The Divisive Politics of Slavery 4 1 The

The Divisive Politics of Slavery 4. 1

The Compromise of 1850 • Background: – 1848: The U. S. had just won a war with Mexico and acquired the territories of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and California in the treaty • The South hoped to expand slavery into those territories – Westward expansion accelerated with the California gold rush of 1849 – California petitioned for statehood in 1850 – Abolitionists were encouraging and assisting runaway slaves • Southerners felt that the system of slavery was under attack

• Senate Debate on the Compromise of 1850 – John C. Calhoun (SC) threatened to secede from the union if his demands were not met – William Seward (NY) also spoke out against compromise – Daniel Webster of MA urged compromise – Henry Clay of KY offered a compromise bill

• Terms of the Compromise – California admitted to the union as a free state – Popular sovereignty (people’s vote) on the status of slavery in the New Mexico and Utah – A stricter fugitive slave law – Abolition of the slave trade in Washington, D. C.

• Passage of the Compromise – Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas helped by breaking the bill up into parts – President Zachary Taylor, an opponent of the compromise, died after a 4 th of July parade – New President, Millard Fillmore, supported the compromise and signed it into law

Slavery after the Comp.

Protest, Resistance and Violence • Underground Railroad – Secret network of people and escape routes that helped fugitive slaves as they made their way to the north or Canada • Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel attacking slavery – Convinced a generation of young men to become abolitionists

• Kansas-Nebraska Act: 1854 – Stephen Douglas wanted to build a railroad from Chicago to San Francisco (to link CA to the East) – Split the Nebraska territory into two parts and use popular sovereignty to determine slavery in each • “Bleeding Kansas” – Pro-slave and abolitionist (anti-slave) settlers rushed to Kansas to set up governments – Both sides committed gruesome acts of violence • Violence in the Senate – Charles Sumner (MA) insulted the South and Senator Andrew Butler (SC) in a speech – Preston Brooks (Butler’s nephew) took offense and beat Sumner over the head with his cane

Kansas-Nebraska Act

New Political Parties Emerge • Split of the Whig Party – Kansas-Nebraska Act split the Whigs into southern and northern factions- each side looked to form a new political party – Northern Whigs eventually formed the: • Free-Soil Party – Opposed the extension of slavery into the western territories – Free soilers eventually formed the: • Republican Party in 1854 – Opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act – Wanted to stop the spread of slavery

Election of 1856

Conflict Leads to Secession • Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857 – Slaves are property even if the master takes them to free territory – Made the entire United States slave territory • Lincoln-Douglas Debates – 1858: Illinois Senate race – Lincoln- how can popular sovereignty exist in the wake of the Dred Scott decision? – Douglas- if the people don’t enforce slavery in their territory it won’t exist there • John Brown’s Raid- 1859 – John Brown tried to lead a slave revolt in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia – Captured, tried and hanged – Northerners turned him into a martyr

• Election of 1860 – Lincoln and the Republicans pledged to stop the spread of slavery and won with only 40% of the popular vote (none in the South) – Democrats split their votes between a Northern (Douglas) and a Southern (Breckenridge) candidate – Bell, a compromise candidate, won VA, KY and TN • Southern Secession – 7 states seceded after the election, before Lincoln took office – Confederate States of America formed with Jefferson Davis as president – Four more seceded after the firing on Ft. Sumter in April 1861

Election of 1860

Seceding States

Secession