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Prelude to War (1850s – 1861)

Prelude to War (1850s – 1861). Themes. Compromise of 1850 Several crises eventually led to Civil War North vs South division . Zachary Taylor.

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Prelude to War (1850s – 1861)

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  1. Prelude to War (1850s – 1861)

  2. Themes • Compromise of 1850 • Several crises eventually led to Civil War • North vs South division

  3. Zachary Taylor • As early as 1849, President Taylor was facing issues on whether or not these newly found territories would enter the Union as a free or slave state • In February 1850, President Taylor held a stormy conference with southern leaders who threatened secession. • Taylor warned Southerners that he would personally march the Army and take control of any state in the South • However, on July 4th Taylor would fall in and die 5 days later • Millard Fillmore

  4. Controversies after Mexican War • With all the new found land, would slavery expand into the west? • What about Texas (border and debt) and California? • Texas was still making claims to the northwest territory. (Modern day: New Mexico, Colorado and parts of Oklahoma and Kansas • Some felt slavery in Washington D.C. was embarrassing for the nation

  5. Different Solutions • Free soil: - All new territory should be FREE (prohibit slavery) • Wilmot Proviso: Proposed to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. Defeated in 1846, but would have been supported by followers of Free Soil

  6. Different Solutions 2. Popular Sovereignty: - Allow people who live in new territories to vote and decide themselves 3. Extend Missouri Compromise line

  7. Extend Missouri Compromise Line

  8. Who Could Develop A Compromise? • U.S. political system was based on compromise ever since Constitutional Convention • To officially ratify the Constitution, Federalists and Anti-federalists had to compromise

  9. Who Could Develop A Compromise? • Henry Clay (Great Compromiser) • Tried and failed to develop a broad consensus • Stephen Douglas (Illinois Senator) • Succeeded where Clay had failed • Everyone in government hated what Douglas proposed. However, Douglas broke the compromise down into different topics which made it easier for politicians to understand what is being compromised

  10. Compromise of 1850 • California entered Union as a free state - People in California did not want slave owners bringing their slaves to prospect and dig for gold 2. Slavery in Utah and New Mexico territories would be decided by popular sovereignty 3. Texas border was settled and its debt was paid 4. Outlawed slave trade in Washington D.C. (but slavery remained legal) 5. Stricter Fugitive Slave Law *Signed into law by President Millard Fillmore*

  11. Compromise of 1850

  12. Compromise of 1850(Impact) • Significance • The nation avoided war • Over the next 10 years Northern states grew in population and industrial power as compared to the South

  13. Fugitive Slave Law • All runaway slaves had to be returned to their owners • It became illegal to aid runaway slaves - Almost impossible to know how many slaves successfully made it to the North using the Underground Railroad 3. Accused runaways were denied a jury trial; a judge decided their fate

  14. Underground Railroad

  15. Fugitive Slave Law(Impact) • Infuriated opponents of slavery • Showed slavery was a national problem, not just a regional (Southern)

  16. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) • A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe • Identified horrors of slavery • Uncle Tom was a loyal slave eventually whipped to death by his new owner • The novel became a best seller in the United States and the world • Also became a popular play

  17. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) • Significance: • Angered people in North; opposition to slavery began to grow • Angered people in South; it misrepresented slavery

  18. Kansas and Nebraska • Northerners supported a railroad out West, but much of the region was unorganized • Southerners wanted slavery to expand Westward, but it was prohibited by the Missouri Compromise - NEVER will slavery go north of the 36,30 line in the previous Louisiana Territory

  19. Compromise of 1850

  20. Kansas and Nebraska • Sen. Stephen Douglas (Illinois) sought a compromise because a railroad meant more revenue for his state • He wanted to become President and to show the nation he could make important decisions

  21. Kansas/Nebraska Act(1854) • Organized two new territories: Kansas and Nebraska • The Missouri Compromise was repealed • Slavery in Kansas and Nebraska was to be determined by popular sovereignty *Douglas believed he was genius; however, he had no clue as to the capability of people who would fight for free and slave representation*

  22. Kansas/Nebraska Act(1854)

  23. Kansas/Nebraska Act(Impact) • Significance: • Infuriated opponents of slavery • Led to “death” of Whig Party and second American party system • Senator William H. Seward (New York), “Come on then, Gentlemen of the Slave States, since there is no escaping your challenge, we will engage in competition for the virgin soil of Kansas..”

  24. Second American Party System • Since the late 1820s, two dominant political parties • Democrats : supporters of Andrew Jackson • Whigs: opponents of Jackson • Not a single Whig in HoR voted in favor of the Kansas/Nebraska Act • The Act would “kill” the Whig Party

  25. Bleeding Kansas(1855-56) • Supporters and opponents of slavery converged in Kansas • Many pro-slavery advocates voted illegally in 1855 election • Eventually there was bloodshed

  26. Bleeding Kansas(1855-56)

  27. Bleeding Kansas(1855-56) • Battle of Pottawatomi Creek Massacre (1856): • John Brown (Abolitionist) and others abducted five pro-slavery supporters • The men were murdered • North vs. South • Kansas made its way into the HoR • Preston Brooks (S. Carolina) vs. Charles Sumner (Mass)

  28. Fight in the Senate

  29. Election of 1856 • James Buchanan (Democrat) – 174 • John C. Fremont (Republican) – 114 • Millard Fillmore (American) – 8 • Fremont condemned the Kansas/Nebraska Act • Democrats supported the idea of popular sovereignty

  30. Dred Scott Case (Background) • Dred Scott was from slave state, but then resided in free state (Illinois) and territory (Wisconsin) • He sued to obtain his freedom on the grounds that Illinois and the Michigan Territory prohibited slavery (1820)

  31. Dred Scott Decision(1857) • Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote the decision: • Scott will not be granted his freedom • Just because you are a slave in a free state does not mean you automatically free 2. Blacks were not citizens and had no citizenship rights 3. Congress cannot prohibit slavery anywhere; only states have this power • Slaves were the property of their owners and private property was protected under the Constitution *Taney hated Republicans and detested racial equality*

  32. Dred Scott Decision(1857) • The decision was suppose to settle the slavery issue once and for all, but it just made it worse • Decision infuriated the North • Southerners saw it as a validation for previous arguments towards slavery

  33. Dred Scott Decision(Impact) • Opponents of slavery feared slavery might expand into additional areas • Reinforced argument that slavery was a national problem, not regional

  34. Senate Debates • Over the next couple of years all eyes would be on Illinois • Stephen Douglas vs. Abraham Lincoln

  35. Stephen Douglas • Incumbent Senator from Illinois • Supported westward expansion and popular sovereignty • Also supported legislation: Compromise of 1850 & Kansas/Nebraska Act

  36. Abraham Lincoln • Humble origins and Illinois lawyer • Served one term in U.S. House; opposed Mexican War • Member of newly formed Republican Party, which began in 1850s -opposed to expansion of slavery into new territories

  37. Lincoln/Douglas Debates(1858) • Candidates debated national policies in wake of Dred Scott decision • Lincoln was morally opposed to slavery, but rejected abolitionism • Freeport Doctrine: Douglas argued people in territories could prohibit slavery if laws protecting slavery were not enforced • New territories could choose for themselves to either allow or outlaw slavery in their territory *power to the states* Result: Douglas won re-election to Senate; beating Lincoln

  38. Lincoln/Douglas Debates(Impact) • One of the first national debated to printed across the nation • Further separated Northerners and Southerners • Introduced the newly formed Republican Party and Abraham Lincoln

  39. John Brown’s Raid(1859) • John Brown was an abolitionist • Had already caused many problems in Bleeding Kansas • Goal: capture federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia and lead a slave uprising • Successfully captured the arsenal, but no slave rebellion • Problem: Brown and his small group vs. the U.S. Government • Brown was captured and put on trail for treason and executed

  40. John Brown’s Raid(Impact) • Significance: - Brown’s correspondence with northern abolitionists was shocking to southerns • In the North, he was treated like a martyr (not a traitor) • Some in South believed many in North were abolitionists willing to fight to free slaves

  41. Presidential Election of 1860 • Four candidates in the elections; all 4 were ripping the nation apart on every issues • Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat): supported popular sovereignty • John Breckinridge (Southern Democrat): supported expansion of slavery into all territories • Abraham Lincoln (Republican): Allow slavery to remain where it exists; no new expansion • John Bell (Constitutional Union): Stood for Constitution, Union, and enforcement of laws

  42. Presidential Election of 1860 • Abraham Lincoln – 180 (Northern States) • John Breckinridge – 72 (Southern States) • Stephen Douglas – 12 • John Bell - 39

  43. Following Lincoln’s Victory • Seven states seceded (even before his inauguration) • December 1861- South Carolina voted in favor to break its ties with the Union • Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas • Confederate States of America *America’s experiment with Democracy had failed*

  44. Review • Politics from 1850-1861 • Several crises leading up to secession

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