Chapter 19:

1. Chapter 19: Drifting Toward Disunion 1854 – 1861

2. Harriet Beecher Stowe • 1852 - published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a popular book that awakened the passions of the North toward the evils of slavery • book sold millions of copies, and overseas, British people were charmed by it • book helped Britain stay out of the Civil War • British who had read the book and had now denounced slavery, wouldn’t allow intervention on behalf of the South • Hinton R. Helper--The Impending Crisis of the South tried to prove, by an array of stats, that the non-slave-holding Southern whites were really the ones most hurt by slavery

3. North-South Contest for Kansas • Northerners began to pour into Kansas • Southerners were outraged – accepted the Compromise of 1850under the impression that Kansas would become slave state • election day in 1855: • Southerners from Missouri flooded the polls and elected Kansas to be a slave state • Free-soilers unable to stomach this set up their own government in Topeka • Kansans had to chose between two governments: one illegal (in Topeka) and the other fraudulent (in Shawnee). • 1856 - a group of proslavery raiders shot up and burned part of Lawrence, thus starting violence (pop. sov.)

4. John Brown • a crazy man (literally), led a band of followers to Pottawatomie Creek in May of 1856 and hacked to death five presumable pro-slaveryites • 1857 - Kansas had enough people to apply for statehood, and those for slavery devised the Lecompton Constitution • provided that the people were only allowed to vote for the constitution “with slavery” or “without slavery.” • Angry free soilers boycotted the polls and Kansas approved the constitution with slavery

5. Violence in Congress “Bully” Brooks & his Bludgeon • “Bleeding Kansas” was an issue that spilled into Congress: • Senator Charles Sumnerwas a vocal antislavery supporter, and his blistering speeches condemned all slavery supporters. • Congressman Preston S. Brooks decided that since he couldn’t challenge Sumner to a duel, he’d beat the senator with a cane like a dog • nearby senators did nothing but watched, and Brooks was cheered on by the South. • However, the incident touched off fireworks, as Sumner’s “The Crime Against Kansas” speech was reprinted by the thousands, and it put Brooks and the South in the wrong

6. Dred Scot vs. Sandford • March 6, 1857, the Dred Scot decision was handed down by the Supreme Court • Dred Scot had been a slave whose master had taken him north into free territory, where he had lived for many years • After his master’s death, he sued for his freedom from his new master, claiming that he had been in free territory • Missouri Supreme Court agreed, freeing him • but his new master appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overruled the decision • Chief Justice Taney said that no slave could be a citizen of the U.S. in his justification • In effect, the Missouri Compromise had been unconstitutional: Congress had no right to ban slavery from the territories

7. An Illinois Rail-Splitter Emerges • 1858 - Senator Stephen Douglas’ term was about to expire • Republican Abraham Lincoln ran against him • Lincoln rashly challenged Douglas, the nation’s most devastating debater, to a series of seven debates • most famous debate came at Freeport, Illinois, where Lincoln brought this scenario: • if the people had a territory voted slavery down, would they be right, despite the Supreme Court saying that they could not do so? • Douglas replied with his “Freeport Doctrine,” • Stated: no matter how the Supreme Court ruled, slavery would stay down if the people voted it down; the people had the power • Republican party nominates Abraham Lincoln, not William Seward (better known but more inflammatory)

8. The Republican platform had some appeal for all important non-southern groups: • for free soilers- proposed non-extension of slavery • for northern manufacturers - a protective tariff • for the immigrants- no abridgement of rights • for the West- internal improvements at federal expense • forfarmers- free homesteads Election of 1860 • Southerners threatened that Lincoln’s election would result in Southern secession • Abe Lincoln won despite not even being on the ballot in the South • Lincoln won with only 40% of the popular vote • 60% of voted for someone else, but there were 3 other candidates • Republicans did not control the House or the Senate • South still had a five to four majority in the Supreme Court, but the South still decided to secede

9. Secessionist Exodus • South Carolina had threatened to secede if Lincoln was elected president, and now it went good on its word, seceding in December of 1860 • Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed in the next six weeks • Feb. 1861 – representatives met in Montgomery, AL and formed the Confederate States of America, and they chose Jefferson Davis as president • Many blamed James Buchanan (in his “Lame Duck” period) for not holding the Union together • Very conservative and surrounded by a pro-southern cabinet • Weakness of the Union and the Constitution more to blame • U.S. only had a standing army of 15,000 & they were needed in the West to control Indians • Public opinion in the North was for war, but the hope was that reconciliation was still a possibility.

10. Collapse of Compromise • James Henry Crittenden of Kentucky proposed the Crittenden Amendments • which would ban slavery north of the 36°30’ line • leave the issue in territories south of the line up to the people • existing slavery south of the line would be protected • seceding states feared their rights as a slaveholding minority were being threatened & were alarmed at the growing power of the Republicans • South also hoped to develop its own banking and shipping, and to prosper • 1776 - the 13 colonies had seceded from Britain and had won; now the South could do the same thing