John Brown

1. John Brown Raid at Harper’s Ferry

2. 1. Who was John Brown? an abolitionists from the North 2. Where did the raid happen? Harper’s Ferry, Virginia 3.When did the raid happen? October 16, 1859 4. Why did John Brown lead the raid on Harper’s Ferry? He wanted the weapons to free slaves who were willing to fight

3. What happened during the raid? Cut telegraph wires, took control of a lone watchman, and captured prisoners. They were shot at by townspeople, hid in an engine house, and were surrounded by the marines. • What happened to John Brown? He was tried and hung on December 2, 1859.

4. State’s Rights and Lincoln’s Election

5. State’s rights was a constitutional issue. Many southerners believed that states should have final authority over the federal government. For example, if a state did not like a law passed by the federal government, that state did not have to obey it. In 1832, Congress passed a tariff or tax that South Carolina did not agree with. It threatened to secede, or leave the Union. President Andrew Jackson warned the state’s leaders that seceding was treason and they backed down. In years to come, South Carolina would eventually secede.

6. State’s rights and slavery became the main issue in the election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln ran as a member of the Republican party. He spoke out strongly against the spread of slavery. He promised not to stop slavery in the South, where it was already practiced. But he said that he hoped it would one day end there, too. Many white Southerners worried about what would happen if Lincoln became President. They feared Lincoln would try to end slavery and that their whole way of life was being attacked. The south depended on slaves to plant and harvest the South’s most important crop – cotton. Southerners claimed the abolition of slavery would destroy their region’s economy. Several states threatened to secede from the Union if Lincoln was elected.

7. On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States. On December 20, South Carolina’s leaders seceded from the Union. Six other states – Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas – quickly followed South Carolina’s example and seceded from the Union. These seven states formed a new country called the Confederate States of America. They elected Jefferson Davis as president. The United States was now split in two.

8. What is State’s rights? The idea that individual states have final authority over the national government. • When was Lincoln elected? November 6, 1860 • Why didn’t Southerners want Lincoln elected? They thought Lincoln would end slavery and destroy their region’s economy. • What happened as a result of Lincoln’s election? Seven southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.