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INTRODUCTION
As you have already seen, the North and South were already starting to divide economically as the North modernized manufacturing with the Industrial Revolution and the South continued to invest in agriculture. You have also seen that slavery was beginning to die out in the North while it was getting stronger in the South. This page will illustrate some of the major events that contributed to this continuing divide between North and South.
SLAVERY AND THE WEST
As Americans moved West, the question of whether slavery should be allowed there became very important to many people. Northerners were becoming more and more anti-slavery in their views, while Southerners were upset with any attempt to limit slavery.
This map comes from compromise-of-1850.org
The Missouri Compromise - 1820
In the early 1800s, Missouri wanted to become a state. Its constitution would allow slavery. At the time, there were 11 states that allowed slavery and 11 states where slavery was illegal. That meant that there were 22 Senators in favor of slavery and 22 who were opposed. If Missouri became a state, that balance would be destroyed.
Henry Clay, who was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, proposed a compromise. He suggested that Maine could enter the Union as a free state to balance Missouri entering as a slave state. This kept the balance of free states and slave states equal.
This was only a temporary solution. What would happen the next time people in a western territory wanted to create a state and enter the Union?
Map from https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/the-compromise-of-1850
The Compromise of 1850
The question of what to do when another territory wanted to become a state became serious when California wanted to enter as a free state. This would throw off the free state/slave state balance in the Senate.
Another compromise was needed.
In 1850 a Senator named Henry Clay proposed a compromise. This became known as the Compromise of 1850.
Here are the parts of the Compromise of 1850:
California would enter the Union as a free state
The rest of the territory that was won from Mexico was divided into the territories of Utah and New Mexico. The voters of each of these territories would vote to decide whether they would allow slavery or not
The buying and selling of slaves was outlawed in Washington D.C. - however, slavery in the capital was not ended
There was a very strict fugitive slave law
OUR COUNTRY BEGINS TO DIVIDE
Other issues and events from this time period contributed to the division between those who were against slavery in the North and those who supported slavery in the South. The South was also becoming increasingly concerned that the North was working to take away the rights of states in the South. Here are some of the events that contributed to this growing divide:
The Fugitive Slave Act - 1850
As part of the Compromise of 1850, Congress passed a new fugitive slave law to persuade slave states to accept the compromise.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required every American, whether they supported slavery or were against slavery, to help catch runaway slaves. If you helped a runaway slave, you could be fined or put in jail.
This poster is from Boston, Massachusetts. Massachusetts had outlawed slavery years before The Fugitive Slave Act, but now Massachusetts citizens were required by federal law to assist in catching runaway slaves.
This act made many Northerners angry with the South and convinced them of the evils of slavery. Many in the North refused to obey the law because of their moral beliefs about the injustice of slavery.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Book, Uncle Tom's Cabin - 1852
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe and her husband Calvin Stowe were Northern abolitionists, or people who opposed slavery. They supported the Underground Railroad and housed fugitive slaves in their home.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book titled Uncle Tom's Cabin to show the world that slavery was evil and that the Fugitive Slave act was unfair.
This portrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe was painted by Francis Holl in 1853 - this was about the time Uncle Tom's Cabin was published.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
This was a fictional story of a kind, Christian slave named Uncle Tom who is sold by his owner to a cruel owner named Simon Legree who is brutal to his slaves. Legree orders Tom to whip another slave. When Tom refuses, Legree whips Tom to death.
This book sold 5,000 copies in the first two days it was available. It went on to sell 300,000 copies. Many Southerners were outraged and argued that the book was not an accurate representation of slave life. Many Northerners became convinced that slavery was a moral issue that they could no longer wait for the government to solve.
Map from https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/the-compromise-of-1850
The Kansas-Nebraska Act - 1854
Take another look at this map of the United States after the Compromise of 1850 - specifically, focus on the area in the middle labeled "Unorganized Territory."
A Senator by the name of Stephen Douglas proposed that this area should be divided into two new territories: Kansas and Nebraska. The people in each of these territories would then vote to see if slavery would be allowed in the territory or not.
Many Southerners supported this because they assumed that pro-slavery people from Missouri would cross the border and support slavery there. Many Northerners were upset because these territories were in an area that the Missouri Compromise had designated as being slave-free.
This painting is titled Tragic Prelude and it can be found in the Kansas State Capitol building. It shows John Brown at the center of the conflict that would eventually grow to become a cause of the Civil War.
Bleeding Kansas - 1856
Both proslavery and antislavery settlers moved to Kansas in an attempt to sway the voting to their side. Hundreds of proslavery people from Missouri crossed the border and voted illegally. A proslavery state government was elected and they passed proslavery laws. Antislavery settlers refused to accept this government and elected their own antislavery government.
Some people on both sides began causing problems throughout Kansas. John Brown was an abolitionist - antislavery -and a settler of Kansas. He felt that God had called him to fight against slavery. He and his sons went to a town called Pottawatomie Creek where they dragged five proslavery men out of their homes in the middle of the night and killed them.
These murders led to more violence. By the end of the year over 200 people had been killed in Kansas.
This map comes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1856_United_States_presidential_election
The Presidential election of 1856
At this time in America there were three main political parties that were anti-slavery: the Antislavery Democrats (who had left the Democrat party), Antislavery Whigs, and the Free-Soilers. They joined together to form a new party called the Republican Party.
The first presidential election for the new Republican Party came in 1856. The Republicans nominated John C. Fremont. The Democrats nominated James Buchanan. The American Party (also called the Know Nothing Party), which was an anti-immigrant party, nominated Millard Fillmore who had been president before.
Take a look at the map to see how the voting went. The blue states voted for the Democrat Buchanan while the red states voted for the Republican Fremont. James Buchanan became president, but notice that the Republicans did not win a single state in the South.
Dred and Harriet Scott
The Dred Scott Case - 1857
Dred Scott was a slave who had moved several times. He lived in Missouri, a slave state, with his owner and then moved to the free state of Illinois and the free Wisconsin Territory where he was married to Harriet by a justice of the peace. He later moved with his owner and Harriet back to Missouri.
Antislavery lawyers worked with Dred Scott to take a case to court. They argued that he should be free because he lived in a free territory where slavery was not allowed.
Dred Scott's case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The court decision stated that Dred Scott could not bring a case before the court because, as a slave, he was property and not a citizen. The court went on to decide that Congress couldn't make a law making slavery illegal in the territories. This meant that the entire Missouri Compromise was now unconstitutional.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates - 1858
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln (Republican) ran against Stephen Douglas (Democrat) for the Senate race in Illinois. As part of this election, the two faced each other in a series of seven debates held between August and October of 1858. The main topic of these debates was slavery.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was a successful lawyer in Illinois. He had served in both the Illinois State Legislature and the United States House of Representatives.
Lincoln argued that slavery was morally wrong and that it should not be allowed to spread any farther than it already had.
Stephen Douglas
Stephen Douglas was also a successful lawyer. He had served in both the United States House of Representatives and in the United States Senate. He was currently a Senator from Illinois when he ran against Lincoln.
Douglas did not like slavery, and he felt that the people of the new territories should vote as to whether their territory would support slavery or not.
Stephen Douglas won the Senate race, but not by much. The two would meet again in 1860 in the election for President of the United States.
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry - 1859
In October of 1859, John Brown and 21 followers attacked the military arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (this is the same John Brown from "Bleeding Kansas"). An arsenal is a place where weapons are stored. Brown was hoping to give the weapons that he would capture to slaves who would then start a revolt against their owners.
He and his followers were not successful. Information about the revolt never reached any slaves and none came to join in the rebellion. John Brown and his followers were captured by local townspeople and members of the U.S. Military.
In this photograph from 1862, the arsenal is the building on the right. The building on the left is the firehouse where Brown was captured.
John Brown in 1859
John Brown's Execution
Following his capture, John Brown was put on trial for treason and murder. He was found to be guilty of both and was executed by hanging.
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, and his execution, caused different reactions throughout the United States.
Some people saw him as a hero who died trying to destroy slavery.
Some people disliked slavery but didn't agree with using violence to end it.
Many in the South saw this as an attempt by the North to forcefully end slavery.
The Election of 1860
Here are the candidates for President of the United States in the Election of 1860:
Abraham Lincoln
Republican Candidate
The Republicans believed that slavery should not be allowed to expand, but that slavery should continue where it already existed
Stephen Douglas
Democratic Candidate
The Democrats believed that the people in each territory should vote to decide whether slavery should be allowed in their territory
John Breckinridge
Southern Democrat Candidate
The Southern Democrats believed that slavery should be able to continue
John Bell
Constitutional Union Candidate
The Constitutional Union Party did not take a position on slavery
Map from AndyHogan14 - Own work http://www.270towin.com/1860_Election/
This map shows the results of the presidential election of 1860. The numbers represent the electoral votes each candidate received.
The Democratic Party was split which allowed Abraham Lincoln to win the election and become president.
Notice how most of the Northern states voted for Lincoln and that he did not win a single state in the south. Many Southerners were convinced that Lincoln's election would lead to the end of slavery.
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