THE NATION BREAKING APART

Growing Tensions Between North and South

Missouri Compromise1820

Author: Henry Clay Missouri would be admitted as a Slave

State. Maine would be admitted as a Free State. All territory in the Louisiana Territory above

the 36, 30 Latitude Line, slavery would be outlawed.

Wilmot Proviso1846

David Wilmot, House of Representatives

(Pennsylvania) Outlaw slavery in any territory won from

Mexico. South: Bill was unconstitutional, congress

had no right to stop them from bring their property into the new territories. Constitution protected their property rights.

House: Passed Senate: Failed

Wilmot Proviso1846

Results: Creation of the Free Soil Party. Dedicated to to stopping the spread of slavery. “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free

Men”. Made slavery a key issue in politics from that

point on.

The Compromise of 1850Author: Henry Clay

NORTH SOUTH California: Free State

Slave trade would be abolished in Washington D.C.

Congress would not pass anymore laws about slavery in the territories won from Mexico.

Congress would pass a stronger Fugitive Slave Law.

People accused of being escaped slaves could be arrested at any time.

No right to a jury trial. Required Northerners to help recapture

runaway slaves. Created the Federal Marshalls. Judge would decide their fate.

$5 for releasing the person. $10 for turning the person over the

slaveholder.

The Fugitive Slave Act

The Kansas-Nebraska Act1854

Author: Stephen Douglas, Senator (Illinois )

Organize the governments for the Nebraska Territory.

Divided into the Kansas and Nebraska Territories.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act1854

The issue of slavery would be decided by Popular Sovereignty.

Popular Sovereignty:

The People Decide!!!!

Bleeding Kansas Kansas Territory would be the first place

Popular Soverneigty would be put to the test.

Both Proslavery and Antislavery people rushed into Kansas.

Election would held in March of 1855.

More Proslavery people were in Kansas at the time of the election.

Bleeding Kansas Border Ruffians: 5,000 Missourians

crossed the boarder and voted .

Kansas Territory became a slave territory. Capital was in Topecca.

Antislavery people called the election fixed and formed their own government. Capital was in Lawrence.

Bleeding Kansas May, 1855: Sack of Lawrence

Mob attacks Lawrence Destroys offices and the Govener’s home

John Brown: Extreme Abolitionist

Bleeding Kansas Pottawatomie Massacre:

John Brown and seven others attack Pottawatomie Creek.

Five Proslavery men were killed.

Civil war broke out in Kansas that lasted for three years.

Became known as “Bleeding Kansas”

The Dred Scott Case Dred Scott: Slave of a Military Doctor from

Missouri.

Owner took him into Wisconsin & Minnisota territories, which are both free territories.

After the death of the doctor, Aboloitionists talked Dred Scott into sueing for his freedom.

The Dred Scott Case Dred Scott v. Sanford: Reached the

Supreme Court in 1857.

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney delivered the courts ruling.

The Dred Scott Case Dred Scott was not a citizen. (Slaves were Property/U.S. Constitution)

As a result, he could not sue in U.S. Courts.

Scott’s time in the free territories did not matter in his case, because he had to abide by Missouri’s slave codes.

The Dred Scott Case Congress could not ban slavery in the

territories.

To do so would violate the 5th Amendment. (Property Rights)

Declared the Missouri Compromise Unconstitutional.

Lincoln—Douglas Debates

The Republican Party grew out of the problems caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

No room for comprimise on the expansion of slavery.

The violance in Kansas was the Democrats (Southern slave holders) fault.

Republicans quickly gained support in the Northern states.

Lincoln—Douglas Debates After the Supreme Court made it’s ruling

on the Dred Scott Case, the Republicans charged that the Democrats wanted to legalize slavery everywhere.

Illinois: Senate Seat Republicans nominate Abraham Lincoln Democrats renominate Stephen Douglas

Lincoln—Douglas Debates“A House Divided Against Itself Cannot

Stand” Stephen Douglas

Author Kansas-Nebraska Act

Popular Sovereignty

Abraham Lincoln

Little known Laywer Southerns wanted to

expand slavery everywhere

Lincoln—Douglas Debates

The two men debated all over Illinois (7 times).

Lincoln: Slavery was “a moral, a social and a political

wrong.” It should be stopped from spreading, but not

to abolish it completely.

Lincoln—Douglas Debates Douglas:

Popular Sovereignty was most the democratic method to use.

Dred Scott case made Popular Sovereignty unconstitutional.

“The people have the lawful means to introduce or exclude it as they please.”

Douglas won relection.

Harpers Ferry Federal Arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

John Brown and 18 men, 13 whites & 5 blacks.

Captue the arsenal and use the arms to rally the local slaves to join him to start a rebellion.

October 16, 1859 attack took place and they were able to capture the arsenal.

Harpers Ferry

No slaves came to join him and his gang.

They were surounded by Federal troops led by Robert E. Lee.

When the fight was over, 10 had been killed and Brown and six of his men had been captured.

Harpers Ferry Results:

John Brown was put on trial for Murder and Treason.

Found guilty and sentenced to hanged.

North: On the day he was to be Hanged. Abolitionists rang church bells and fired guns in his honor.

South: The people were horrified by his actions and were in disbelief by the reactions in the North.