A House Dividing 1848-1861 - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

A House Dividing 1848-1861

Chapter 13Slide2

Controversy

1846 President Polk sent a bill to Congress, pursuing negations with Mexico.

David Wilmot attached an amendment to the bill

Wilmot Proviso –

that the U.S. prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico.

South was outraged – Southern votes in Senate kept the proviso from becoming law.

Wilmot amendment became a rallying point for antislavery forces.Slide3

Controversy

John Calhoun – Calhoun Resolutions

Southern representative

Offered to senate 1847 gave the Southern view of the status of slavery in the territories.

Territories are common possession of state and not federal government.

Argued – slave owners have same constitutional protection of their property (including slaves) in the territories as in their home statesSlide4

Controversy

Our of extremes from Wilmot and Calhoun came

popular sovereignty:

residents of territory should decide the status of slavery in their territory Slide5

Election 1848

In the election the Democrats and the Whigs wanted to steer clear of the Wilmot/Calhoun questions of slavery.

Lewis Cass was the Democrat nominee & Zachary Taylor was the Whig.

Taylor did own slaves on his Mississippi plantation, but his views were not known.

Taylor had never even voted in a presidential election – now he’s running. Slide6

Election 1848

Free –

Soilers

those who favored keeping slavery where it already existed but opposed its extension into territories

Antislavery and free soil

groups joined forces for a 3

rd

party –

Free-Soil Party.

Meaning Free speech, free labor, free men

New party supported the Wilmot Proviso & nominated former president Martin

VanBuren

Taylor won by a narrow margin Slide7

California

Gold Rush to California

John Sutter arrived in CA 1839 while still under Mexican control

Transfer of California from Mexico to U.S. did not effect Sutter and he continued construction of building a sawmill

During building, Sutter’s foreman found glittering stones – which were gold. Sutter tried to keep it quiet but could not

Word spread throughout CA and then to eastern U.S.Slide8

California

Gold Rush –

“Gold Fever” struck 1000s

Gold Rush was a wave of gold hunters starting in 1849 / known as the

forty-niners

.

More than 80,000 people came to CA in 10 years from 1849-1858.

Seeking gold was a gamble & only a few people were winners. Gambling their savings, occupations, and lives – believing they would find gold.

Many who found riches were murdered or swindled. Few became wealthy and inspirationalSlide9

California

Rush of people to CA caused governmental chaos

Military rule after Mexico was insufficient to govern the large number of unruly 49ers

CA organized a free-state constitution and applied for statehood.

Southerners opposed the move.

Admission of CA would upset the balance between free and slave states in the SenateSlide10

The Great Debate

Compromise of 1850

Henry Clay running for office – proposing

CA be admitted as a free state

The slave trade (but not slavery itself) be abolished in the District of Columbia

Federally enforced fugitive slave act – returning runaway slaves

Protection of slavery in the district of Columbia

New territories of NM & Utah be organized w/o restrictions on slaverySlide11

The Great Debate

The Compromise of 1850

President Taylor opposed it for making concession that might extend slavery into territories. Thought debate would deepen division.

Calhoun – very ill and died 3 weeks later – too ill to speak, gave his written words for to be read aloud. Calhoun said the compromise did not go far enough in protecting southern rights. Constitutional guarantees need to be extended so that neither section (north/south) could dominate the other. Slide12

The Great Debate

Compromise 1850

David Webster gave “7

th

of March” speech

Called for the preservation of the Union

Bounds of slavery was already set by NW Ordinance & MO Compromise.

New territories could not support slave economy anyway

Favor of compromise & against extremists in both groups.

“infernal fanatics and abolitionists” Slide13

The Great Debate

Compromise 1850

Abolitionists disagreed with Webster for his consolation speech

Webster was trying to keep the country from war and disunion.

Suddenly Taylor dies while in office. He was a pro-union Southerner.

New president Millard Fillmore backed Clay’s proposal – cleared Congress and signed into law. Slide14

Great Debate

Compromise 1850

Brought a shaky sense of relief

Tension eased for a time.

Peace of compromise was shaken by the compromise. Provision of the

fugitive slave law

– the return of runaway slaves became an emotional tool for the abolitionists

Number of abolitionist urged people to break the law and not return run away slaves. Including Ralph Waldo Emerson Slide15

Great Debate

Compromise 1850

Some Northern states practiced the passing of “personal liberty” laws in defiance of the federal statute.

Some who were not abolitionists opposed the fugitive law.

They feared free blacks would be kidnapped and sent into slavery.

1850s abolitionist message was changing from an attack on slavery to an attack on the South as an evil empire built on the backs of slavery.

Only 5% of the population owned slaves, abolitionists attacked the South as a whole with the same mindset. Slide16

Great Debate

Compromise 1850

In 1827 antislavery societies in the South actually outnumbered those in the North.

Now the tables are turned – Southerners growing defensive after repeated attacks

Extremists began to promote slavery as a positive good – Most radical Southerners were “

Fire Eaters”

advocating the South leaving the Union as the only way to preserve the Southern way of lifeSlide17

Underground railroad

Escape route for runaway slaves through the Northern states (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania)

The system was a series of safe houses (called stations or depots) – each overseen by a conductor

The runaway slaves (called passengers) could travel secretly from house to house until they were safe in either the far northern states or Canada. Slide18

Underground railroad

A married couple – she was a light-skinned black woman. She dressed as an elderly white & husband posed as a planter’s devoted slave. Easily traveled North

A Virginia slave made himself a wooden crate & mailed himself to Philadelphia to freedom

Underground railroad conductors gave runaway slaves food, shelter, and directions to safety

Levi Coffin

a Quaker openly aided slaves to freedom

Millions remained slaves, so the number who ran away was small. It was symbolic as a protest against injustice of slavery. Slide19

Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852

Successful abolitionist literature by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

May be most influential piece of propaganda for freeing slaves

Portrayal of the degradation of slaverySlide20

Conflict

Stephen A. Douglas

of Illinois wanting to construct the transcontinental railroad linking the far East and far West of the U.S.

Southerners opposed the organization because of the questions about expansion and slavery

Douglas introduced the Kansas – Nebraska Act 1854 – KS territory west of MO & NE territory west of IA - each territory would decide slavery for itself. Slide21

Conflict

Southerners welcomed opportunity to expand slavery that had previously been closed to it. Northerners resisted.

Kansas – Nebraska Act passed. This did away with the MO Compromise

Kansas Nebraska Act resulted in destroying Democratic dominance & rise of the Republican Party. Slide22

Rise of the Republicans

The Whig party never had strong ideas and were mostly various opponents to the Democratic policies.

Whig party almost was replaced by the

Know Nothings

. They capitalized on the fear of immigrants taking American jobs and Catholic tyranny and KS – NE Act.

Ended up a passing fad. Slide23

Republicans

Republican Party was the successor to the Whig party

A rally of anti-Nebraska called for like minded to join & re-label of Thomas Jefferson’s old party.

Republican movement spread across the North and offered a candidate in 1854 election

Republicans began as the

Anti-slavery party

Slide24

Republicans

Abolitionists naturally gravitated to the Republicans.

Free-

soilers

and those who opposed expansion of slavery joined

Many Free-

soildes

were more interested in preserving the territories for white settlers than helping blacks.

Republican party was more than slave issues. Also pro-business, nationalistic, internal improvements.

Know-nothings joined in as the Democrats were the party of immigrants Slide25

Election 1856

Republicans borrowed from the Free-

Soilers

– slogan “Free Speech, Free Press, Free Soil, Free Men” –

John C. Fremont

was the Republican nominee

James Buchanan

was sympathetic to the South. Offering himself as the “safe, sensible alternative” to the extremists of the Republican party.

Buchanan

won the election. Many Southern states threatened succession if Fremont won.Slide26

Election 1856

Bleeding Kansas –

Douglas system meant that Kansas would determine the fate of

salvery

there.

Tons of proslavery and antislavery advocates streamed into the territory. Each attempting to win the region

Bloody fighting broke out between the 2 factions Slide27

Election 1856

The Kansas situation worsened. Proslavery border ruffians from Missouri and antislavery from free-

staters

clashed in open violence May 1856

Bringing Kansas national attention

May 21

st

army of border ruffians sacked Lawrence KS – a center for free-state strength.

Citizens did not resist and only 1 proslavery ruffian died when a building fell on him.

They freely burned, looted, and destroyed Lawrence. Outraging free-

staters

. Slide28

Election 1856

Charles Sumner of Massachusetts gave an angry speech denouncing the crime against Kansas

Sumner also heaping scorn on S. Carolina and senator Andrew Butler.

Preston Brooks of South Carolina and Butler’s nephew went to Sumner and began beating him with a cane mercilessly. Sumner bloody and badly injured.

The South was proud of Brooks – re-electing him to the House and sent him a new cane. Sumner did not return to the Senate for 2 years. Slide29
Slide30

Election 1856

Sumner Brooks Episode

enraged the North to murderous fury

John Brown

fanatical abolitionist from Ct – went to Kansas to help win the territory for antislavery forces. - Brown went “crazy” according to his son.

May 24-25 Brown attacked several proslavery families along

P

ottawatomie creek – called the

P

ottawatomie Massacre.

Brown’s men butchered 5 proslavery settlers with swords Slide31

Election 1856

Universal horror on both sides.

Antislavery forces changed the story to fit their views

Northern newspapers claimed the killing had been in self-defense or Indians committed the murders or that Brown was not there.

Antislavery majority suppressed testimony that would have condemned Brown “the avenging angel” Slide32

Dred Scott decision

March 6, 1857 – 2 days after James Buchanan became president

Supreme Court agitated conflict over slavery.

Dred Scott vs.

Sandford

Pro-Southern majority Supreme Court under Chief Justice Roger Taney issued that a slave was not a citizen and had no right to sue.

According to Taney the constitution did not recognize slaves or free blacks as citizens. “Had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.”Slide33

Dred Scott Decision Slide34

Dred Scott Decision

Chief Justice Taney also examined the Missouri Compromise & ruled it unconstitutional on grounds it had unfairly deprived slaveholders of their own property

Taney hailed in the South and opposed in the North

It made slavery theoretically legal in all territories until voted a state.

Pro-slavery forces thought the issue should now be closed

Animosity grew worse between the North and SouthSlide35

Dred Scott Decision

Dred Scott was the slave of John Emerson – surgeon from Missouri

1830s Emerson had taken Scott to the free state of Illinois and the unorganized free territory of Louisiana Purchase.

Emerson returned to Missouri a slave state with Scott

After Emerson’s death, Scott sought to gain freedom on grounds that he had become free by entering free territory and could not be re-enslaved.

Missouri Supreme Court ruled that if a slave owner moved to a free state & lived there, his slaves would be free based on the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Slide36

Lincoln – Douglas Debate

Stephen Douglas – although personally did not care if a territory was a slave area or not, he disagreed with the Dred Scott Decision in that the territory had the right to decide for itself.

Freeport Doctrine

Douglass argued that a territory could still prohibit slavery by refusing to adopt laws that protected against slavery.

Douglas was running for election in 1858 & facing opposition in his own party. Republican party nominee was lawyer –

Abraham LincolnSlide37

Abraham LincolnSlide38

Abraham Lincoln

Classic ‘rags to riches’ inspirational story

Born into a poor farming family near Hodgenville, KY in 1809 & moved to Indiana when Abe was 7 years old.

Abe was raised in poverty and hard farming labor.

Lincoln’s standard of living improved when the family moved to Illinois in 1830.

Lincoln was able to work as a store clerk, postmaster, & surveyor.Slide39

Abraham Lincoln

He had a hunger for education, but was only able to attend school infrequently.

About 1 year total of a formal education.

Lacking schooling, Lincoln became an avid reader – also began studying law on his own. In 1836 he was licensed to practice law.

Lincoln was interested in politics, but never wanted to run for office.

He did join the Whig party and influenced by friends, he served 4 terms in the Illinois state legislature & 1 term in the House of Representatives. Slide40

Abraham Lincoln

He then felt his stint in politics had run it course and went back to practicing law.

His character – gentle kindness, personal ambition, determined, political pragmatic. (logical / rational/ sensible).

“Honest Abe” was his nickname as he was known for his honesty – even political opponent Stephen Douglas said Lincoln “is as honest as he is

shrewed

”Slide41

Abraham Lincoln

Thoughtful

Generous

Sense of humor / talent for telling stories

Believed slavery was wrong – but didn’t think he could do anything to change it.

Often quoting the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal”

“I have never had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” Slide42

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was a realist

He knew slavery could not be eliminated – he believed the federal government had no right to interfere with slavery in the states where they already existed.

He also did not believe slavery should expand any further than it had.

It is believed that Lincoln hoped slavery would eventually die out if limited to the existing territories. Slide43

Abraham Lincoln

The Kansas –Nebraska Act (and persuasive friends) brought him out of political retirement.

Lincoln denounced the KS – NE Act because it offered the possibility of slavery expansion into new territories.

Conservative by nature – Lincoln realized the Whig party was dying off and the Republicans offered him a political future.

1858 he was the leading Republican in Illinois Slide44

Abraham LincolnSlide45

Abraham Lincoln

The play takes place

in

New Salem, Illinois

,

1830s

, then in 

Springfield, Illinois

,

1840s, and

later in 1858

to 1861

.

It is based principally on the 1926 biography 

Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years

 by 

Carl Sandburg

, which covers Lincoln's life up to his inauguration as President.

The

play depicts Lincoln's evolution from unambitious backwoodsman to a champion of freedom, and relies on the audience's knowledge of Lincoln's subsequent career to color the portrayal of his character

.Slide46

Abraham Lincoln

The play emphasizes the need to overcome 

laissez-faire

 sentiment and to stand up and take firm political action for the public good.

]

As its star Raymond Massey put it, "If you substitute the word dictatorship for the word slavery throughout Sherwood's script, it becomes electric with meaning for our time

."

While much of the dialog is of Sherwood's invention, the play uses some of Lincoln's own words at various points. Slide47

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln is portrayed not as a saint or a fount of wisdom, but as a humble man of ideas who constantly questions himself and his ability to make a difference.

He

is haunted by premonitions of death and disaster, prefiguring the bloodshed of the American Civil War and his own assassination.

Ann

Rutledge, the first great love of his life, is portrayed as Lincoln sees her, as a selfless but ultimately unattainable embodiment of female perfection.

His

wife Mary, by contrast, is portrayed with an increasingly sharp edge that foreshadows her descent into insanity.

Stephen

A. Douglas, Lincoln's political opponent in 1858, is portrayed as an adept politician rather than as a villain.

[10]Slide48

Lincoln / Douglas Debate

Lincoln launched his Senate campaign by quoting Mark 3:5

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall 0 but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.” Slide49

Lincoln / Douglas Debate

Douglas charged Lincoln with promoting conflict & dissension

Douglas argued the nation existed ½ slave / ½ free since its founding.

Lincoln responded by challenging Douglas to a series of debates.

Became the platform for the election & national debate on slavery Slide50

Lincoln / Douglas Debate

They met 7 times at different sites in Illinois.

Douglas promoting sovereignty as the answer to slavery. Also played on racist prejudices of his listeners – accusing Lincoln of preaching absolute equality of races

Lincoln – continually denied that slavery was immoral. Restating his conviction after Douglas accusations: Slide51

Lincoln / Douglas Debate

Lincoln’s response:

Notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence – the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…. In the right to eat the bread, without the leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man.” Slide52

Lincoln / Douglas Debate

The heart of the controversy –

One class looks upon the institution of slavery as wrong

The other class does not see slavery as wrong

Douglas was indifferent to slavery

Lincoln believed slavery was wrong.

Douglas won the Senate seat.Slide53

Crisis

John Brown’s Raid

1857 – 1859 Brown raised money and an army to incite a slave revolt in the South and establish a state for the freed slaves in the mountains between Maryland and Virginia

Supports,

Secret Six

, included prominent clergymen and abolitionists in the Northeast backed the plan.

Others – like Republican leaders were aware of the plot Slide54

Raid on Harpers Ferry

Fall of 1859 Brown and several followers moved secretly from a farmhouse near

Harpers Ferry

(VA) & waited for supplies from New England.

Brown expected to capture arsenal & would then supply weapons for a spontaneous slave revolt. – Believing enough slaves * abolitionists would join him for the liberation.Slide55

John brown’s raid

Oct. 16, 1859 – during the night – Brown and his gang of 21 raiders captured arsenal & cut phone lines

By the next morning citizens and militia from Harpers Ferry & nearby towns surrounded the arsenal.

Several died, including 2 of Browns sons.

First person Brown’s raiders killed (ironically) was a free black working as a baggage man on a train. Slide56

John Brown’s Raid

Story of the raid spread – Colonel Robert E. Lee of the 2n. U.S. Cavalry & was given orders to send federal troops to the area to capture the arsenal

In civilian clothes Lee saddled up and headed to Harpers Ferry.

Oct. 18 Lee ordered detachment of the Marines

James Brown and remaining raiders were captured and imprisoned Slide57

Aftermath of the raid

John Brown was convicted of murder & treason.

Southerners wanted justice and his execution. Republicans who were aware of Brown’s plans wanted him silenced.

Brown believed he would have greater glory because of his execution.

December 2, 1859 John Brown was hanged in Charlestown, VA. Slide58

Aftermath of Brown’s raid

Many hung black over buildings, bells rung, poets wrote of Brown – including

Abolotionist

, Emerson, Thoreau, & Alcott

Lincoln said although Brown “agreed with us (Republican’s) in thinking slavery wrong, that cannot excuse violence, bloodshed & treason.”

South believed if Republican’s came into power that the South was not safe. Slide59

Election 1860

Democratic Party

Deep South wanted federal protection of slavery in the territories

There was a division. Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas. Southern Democrats nominated Buchanan.

A coalition of conservative Southerners and Northerners calling themselves the

Constitutional Union Party.

They nominated

John Bell

for president. Slide60

Election 1860

Constitutional Union

“The Constitution of the Country, The Union of the States & the Enforcement of the Laws.”

Bell’s party represented upper South and border states. Pro-Union alternative to Republican candidate.

The multiple division ultimately ensured the Republican success Slide61

Election 1860

Republicans were against expansion of slavery into any new territories, for protective taxes for business interests, endorsed the railroad, new land for farmers & immigrants.

Republicans tried to calm Southern fears by pledging not to interfere with slavery where it already existed.

Lincoln was again running against Douglas (in the North) and Bell and Breckinridge in the South

Lincoln gained the majority of the electoral college and was the Republican nominee Slide62

Secession

The South vowed that if Lincoln won they would not submit themselves to what they considered a “hostile / strictly Northern” party.

The South would

secede

/ leave the Union

Dec. 20, 1860 S. Carolina unanimously approved an

Ordinance of Secession

It was S. Carolina’s Declaration of Independence.

By Feb. 1, 1861 Georgia, all of the Gulf states from FL to TX joined the South Carolina in seceding. Feb 7 the 7 Southern states drew up a constitutional league to form the

Confederate States of America

Jefferson Davis

elected the 1

st

president of the Confederacy.Slide63

Attempts at Compromise

Trying to avert war

Lincoln repeated his campaign promise not to interfere with slavery in the states where it already existed.

Lincoln refused to commit himself to any course of action until he took office.

Senator

John Crittenden

proposed amendments that would extend the MO Compromise line & guarantee slavery where it already existed. The compromise failed in the Republican controlled Congress – last hope to avoid war.

One of his sons joined the Union Army and the other the Confederate army – costing Crittenden dearly.Slide64

First Fire

The first fire came because of federal forts in the south

Fort Sumter

centered in Charleston Harbor

The Confederacy sent 3 peace commissioners to Washington to resolve the problem of federal forts – Lincoln refused to meet with them because in doing so would have been recognizing the Confederate government.

Secretary of State Seward sent word that Fort Sumter would be evacuated on April 9

th

Somehow the message was misinterpreted and the Confederate leaders interpreted his actions as a declaration of war Slide65

First Fire

When Lincoln’s heavily armed naval neared Charleston on April 12, 1861 Confederate General Pierce Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter. Orders given by Robert Anderson

2 days later Anderson surrendered

Union troops were permitted to leave for NY on steamships

No one was killed in the 2 day fight. Slide66

First Fire

The day after the surrender, Lincoln called for the states in the Union to supply 75,000 troops to suppress secessionist states.

Northern states responded with troops. Other states did not cooperate.

Lincoln called his army to invade Virginia, Arkansas, TN, & N. Carolina – seceded states – refusing to fight sister states.

4 years would pass before Americans exhausted themselves in killing

each other.