Ch 6 Notes
6.1
Result of Mexican War- new lands open to slavery
Wilmot Provisio-
- ban slavery from new territory
- passes house but fails in senate
Free soil Party-
- new political party
- against expansion of slavery
- evolves into Republican party later
- settlers flock there
- miners opposed to slavery, fear competition w/ free labor
Compromise of 1850-
-
CA a
- Rest of Mexican Cession organized w/o restrictions on slavery
-
Slave trade outlawed in
- Tougher fugitive slave law
o Northern authorities must help catch fugitive slaves
o Northerners can be arrested for aiding runaway slaves
o Henry David Thoreau- Civil Disobedience- if law makes you do unjust things, then you should break the law
Underground RR-
-
helped escaped slaves flee to northern states and/or
- Harriet Tubman- best known “conductor”, former slave herself
Uncle Tom’s Cabin-
- Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Told horrors of slavery- split families, abuse
- Fired up many northerners against slavery
Stephen Douglas-
- Sen. From IL
-
Wants transcontinental RR and start in
- Wants Plains open to settlement (will speed up the need for RR)
- Slave issue has talks of organizing plains stalled
- Proposes Popular Sovereignty- let the people of each territory determine slave or not
Kansas-Nebraska Act-
-
does what
- goes against MO Comp?
- causes “Bleeding Kansas”
§ pro/anti slave groups fight to vote/control territory
§ people come from other states to vote/fight here
Charles Sumner-
- Sen from MA, abolitionist, insulted a southern Sen
- Preston Brooks, a Rep from SC, beats him nearly to death on the floor of the Senate with a cane
- Cane is broken, many southerners send Brooks canes with “hit ‘em again” and such on them
6.2
Republicans-
- created out of the Whigs/Free-Soilers/anti-slave Democrats
- against the expansion of slavery (not abolition)
Dred Scott-
- MO slave, taken to work in free territories- sued for his freedom in Federal court
- Supreme Court says:
o Slaves are not citizens and can’t sue
o Congress can’t keep people from taking slaves into the territories
- Fired up many northerners
Lincoln/Douglas-
- running for Senator from IL in 1858
- key issue- slavery
o
o
§ Was afraid to seem to pro-slave to IL voters
- Result- Douglas stays senator, but loses southern support for 1860 Presidential bid
John Brown-
- Abolitionist, fought pro-slavery forces in KS
- Raids Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, VA
o Goal- to cause a slave rebellion and arm them
- Took the arsenal but beaten back by troops (led by Robert E. Lee)
- Some in north view him as a hero (Battle Hymn of the Republic)
- South- villain
6.3
Election of 1860
-
- So Dems- nominate John Breckinridge, want to defend the Dred Scott decision (Congress can’t stop spread of Slavery)
-
No Dems- popular sov., nominate Stephen Douglas
-
Constitutional Union- wants to keep the union
together at all costs, John Bell
-Sectionalism-
-
-
- still even though only 40% of popular vote, he still would have won electoral vote as he won majorities in the big N states
- 81% voter
turn-out
Winner-
-
- Last straw for many southerners, feel will always get the shaft under “northern rule”
-
CSA- Confederate States of
- Confederation= loose union of states (states the most important thing)
- Jefferson Davis President
- capital-
- 11 states leave
- US forts taken over by rebels around the country (mainly southerners stationed there anyway)
- This one holds out but needs supplies
-
§ Resupply the fort, but if ships come under fire, then war will happen
§ Or let the fort fall, which legitimizes the CSA
- South can:
§
Let
§ Take the fort, which will cause war
- slave states that do not secede
o MO, KY, WV, MD, DE
- Lincoln wants to hold them in the Union at all costs