Challenges to Slavery
Slavery RAFT Assignment : Handwritten on notebook paper or printer paper and turned in.
The Republican Party:
Formed in 1854, the new party was determined to "rally as one man for the establishment of liberty and the overthrow of the Slave Power." One of their main goals was to ban slavery in new territories.
In the midterm elections of 1854, the North showed support for the Republican Party, while the South voted almost entirely for the Democratic Party.
Election of 1856-Pierce was not re-elected because of his association with the violence in Kansas. the Democratic party nominated James Buchanan of Pennsylvania.
President Buchanan took office in March of 1857.
The Dred Scott Decision:
Dred Scott was a slave bought by an army doctor in MO. In the 1830's, the doctor moved to Illinois, a free state, and then to the WI territory where slavery was banned. Later on the family returned to MO where the doctor eventually died.
In 1846, Scott sued for his freedom, saying that he should be free because he had once lived on free soil. 11 years later, after moving through the court system, the case finally landed in the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that Scott was still a slave. As a slave, he was not a citizen and had no right to bring a lawsuit. He went on to say that Scott's residence on free soil did not make him free. A slave was property and the 5th Amendment prohibited Congress taking away property without due process of law.
Further, he said that Congress had no right to ban slavery in any territory and said that the MO Compromise was unconstitutional, as well as the notion of popular sovereignty. The decision basically ruled that the Constitution protected slavery.
Pause and Ponder: What do you think about how the Supreme Court justified their decision? Does it make sense?
How do you think that people reacted to this decision in the north? How about the South?
How did the Dred Scott decision reverse a previous decision made by Congress?
Lincoln and Douglas
Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were both running for the Senate seat in the 1858 Illinois election. In order to demonstrate to the American people where they stood on hot topic issues, they held a series of debates, called the Lincoln-Douglas debates which are the foundation of modern debating practices. They argued primarily over the issues of slavery and sectionalism.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free." --Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln quickly arose as a leader following the debates. Because of his anti-slavery policies, he did not gain much favor in the Southern states. He did not win the Senate seat, however, he became famous enough that he was a successful presidential candidate later on.
The Raid on Harper's Ferry
Watch the video above and read through the biography to the right of this box. In your notebook, answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Describe what happened at Harper's Ferry.
2. Why do you think that slaves were hesitant to participate in revolts?
3. Did it seem like Brown regretted his actions at all? What evidence lead you to this conclusion?
4. Was John Brown a terrorist or a martyr? Why do you hold this opinion?
