
• “Positive good”• Slaves treated better than industrial workers• Slavery creates racial peace• Southern economy was key to national
prosperity• Southern culture was superior• Biological inferiority – Eugenics – pseudo science• Religious & biblical justifications
Election of 1856
• Democrats – James Buchanan (PA)• Republicans – John C. Frémont (CA)• Buchanan – narrow victory• Republicans – outpolled all other candidates in
North, no votes in South• Buchanan – winner = scared, timid, OLD
Dred Scott Decision
• 1846 Supreme Court Ruling• Scott was not a citizen• Slaves were property• Congress can’t take property• Missouri Compromise unconstitutional• Federal government has no power to limit
slavery
Kansas Outcome
• Proslavery and abolitionist forces continued to battle
• Proslavery forces wrote the Lecompton Constitution which protected slavery
• The Lecompton Constitution was voted down in Kansas but Buchanan still backed the admission of Kansas as a slave state – failed
• Kansas became a free state in 1861
Lincoln – Douglas Debates
• Senate seat in Illinois• Douglas – no moral position on slavery• Lincoln – slavery was wrong• Lincoln – slavery hurt poor white laborers• Douglas won the election but Lincoln emerged
as national Republican leader
John Brown’s Raid
• Capture the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, arm slaves, lead a revolt
• October 1859• Failed and Brown was captured by Robert E.
Lee and hanged• Greatly increased Southern fears
Election of 1860
• Northern Democrats – Stephen Douglas• Southern Democrats – John Breckinridge• Constitutional Union Party – John Bell• Republicans – Abraham Lincoln
Republican Platform in 1860
• High tariff• Internal improvements• Homestead Bill• Construction of Pacific railroad with federal
assistance• States decide on slavery
Lincoln wins – War is coming!