Renewing the Sectional Struggle 18481854

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Renewing the Sectional Struggle1848-1854

• The American Pageant
• Chapter 19

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Popular Sovereignty

• Debate over slavery in new territory (Wilmot
  Proviso) threatened to split parties along
  sectional lines, which was threat to union.
• Politicians looked to de-emphasize slavery debate.

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Popular Sovereignty (2)

• Polk had pledged one term only, Democrats
  nominate Gen. Lewis Cass in 1848.
• Cass was father of popular sovereignty,
  doctrine that people in each territory should
  determine status of slavery.

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Popular Sovereignty (3)

• Doctrine popular b/c consistent with democratic
  traditions.
• Politicians liked it b/c it was good compromise.
• Yet pop. sovereignty could spread slavery.

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Triumphs for Taylor

• Whigs nominate Gen. Taylor, had never even voted
  for pres.
• Whigs avoided position on slavery issue (though
  Taylor was slave owner).
• Northern abolitionists organized Free Soil party.

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Triumphs for Taylor (2)

• Free Soil Party for Wilmot Proviso, federal aid
  for internal improvements, homesteads.
• Attracted Dems. afraid of southern dominance of
  party, conscience Whigs, racial purists (did not
  want to share territories with blacks).

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Triumphs for Taylor (3)

• FS party nominated Van Buren.
• Opposed slavery b/c limited opportunities for
  white wage earners for upward mobility.
• FS diverts votes from Cass in NY, Taylor elected.

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Californy Gold

• 1848 gold discovery/gold rush in CA raises
  slavery issue.
• 1849 To respond to lawless-ness of gold miners
  and encouraged by Taylor, CA citizens draft
  constitution (no slavery), apply for statehood
  would bypass territorial stage.

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Sectional Balance/Un. RR

• 1850 South boasts pres, sup. court, veto in
  Senate, cotton prices high, few thought southern
  slavery threatened. Yet south upset by
• (1) Balance of 15 slave/free states would be
  undone by CA, maybe forever (NM, UT).

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Sectional Balance/Un. RR (2)

• (2) TX wanted large disputed area that fed. gov.
  wanted to separate, threatened use of force.
• (3) Efforts for free D.C. between slave states.
• (4) Loss of slaves by Und. RR.

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Sectional Balance/Un. RR (3)

• Und. RR informal chain of stations which hid
  traveling runaway slaves escaping to Canada.
• Harriet Tubman most famous conductor, rescued
  300 slaves, called Moses.

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Sectional Balance/Un. RR (4)

• Result South wanted stricter fugitive slave law.
  Some states didnt cooperate with old law, South
  resented moral judgment by those who would not
  obey law.
• Only 1000 runaways/year, but principle was loss
  of honor.

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Senatorial Giants

• 1850 CA admission controversy, southern fire
  eaters talked of secession.
• Crisis brought Clay, Calhoun, Webster to
  debate for last time.
• Clay (73) engineers 3rd great compromise.

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Senatorial Giants (2)

• Clay urged compromise on both sides, North to
  accept new fugitive slave law.
• Calhoun (68) rep. South, leave slavery alone,
  return runaways had in mind scheme for 2
  presidents.

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Senatorial Giants (3)

• Calhoun dies during debate.
• Webster (68) supports Clays compromise, 7th of
  March Speech said slavery in territories was
  settled by God though climate, topography, etc.

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Senatorial Giants (4)

• 7th of March Speech increased Union sentiment in
  North, pleased banking and commercial centers.
• Abolitionists felt betrayed, but Webster had
  always been unionist, not abolitionist.

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Deadlock on Capitol Hill

• Debate not over, Young Guard from North wanted to
  purify union.
• W. Seward (NY) argued against compromise, we must
  obey Gods moral law, higher law than
  Constitution.

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Deadlock on Capitol Hill (2)

• Taylor upset (like Jackson with SC) by threats of
  Texans, influenced by men like Seward, seemed
  bent on vetoing any compromise.
• TX crises could have started Civil War in 1850.

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Breaking Logjam

• 1850 Taylor helped compro-mise by dying
  suddenly, Fillmore (NY) now president.
• Fillmore gladly signed Compromise of 1850.
• Economic prosperity, efforts of Clay, Webster,
  Douglas, led to acceptance of compromise.

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Breaking Logjam (2)

• Southern fire eaters attempted to boycott
  northern goods, but sentiment died.
• 2nd Era of Good Feelings came, no more talk of
  secession, most thought that compromise would
  settle issue once and for all.

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Compromise of 1850

• North gets
• CA free state
• Disputed territory to NM
• No slave trade in D.C.

• South gets
• Pop. Sov. in NM, UT
• TX gets 10M
• Stricter Fugitive Slave Law

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Balancing Comp. Scales

• Clearly North got better deal out of compromise.
• California admitted as free state, ended balance
  of Senate.
• Southerners began to look to Caribbean for more
  slave territory.

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Balancing Comp. Scales (2)

• TX got 10M for debt, but did not make big
  impact. TX lost disputed area, would likely be
  free.
• Slave trade barred in D.C.
• Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 proved to be
  unworkable.

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Balancing Comp. Scales (3)

• FSL was fervently opposed in North slaves could
  not testify, denied jury trial, federal
  commissioner paid more if slaves were returned.
• Those who aided slaves might be fined or forced
  to join slave-catchers.

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Balancing Comp. Scales (4)

• Many northern moderates became abolitionists,
  mobs rescued slaves from captors.
• MA made it criminal offense for any state
  official to enforce law, other states enacted
  personal liberty laws.

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Balancing Comp. Scales (5)

• Southerners upset b/c North would not follow
  through on their side of compromise.
• 10-year delay of war by com-promise led to
  preparation of North militarily, industrially,
  and morally to win war.

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Doom for the Whigs

• 1852 Dems nominate 2nd dark horse, F. Pierce
  (NH).
• Weak, indecisive, but a pro-slavery northerner
  accept-able to slavery wing of party.
• Platform supported Compromise of 1850.

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Doom for the Whigs (2)

• Whigs turn to another military hero, Winfield
  Scott. Haughty personality was not popular.
• Whig platform supported compromise but less
  enthusiastically than Dems.

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Doom for the Whigs (3)

• Whig party split. Antislavery Whigs accepted
  Scott but hated platform endorsement of FSL.
  Southern Whigs accepted platform but hated Scott.
• Result Pierce wins easily.

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Doom for the Whigs (4)

• Election marked effective end of Whig party,
  began end of national parties.
• Whig legacy leaders who preserved union like
  Clay, Webster, both of whom died during 1852
  campaign.

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Pierce the Expansionist

• Cabinet contained aggressive southerners, e.g.
  Sec. of War Jeff. Davis., who wanted to acquire
  more slave territory.
• Expansionism also inspired by CA gold discovery,
  Mexican War looked to Central America, Cuba.

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Pierce the Expansionist (2)

• Slavocrats realized door was closed on
  territories, looked south, esp. Nicaragua.
• US adventurer W. Walker took over Nic. in 1856,
  legalized slavery, but Central American nations
  defeated, executed him.

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Pierce the Expansionist (2)

• Britain also interested in Nicaragua for canal
  route, violated Monroe Doctrine by foothold at
  Greytown.
• US/British clash avoided by Clayton-Bulwer
  treaty neither would have sole control over
  future canal.

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Pierce the Expansionist (3)

• Agreement stopped British, but trouble for later
  American efforts to establish canal.
• Acq. of CA and OR made US Pacific power, opened
  possi-bility of trade routes to Asia, esp. China
  and Japan.

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Pierce the Expansionist (4)

• However, Japan had been isolated for 200 years,
  refused contact with West. By 1853, ready to
  emerge b/c Russian threat.
• 1854 Pierce sent Commodore Perrys fleet to
  negotiate treaty for commercial access.

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Coveted Cuba

• Cuba regarded as most attractive slave territory
  available, could carve into several states.
• Polk had tried to buy it, but Spain refused at
  any price. Seizure was only option.

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Coveted Cuba (2)

• 1850-51 2 private expeditions fail to take Cuba,
  several prominent southerners executed.
• 1854 Spanish officials force showdown by seizing
  US steamer (Black Warrior).

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Coveted Cuba (3)

• Sec. of State ordered US ministers in Spain,
  England, France to make recommenda-tions to
  acquire Cuba.
• Three met at Ostend, Belgium, drew up top-secret
  plan.

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Coveted Cuba (4)

• Plan suggested US offer Spain 120M, if refused,
  use of force would be justified.
• Ostend Manifesto leaked, angered northern
  free-soilers.
• Pierce forced to drop schemes for acquiring Cuba.

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Coveted Cuba (5)

• Slavery issue prevented US expansion in 1850s
  North had renewed interest in Canada, South
  wanted Cuba, but each section would not permit
  the other to expand.

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Gadsden Purchase

• Travel to OR/CA very difficult by land or sea.
  Realistic transportation vital to keep new
  territories in union.
• Transcontinental RR was obvious solution to
  problem.
• Both North South wanted route to begin in their
  section.

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Gadsden Purchase (2)

• South knew best southern route went just beyond
  Mexican border, needed to acquire area.
• Jeff. Davis arranged for J. Gadsden, RR promoter,
  to be minister to Mexico.
• 1853 Gadsden/Santa Anna agree on 10M, Senate
  accepts.

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Gadsden Purchase (3)

• Purchase would allow route with fewest mountains,
  more safety because only traveling through
  organized areas.
• Southerners in Congress prevented organizing of
  Nebraska territory to deter northern RR.

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Kansas-Nebraska

• Senator Stephen Douglas (IL) responded to Gadsden
  by scheming to get western RR terminus in
  Chicago.
• Tried to get southern support for plan by
  replacing MO Compromise with popular sovereignty.

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Kansas-Nebraska (2)

• Both KS NE barred from slavery by MO Comp., but
  with pop. sovereignty, KS would likely be slave,
  and NE free.
• Southerners took bait, chance to get another
  slave state, Pierce supported.

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Kansas-Nebraska (3)

• Free-soilers in Congress viewed MO Comp. as
  sacred, but Douglas pushed bill through.
• Pop. sov. supporters in west approved, but
  Douglas underestimated anger and resolve of many
  northerners.

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Congress Legislates War

• KS-NE Act drew war closer
• FSL was dead in North, abolitionists ranks grew.
• South angered when free-soilers tried to control
  KS.
• Dems ruined by KS-NE Act.

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Congress Legislates War (2)

• Republican party grew out of Midwest (MI, WI) as
  moral protest of slavery. Attracted former Whigs
  (Lincoln), Democrats, Free-Soilers,
  Know-Nothings.
• 1856 Elected Rep. Speaker of House in only two
  years.

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