Sectionalism and Slavery Lead to Disunion

Slavery becomes a Sectional Interest

• A number of northern states abolished slavery in the 1780’s and the Ordinance of 1787 prohibited slavery in the newly organized Northwest Territory.

• In the south slavery was increasing by 1850 southern states had approximately 3.2 million slaves.

Blacks Demonstrate their Opposition to Slavery• Cato Conspiracy – early 1700 revolt in

South Carolina• Gabriel Plot – a slave named Gabriel

Prosser led a march on Richmond, Virginia in 1800

• Denmark Vesey- 1822 free black man in Charleston planned an uprising

• Nat Turner Insurrection- South Hampton County Virginia in 1831 led an uprising that began with the slaying of his master’s family

Missouri Compromise 1820

•Maine admitted free to match Missouri being admitted as a slave state.

•Slavery prohibited in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase north of latitude 36*30’

What is an abolitionist?

•An abolitionist is someone who works to abolish (get rid of) slavery.

•By 1840 there were 2,000 abolition societies in the Northern states, with a total membership of 175,000

Abolitionists Attack Slavery

•William Lloyd Garrison wrote the Liberator an antislavery newspaper.

•Former slaves Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth spoke out against slavery.

The Free Soil Party

• In the election of 1848 antislavery Whigs and Democrats banded together to form the Free Soil Party.

• They nominated Martin Van Buren as their Presidential candidate.

• Their slogan was “Free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men.”

The Election of 1848

•Democrats – Lewis Cass•Whigs – Zachary Taylor•Free Soil – Martin Van Buren•Taylor won by a small margin

by taking New York State.

Election of 1848

California

• Gold was discovered in California in 1848 which caused a mass migration.

• Upon President Taylor’s suggestion a constitution was adopted and California applied for statehood as a free state.

• Southern states threatened to leave the Union if California was admitted as a free state because it would tip the balance of power to the north in the Senate.

Compromise of 1850

• Submitted by Henry Clay• Utah and New Mexico have popular

sovereignty on the issue of slavery• California be admitted as a free state• Slave sale but not ownership prohibited

in Washington DC• Texas gave up part of New Mexico for

$10 million • Fugitive Slave Law passed

Fugitive Slave Law (1850)

• Placed fugitive slave cases under the jurisdiction of the federal government

• Established a special commissioner to issue warrants for the arrest and return of slaves.

• Authorized the commissioner to force citizens to help.

• Stiff fines and jail sentences to those who aided the escape of slaves.

A New President

•In 1850 Zachary Taylor died of Cholera in office.

•His replacement was Millard Fillmore.

Election of 1852

• Whigs – General Winfield Scott – the commander during the Mexican War.

• Democrats - Franklin Pierce – won the election easily but lost northern support because of his pro southern stance.

• Following the loss in this election the Whigs dissolved and a new political party Republican was formed.

Election of 1852

Kansas – Nebraska Act (1854)

• Proposed by Stephen A. Douglas • Created the territories of Kansas

and Nebraska and stated that the question of slavery was to be decided on the basis of popular sovereignty.

• This overturned the Missouri Compromise

Stephen A Douglas

Bleeding Kansas

• People from both the north and south poured into the area hoping to see their side win the territory.

• This caused a great deal of fighting.

• After a series of bloody murders by both sides Kansas became known as bleeding Kansas.

Election of 1856

• Democrats – James Buchanan• Republicans – John C Fremont• Know Nothings – Millard Fillmore• Buchanan won less then half of the

popular vote but was still the winner.

Election of 1856

Dred Scott• In 1834 Dred Scott, a slave, was taken into a

free territory.• When his master died he sued on behalf of

himself and his family for his freedom.• The case made it to the Supreme Court where

the judge decided that Scott was a slave not a citizen so he could not bring suit in court, he said slaves were property and because Congress could not deny citizens their property they could bring slaves into any territory.

• This decision enraged many Northerns.

Lincoln Douglas Debates

• The debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place surrounding the Senate race in Illinois in 1858.

• Lincoln and Douglas traveled to seven towns in Illinois to discuss the critical issues of the day.

• Lincoln placed Douglas in a difficult position when he cornered Douglas on the issue of popular sovereignty.

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Freeport Doctrine

• Douglas response to the difficult question of popular sovereignty was that he agreed with the Dred Scott decision that stopped Congress from barring slavery in a territory but that a local government could get rid of slavery if they wanted just by not enforcing it.

Lincoln Douglas Debate

John Brown’s Raid

• John Brown was a fanatical abolitionist.• With 18 men he raided the government

arsenal at Harper’s Ferry in order to get weapons to arm slaves for an uprising.

• He was captured, tried for treason and hung

• He became a martyr to the antislavery cause

John Brown

The Raid at Harpers Ferry

The Election of 1860

• Northern Democrat – Stephen A Douglas

• Southern Democrat – John C Breckenridge

• Republicans – Abraham Lincoln• Lincoln won the election but the

results painted a grim picture of the nation divided along sectional lines.

Election of 1860

An election that divides the nation

South Carolina Secedes from the Union

• Earlier in 1860 southern leaders warned that if a Republican candidate won the election the south would take steps to secede.

• On December 20, 1860 South Carolina took steps to carry out that threat and seceded

Formation of the Confederacy

• By February 1861 South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas had left the Union.

• These states met in Alabama and drafted a constitution.

• They chose Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as President and Alexander H. Stephen of Georgia as Vice President.

Lincoln becomes President

• In March of 1861 Lincoln took the oath of office.

• He made it clear in his inaugural address that he would not allow the United States to fall into disunion.