The Road to the Civil War

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The Road to the Civil War
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Overview of Slavery in the United States

• Life of the Slave
• On plantations an African-American culture had
  emerged
• Strong religious convictions
• Close personal Bonds
• Family played a large roll in Slave life
• Cruel part of slavery families often separated
• Took comfort in family
• Married (not legal) also had children

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Abundance of Music

• Why would music be a source of their culture as
  opposed to written sources?
• All helped the slaves endure
• Drew strength from the bible
• Especially Moses
• Why?
• Led slaves out of Egypt
• Spirituals religious folk songs
• Contained coded messages
• i.e. escape plans

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Spirituals

• http//www.classicsforkids.com/shows/freedom.asp
• Listen to the Song
• What might the song try to be communicating to
  slaves?
• How could the song be confusing to slave owners?

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Slave Rebellions

• Nat Turner Virginia
• August 21, 1831
• Led 70 followers and killed 55 white men, women,
  and children
• Turner was captured, tried, and hung

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Nat Turner
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Results

• What do you think some of the results might have
  been?
• Whites take revenge
• Kill nearly 200 slaves
• Pass Harsh laws
• African Americans can not have weapons or buy
  liquor
• No religious services unless a white present.

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Abolition The movement to end slavery

• Most northern states had outlawed slavery (1804)
• Congress bans the importation of slaves (1807)
• What have we already learned about the life of
  the slave that might show us why this law would
  not anger the South?

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The Liberator 1831

• Abolitionist newspaper published by William Lloyd
  Garrison
• Hated by many for his views
• 1834- grabbed by a mob from his house and they
  had all intentions of hanging him
• The mayor stepped in and saved his life

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William Lloyd Garrison
Liberator
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Other Famous Abolitionists

• Frederick Douglass
• Escaped slave
• Made a career speaking for the Massachusetts
  Slavery Society
• Also published an anti-slavery newspaper

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Other Famous Abolitionists

• Sojourner Truth
• Escaped Slave
• Spoke out against slavery gaining huge crowds all
  across the north.

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The Underground Railroad

• What do you think most people who visit stops
  along the Underground Railroad today are most
  disappointed with?
• An above ground series of escape routes from the
  South to the North
• Slaves hid by day in places called stations
• Stables, attics, and cellars served as stations.
• Traveled by Night
• Led by people called Conductors
• How might this name be misleading to slave owners
  trying to recover their escaped slaves?

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Most Famous Conductor

• Harriet Tubman
• Escaped Slave
• Took 19 dangerous journeys to free slaves
• Carried a pistol
• Also carried medicine to quiet crying babies
• Why might this be necessary?
• 40,000 bounty offered for her capture.

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I never run my train off the track and I never
lost a passenger
What was Harriet saying?
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Status of the New States

• North Primarily Anti-Slavery Industrialized
  very little need for slave labor
• South Primarily Pro-Slavery Large fields and
  Plantations requiring far more labor then
  available in this section of the U.S.
• Causes tension between the two sections of the
  United States Especially in government
• Nation was growing and adding new states and
  territories
• What do you think would be the biggest fight over
  these new areas?

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Nationalism

• A feeling of pride, loyalty, and protectiveness
  toward your country.

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Nationalism

• Give some examples of nationalism

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Sectionalism

• loyalty to the interests of your own region or
  section of the country, rather then to the nation
  as a whole.

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Sectionalism

• Think of some examples of sectionalism

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Missouri Compromise (1820)

• Missouri wants to be admitted as a state.
• What battle will arise in congress?
• Should Missouri be a free or slave state.
• The debate in congress waged on forever.

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Missouri Compromise

• Henry Clays (Kentucky) Proposal
• Maine also wants admission
• Maine is admitted as a free state and Missouri is
  admitted as a slave state
• The balance of power remains
• Also called for a ban of slavery north of
  Missouri in the rest of the Louisiana territory.
• Bill passes Congress

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Wilmot Proviso - 1846

• Proviso A stipulation or provision
• Following the Missouri Compromise the slave
  debate cooled until war with Mexico broke out in
  1846.
• Northerners feared that Southerners wanted to
  take territory from Mexico in order to extend
  slavery.

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Wilmot Proviso

• David Wilmots (Pennsylvania) Plan
• Outlaw slavery in any territory that the United
  States may acquire as a result of war with
  Mexico.
• Southern View
• Congress has no right to stop them from bringing
  slaves into any of the territories
• Slaves were property and the Constitution gave
  equal protection to property rights
• Bill is unconstitutional

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Wilmot Proviso

• David Wilmots Plan (Cont.)
• Bill split congress
• What does congress consist of?
• How do you think congress was split?
• The Bill passed in the House but not in the
  Senate.

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Free Soil Party - 1848

• Although the Wilmot Proviso never became law it
  did have on important effect.
• The Creation of the Free Soil Party

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Free Soil Party

• What do you think the name refers to?
• Dedicated to the stopping of slavery
• Theme Free Soil, Free Speech, and Free Men
• Evaluate this motto
• Won 10 congressional seats in 1848.
• Made Slavery a key issue in national politics.

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Critical Thinking

• What else have we learned that made slavery a
  national issue?

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The Compromise of 1850

• California wants to be admitted as a state.
• What question do we know the debate will be over
  in congress?

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Compromise of 1850

• Henry Clays Plan
• What else have we learned that Henry clay was
  responsible for?
• Needs to please both sides.
• North
• California would be admitted as a free state and
  the slave trade would be abolished in Washington
  DC

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Compromise of 1850

• Henry Clays Plan
• South
• Congress would pass no laws regarding slavery for
  the rest of the territories won from Mexico and
  stronger laws would be passed to help slave
  holders recapture slaves.

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Compromise of 1850

• The regional bickering had grown tiresome and
  both sides felt compromise was best for the Union
• Stephen Douglass (Illinois) was given the job of
  making sure the bill passed. He did and the bill
  became law.
• Critical Thinking Will this bring an end to the
  slavery debate?

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Results

• Fugitive Slave Act 1850
• Congress promised the South to as a part of the
  Compromise of 1850 to pass harsher laws regarding
  the capture of runaway slaves.
• People accused of being a fugitive could be held
  w/o an arrest warrant.

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Results

• Fugitive Slave Act (cont.)
• Had no right to a jury trial.
• Arent these conditions unconstitutional? Then
  why could congress pass such a law?
• Federal commissioners ruled on each case.
• Received 5 for releasing a slave and 10 for
  releasing slaves to their slaveholder
• How do you think this effected the decisions made
  by commissioners?

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Results

• How do you think Northerners reacted?
• Resentment
• As a part of the law they were required to help
  recapture runaways
• Non-cooperative Northerners faced fines
• Those who helped slaves faced jail time

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Kansas-Nebraska Act - 1854

• Congress debates what to do with the Nebraska
  Territory.
• Stephen Douglass Plan
• What has Douglas already done?
• Split the territory into two new territories
• Nebraska
• Kansas

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Kansas Nebraska Act

• Douglas proposed that Popular Sovereignty would
  rule.
• Popular Sovereignty a system where the
  residents vote to decide an issue (in this case
  slavery).

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Kansas Nebraska Act

• This law would eliminate the Missouri Compromise,
  which was wildly unpopular.
• Why?
• The Bill passed even though it angered those who
  opposed slavery

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Critical Thinking

• What situations can you see arising in these two
  new territories as a result of this new law?

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Results

• Bleeding Kansas
• Settlers rushed to Kansas
• More were anti slavery
• Pro slavery factions Feared they may lose the
  vote so they had five thousand Missourians vote
  illegally.
• Kansas legislature becomes flooded with officials
  who were pro-slavery
• How might the anti-slavery faction react?

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Bleeding Kansas

• Anti-Slavery Reaction
• Boycotted Kansas government and formed their
  own.
• How will the pro-slavery faction react?
• A mob attacks Lawrence
• Destroyed the offices and house of the
  anti-slavery governor.
• Sack of Lawrence
• Who now has to react?

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Bleeding Kansas

• John Brown Extreme Abolitionist
• What does that mean?
• Along with 7 others attacked their proslavery
  neighbors
• Killing 5
• Pottawatomie Massacre
• Civil war breaks out in Kansas hence the name
  Bleeding Kansas.

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Other Results of The Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Formation of the Republican Party
• Whig Party Split
• Southerners for the Law Northerners Against It
• This time there was no room for compromise

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Other Results of the Kansas Nebraska Act

• Formation of the Republican Party
• Blamed the Violence on Democrats and choose John
  C Fremont as their presidential nominee A young
  handsome man famous for exploring the west.
• Republicans were so unpopular in the South that
  Fremonts name would not even appear on the
  Ballot.

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Other Results of the Kansas Nebraska Act

• The Election of 1856
• Democrat James Buchanan
• Republican John C Fremont
• American Milliard Fillmore
• His name should look familiar
• What post had he already held?

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Other Results of the Kansas Nebraska Act

• Became two separate elections
• North Buchanan vs. Fremont
• South Buchanan vs. Fillmore
• Buchanan carried most of the South and won
  several northern states winning the election.
• What are some interesting things about James
  Buchanan as President?
• Fremont won 11 states proving that the Republican
  Party would be a strong force in the North.

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Responses to Slavery

• Uncle Toms Cabin
• 1852 Published by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Expressed the moral issue of slavery in a highly
  dramatic way.
• What does it mean to dramatize?

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Responses to Slavery

• Uncle Toms Cabin
• Wildly popular in the North
• Southerners felt that the book falsely criticized
  the South and slavery.

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Responses to Slavery

• Dredd Scott Decision
• Slave in Missouri who sued for his freedom
• Court decided that because Scott was not a
  citizen he had no right to sue.
• As a result, Republicans began to accuse
  Democrats of wanting to legalize slavery in all
  US states and territories

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Lincoln-Douglas Debates
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The Debate

• Source Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)

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Lincoln-Douglas Debates

• Stephen Douglas was the incumbent Senator from
  Illinois.
• What does incumbent mean?
• What do we know about Douglas?
• The Republicans run Abraham Lincoln for the
  Senate seat.

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Lincoln Douglas Debates

• The two debated all across Illinois
• Douglas won reelection
• In defeat Lincoln became a national figure and
  strengthened his standing in the Republican
  Party.
• Where have we seen this situation before
  Democrats win but Republicans gain all the
  momentum?

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John Browns Raid - 1859

• What was John Brown already responsible for?
• The Plan
• Capture the weapons housed in the US arsenal at
  Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
• Have slaves arm themselves and fight for freedom

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John Browns Raid

• October 16, 1859
• Brown and 18 followers 5 of whom were black
  captured the arsenal
• Brown spread the word but no slaves joined
• The U.S. Marines attacked Brown
• Some of his men were killed and 6, including
  Brown, were captured.
• Tried for treason and murder
• Hung for his crimes.