Leading to a Civil War. LEADING TO A CIVIL WAR F Events Leading to the Secession of the South F The Confederate States of America F Causes Leading to

Leading to a Civil War Leading to a Civil War

LEADING TO A CIVIL WAR

Events Leading to the Secession of the SouthEvents Leading to the Secession of the South

The Confederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America

Causes Leading to the Civil War Causes Leading to the Civil War

Leading to a Civil War Events leading to the Secession of the South

– Sucession

"to withdraw formally from a union or alliance”

Southern individual states nullified their ratification of the U.S. constitution

The Process of Secession


– Political Sectionalism

• Missouri Compromise 1820– Missouri - slave state– Maine - free state

– Entry of states into the Union have to be balanced - one free/one slave

• Gag Rule of 1836

• Compromise of 1850– California a free state

– Slavery allowed in the other territories acquired from Mexico

Slave and Free Territories Under the Compromise of 1850


– Political Sectionalism

• Despite territorial gains emerged from theMexican American War, Americans were more divided than ever– North denounced war as a southern project

for expanding slavery

• David Wilmot - Wilmot Proviso– no slavery in Mexican Territory

Many hoping the Compromise of 1850 had finally settled slavery

Leading to a Civil War

Events leading to the Secession of the South

– Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854

• organized 2 new federal territories • repealed section of Missouri Compromise• prohibiting slavery in states/territories

north of 36º 30’ latitude• people decide (popular sovereignty)

“Bleeding Kansas”


– Change in 2 party system• Democrats & Whigs

– Democrats (dough faces)• needed northern candidate to win because of

the number of southerners• F. Pierce 1852, J. Buchanan 1856, Douglas ?

– Whigs • Kansas & Nebraska Act killed party

divided sectionally• North & South too far apart on slavery

issue to hold party together


– Change in 2 party system• Democrats & Whigs

• Whigs & Free Soilers = Republicans • * only a northern party

– tolerate slavery in south– unwilling to accept it's expansion– demand that the Kansas & Nebraska Act be repealed– central railroad (rather than northern as Douglas

proposed)– Homestead Act - western lands to families to

settle 160 acres



– Dred Scott Decision 1857– Southern dominated court

• Slaves were property• "congress could not ban slavery

from territories”• Chief Justice Roger Taney



– The Election of 1860

• Aggressive movements of pro slave movement – frightened north– Hardened resistance in North– intensified southern insecurity

• South demands - congressional slave codes



– The Election of 1860• Freeport Doctrine

– legislation to protect slave property in north– Lead to a division of the Democratic Party

• Northern Democrats - Stephen Douglas– appealed to North & South but ambiguous

• Southern Democrats - John Breckenridge– Appealed to south - popular sovereignty

• Republicans - Abraham Lincoln• Constitutional Union Party - John Bell

The Election of 1860


Events Leading to the Secession of the SouthEvents Leading to the Secession of the South– Political SectionalismPolitical Sectionalism

• Missouri CompromiseMissouri Compromise

• Gag RuleGag Rule

• Compromise of 1850Compromise of 1850

• Wilmot ProvisoWilmot Proviso

– Kansas Nebraska Act 1854Kansas Nebraska Act 1854– Dred Scot Decision 1857Dred Scot Decision 1857– Election of 1860Election of 1860





The Confederate States of America



– Constitution 1787 (1789 9 states ratified - 4 didn't)• established government • Constitution states that states can't coin money and can’t

maintain an army but can they secede?

– Southern Position held that the Constitution did not automatically bind states

– Individual States first . . . then United

STATES UNITED



– Individual States first . . . then United

STATES UNITED

– 11 southern states seceded and formed their own country

– North says no you can't leave = 4 long years of fighting

– CIVIL (internal) War - settle question about whether a state can succeed

• Pre Civil War The United States are• Post Civil War The United States is



– Radicals - fire eaters• South Carolinians since Nullification Controversy

– South Carolina state convention Dec 20, 1860• repeal ratification of federal constitution

– 6 weeks later MI, Fl, GA, Al, LA, TX succeed

– Delegates to Montgomery Alabama• organized themselves as the C.S. of A.• Jefferson Davis - President ( Mississippi)






Causes Leading to A Civil War

1. Conspiracy President Country

– North Lincoln 1860 USA– South J. Davis 1861 CSA

• Each side felt the other was conspiring against the other• Laws & measures that inhibited the south - DAVIS

Congress controlled by north• North doesn't want to control south - south wants

to expand into the west LINCOLN• Each side didn't trust in an economic or political sense



2. Constitutional

UNITED STATES VS. STATES UNITED

• South - separate individual states form the union– since states formed the union they can opt out

• North - the union created the states by the constitution– If the union is dissolved there is nothing

– LINCOLN WAS FIGHTING TO SAVE THE UNION NOT TO FREE THE SLAVES (a political move)

– Lincoln was a federalist & constitutionalist

Leading to a Civil War Causes Leading to A Civil War

3. Growth of Slavery• South had 4 million slaves

– Slave owners 25% • 17 % 1-9 slaves • 7% 10-99 slaves • .1% 100+

– very few had large plantations– small minority of controlling whites

controlled southern society• Labor intensive agricultural society

– slaves imported because can't get enough whites to do the labor

Leading to a Civil War Causes Leading to A Civil War

3. Slavery• Davis - the Blacks have a better condition under the superior

White race“docile savages to bodily comforts and religious instruction”

• Lincoln - not in favor of bringing about the social or economic equality of Negroes “There must be the position of inferior/superior”

Lincoln 1858Lincoln was a product of his own cultureFreeing of slaves not a matter of equality!!!Yet he was against the concept of slavery

SAVE THE UNION



4. Economic• Labor

– South - free labor North - paid labor• Tariffs

– North wanted to protect their products artificial inflation of imports

– South faced reciprocal tariffs when they exported their agricultural products

South Against High Tariffs

North Against Free Labor



4. Economic

• North passes laws in congress because of an imbalance in voting power

– 19 Free States

– 15 Slave States



5. Nature of a Republic

• What is a Republic?– Representative Democracy

• Freedom to choose

South choose to leave under this freedom

Under another system this would not have happened!


• ". . . it presents the question whether discontented individuals too few in numbers to control administration according to organic law in any case, can always upon the pretenses made in this case, or on any other pretense, break up their government, and thus practically put an end to free government upon the earth. It forces us to ask: Is there, in all republics, this inherent and fatal weakness? Must a government, of necessity be too strong for the liberties of its own people or too weak to maintain its own existence?"

Lincoln - July 4, 1861following Ft. Sumter


“our heritage depends on inherent weakness of a republic to strong to maintain liberties yet too weak to maintain its existence”.

Abraham Lincoln


Causes Leading to the Civil War

– Conspiracy– Constitutional– Slavery– Economic– Nature of a Republic

1600 ---------------1787--------------1865---------------2000+Colonial Am. Nation Civil War

– Civil War 265 years since beginnings of our country





Leading to a Civil War Leading to a Civil War

Instructor: Carol Jean CoxInstructor: Carol Jean Cox

Documents

Leading to a Civil War. LEADING TO A CIVIL WAR F Events Leading to the Secession of the South F The Confederate States of America F Causes Leading to