Secession

1. Secession Section 4 Chapter 15

2. Focus Questions • How did Americans react to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry? • What factors led to Lincoln’s victory in the presidential election of 1860? • Why did some southern states decide to leave the union?

3. The Raid on Harper’s Ferry • After the Pottawatomie Massacre, John Brown was a wanted man • He preached of action and went back to New England • He wanted to start a rebellion and give the slaves in the surrounding area weapons from the federal arsenal

4. The Raid on Harper’s Ferry • On the night of October 16, 1859 John Brown’s Raid began • Brown and his men snuck into Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (which is on the Potomac River) • Brown took control of the arsenal and he hoped slaves would join in (they did not)

5. The Raid on Harper’s Ferry • Instead white southerners armed themselves and attacked Brown • On October 17 Federal Troops arrived led by Robert E. Lee • They surrounded Brown’s men and either captured or killed all of them

6. Judging John Brown • Brown was charged and convicted of treason, murder, and conspiracy to stir up a slave rebellion • Upon being convicted of this crime, John Brown gave a memorable speech (pg 468)

7. Judging John Brown • Many people in the north mourned the death of John Brown • Most in the south felt threatened by these actions (felt that “John Brown the Second” could happen at any time

8. The Election of 1860 • Democrats were divided on who to nominate for President in 1860 • The party divided over the election and in the north Democrats chose Stephen Douglas and in the south they chose John C. Breckinridge (who was the current vice president)

9. The Election of 1860 • Many former Whigs formed a new party known as the Constitutional Union Party and they selected John Bell as their presidential candidate • The Republicans met in Chicago and chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate because he had moderate (not extreme) views on ending slavery– just wanted to stop the spread of it not end it in existing states

10. The Election of 1860 • The four man race was really a race between the two from the north and the two from the south • The ultimate goal was to prevent a majority for Lincoln and send it to the House of Representatives for a vote

11. The Election of 1860 • That failed and Abraham Lincoln won • Lincoln won only 40% of the popular vote but won 180 electoral votes

12. The Election of 1860 • Southerners were angry at the fact that Lincoln did not win one southern state, yet he was going to be the next President of the United States • This continued to show how southerners had been losing their political power at a national level

13. Breaking with the Union • Lincoln insisted that he would not change slavery in the southern states • Southerners were still in fear • Four days after Lincoln’s election, South Carolina called for a special convention to consider secession, formally withdrawing from the union • Delegates in South Carolina unanimously voted to secede from the Union • Southerners felt that since they had voluntarily joined the U.S. when it was formed that they could voluntarily leave it also

14. Breaking with the Union • President Buchanan and President elect Lincoln rejected the idea and felt no state can just “leave the Union” • Senator John J. Crittenden (Kentucky) proposed a series of constitutional amendments to satisfy the South

15. Breaking with the Union • The plan included extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean and giving money to slave holders who had lost slaves • President-elect Abraham Lincoln did not agree with the plan • Lincoln wrote letters to Republicans in Senate and urged them to reject this plan and everyone of them voted against the plan

16. The Confederate States of America • By February 1, 1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas had seceded from the Union • Sam Houston was removed from office as the Governor of Texas because he opposed secession • On February 4, delegates met in Montgomery, Alabama to establish the Confederate States of America • The Constitution was passed on February 8 and it resemble the U.S. Constitution except for the fact that it allowed slavery

17. The Confederate States of America • Jefferson Davis (Mississippi) was elected president of the Confederate States of America • Alexander H. Stephens became vice president • Davis was against secession but his loyalty to the south was stronger than his hopes for peace

18. The Confederate States of America • Davis had hoped to be general of the Mississippi army and was surprised when he was chosen president • Davis’s loyalty to his friends sometimes clouded his judgment and that would challenge him as he became president

19. Focus Questions • How did Americans react to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry? • What factors led to Lincoln’s victory in the presidential election of 1860? • Why did some southern states decide to leave the union?