Chapter 15 Road to Civil War

1. Chapter 15 Road to Civil War 1820-1861

2. I. Slavery and the West • A. The Missouri Compromise, 1820 • Missouri: slave • Maine: free • No slavery north of the 36°30’ line • B. New Western Lands • Texas, California, New Mexico brought the slavery issue back • 1. Conflicting Views • Wilmot Proviso • Calhoun said no one could ban slavery

3. B. New Western Lands • 2. The Free-Soil Party • 1848 Election, slavery an issue • Whigs: Zachary Taylor • Dem.: Lewis Cass • Free-Soil: Martin Van Buren • 3. California • Applied for statehood in 1849 • Banned slavery • Doesn’t fit the Missouri Compromise • Would upset the balance of power in Congress

4. C. A New Compromise • 1. Compromise of 1850 • Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas got it passed in five bills • a. California a free state • b. Slavery ok in N.M. • c. Border dispute of Texas and N.M. settled • d. Slave trade banned in D.C. • e. Stronger fugitive slave act • Millard Fillmore (Taylor died in 1850) called it a “final settlement”

5. II. A Nation Dividing • A. The Fugitive Slave Act • All citizens had to help catch runaway slaves • Stepped up efforts to catch slaves • Often free blacks were caught • Built resentment in the north • 1. Resistance to the Law • Underground RR • Helped buy freedom • Juries refused to convict those who broke the law • 1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin published by Harriet Beecher Stowe • Sold 300,000 copies the 1st year • Showed the evils of slavery to the north

6. B. The Kansas-Nebraska Act • Franklin Pierce elected in 1852 • Supported F.S.A. • Stephen Douglas of IL, wanted the transcontinental RR through his state • Proposed the bill for popular sovereignty to organize KS & NE • People chose if they wanted slavery • Abandoned the MO compromise • Passed in 1854

7. C. Conflict in Kansas • Proslavery and antislavery groups rushed to Kansas to vote • Only 1,500 voters, but 6,000 votes cast • Proslavery won • Antislavery accused them of fraud • Border ruffians from Missouri were armed • By 1856, two governments in Kansas, both armed

8. C. Conflict in Kansas cont. • 1. Bleeding Kansas • May 1856, proslavery attacked Lawrence Kansas • John Brown believed god chose him to end slavery • He and his sons hacked five men to death with swords at Pottawatomie Creek • More violence broke out: “bleeding Kansas” • 2. Violence in Congress • Charles Sumner attacked Andrew Butler in a speech • Preston Brooks beat him down with a cane

9. III. Challenges to Slavery • A. A New Political Party • 1854 antislavery Whigs and Democrats formed the Republican Party • Stop the expansion of slavery • 1. Election of 1856 • Rep.: John C. Fremont • Dem.: James Buchanan • Know-Nothings: Fillmore • Buchanan won

10. B. The Dred Scott Decision • Two days after Buchanan was inaugurated • Dred Scott a slave, moved around the country with his owner • Lived in free states • His master died, he sued for freedom • 1. The Court’s Decision • Chief Justice Roger Taney stated he’s still a slave, can’t even sue • 5th Amendment: can’t deprive property • No laws can take property away

11. 2. Lincoln and Douglas • Senate election in Illinois in 1858 • Douglas a probable presidential candidate in 1860 • Lincoln was unknown • Douglas: short, stocky, and powerful • Popular sovereignty • Lincoln tall, lanky, ugly, and had a high voice • Wanted to stop the spread of slavery

12. 3. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates • Seven debates in 1858 • Main topic: slavery • The whole country followed these in the papers • Douglas: Freeport Doctrine • Exclude slavery by not passing laws to protect it • Lincoln: "'A house divided against itself cannot stand.'(Mark 3:25) I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” • Douglas won the election, but Lincoln became a national figure

13. 4. The Raid on Harper’s Ferry • Oct. 1859, John Brown and 18 men seized an arsenal in VA • Hoped for a slave revolt • Captured, tried, convicted, and hanged • North: a hero and a martyr • South: truly believed there was a northern conspiracy to destroy their way of life • Cannot believe the north praised him

14. IV. Secession and War • A. Election of 1860 • Democrats split • Northern Dem.: Douglas • Southern Dem.: John C. Breckinridge • Constitutional Union Party: John Bell • Rep.: Lincoln • Lincoln won a clear majority even though he wasn’t on many southern ballots • More populous north outvoted the south • The South thought Lincoln would destroy their way of life

15. B. The South Secedes • Lincoln promised to leave slavery alone in the south • South Carolina secedes on Dec. 20, 1860 • 1. Attempts at compromise • John Crittenden tried, too late • 2. The Confederacy • By Feb. 1861, seven states seceded • Formed the Confederate States of America • Jefferson Davis elected president • Left for state’s rights • Constitution was a contract • Govt. violated it so they left

16. B. The South Secedes cont. • 3. Reactions to Secession • Lee, “ I see only that a fearful calamity is upon us.” • 4. Presidential Responses • James Buchanan did little • Lincoln didn’t take over until March 1861 • “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.:

17. C. Fort Sumter • Confederates seized some U.S. forts • Surrounded Ft. Sumter in S.C. • Low on supplies • Lincoln didn’t want to provoke an attack • 1. The War Begins • Lincoln announced he would give supplies • April 12, 1861: The South attacks for 33 hours until they surrendered • No casualties • Lincoln called for 75,000 troops • VA, NC, TN, and AR immediately join the CSA

18. Chapter 15: Road to Civil War Questions 1.What were the five points of the Compromise of 1850? Why did they have to create it and how did it differ from the Missouri Compromise? Was it the “final solution”? Why or why not? 2.How did the Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom’s Cabin change public opinion in the North? Why were they so significant in the North’s views on Slavery? 3.What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act? How did it lead to violence and further split the nation? 4.Why was John Brown so important in dividing the country? What did he do and what was the reaction of the North? How did the Republican Party fit in to increase southern fears? 5.What did the Dred Scott decision say? What were the ramifications for the issue of slavery in the entire country? 6.Why did the Election of 1860 force southern states to secede? What did the South do in response and how did the Civil War formally begin? In your group’s opinion, did Lincoln do the right thing when dealing with Fort Sumter? Why or why not?