The Crisis Deepens: Civil War is Inevitable Dred Scott Decision (1857) Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858) John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) Election of 1860

Years earlier, a slave named Dred Scott, was taken by his master to the North (free territory) and then back south to Missouri (slave territory). He sued for his freedom… Having been on free soil, he argued that his time on free soil in the north had made him free. Abolitionists believed this case, with the power of the Supreme Court, could end slavery… The Decision/Significance Supreme Court ruled African-Americans were not citizens and therefor, had NO RIGHTS, nor could they become citizens. Slaves were private property, so the slave owner’s property was protected by the Constitution Congress had no right to ban slavery in any territory. “Slavery was Lawful and Legal” Dred Scott v. Sanford lg

In 1858, Republican Abraham Lincoln ran against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas for the Illinois US Senate seat. He challenged Douglas to a series of formal debates… Lincoln – Douglas Debates 1858 Lincoln’s Arguments (Republican) Douglas’ Arguments (Democrat) “Slavery is a moral issue, not a legal issue” “A house divided against itself cannot stand” “African Americans are human beings with rights guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence…” “The Dred Scott decision put the slavery issue to rest…” “I see no reason why the nation can’t exist as half-slave, half-free” “Slavery should be decided by popular sovereignty” Lincoln lost the Senate race, but the debates were widely reported and they helped make him a national figure. Lincoln had made a name for himself and his new Republican party. His arguments brought the moral issue of slavery into sharp focus nationwide. Compromise over slavery was becoming impossible…

Abolitionist John Brown had a plan to inspire slaves to fight for their freedom. Brown and several white and black men attacked a US Marine arsenal in Harper’s Ferry W. Virginia, to capture weapons and supply a slave revolt. The attack failed and John Brown was captured and hanged for murder and treason. Southerners were outraged by his actions, and it made some Southerners fear future slave revolts. Northerners praised his deeds and he was seen as a hero to many. The morning of his hanging, he wrote… “I, John Brown, am quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with blood.”

LAST MOMENTS OF JOHN BROWN… (Supposedly) Which perspective?

Democrats couldn’t agree on a candidate… Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats chose separate candidates… Stephen Douglas (northern) and John Breckinridge (southern)

The Republican party nominated Abraham Lincoln. He ran on the platform that opposed the extension of slavery any further in the U.S.

The split in the Democratic party (2 candidates) allowed Lincoln to win the presidency with only 39% of the vote… He didn’t win a single southern state. This further contributed to the spirit of sectionalism in the U.S. and was the breaking point for the south.

Birth of the Confederacy When Lincoln won the 1860 election, Southerners were outraged. S. Carolina immediately (12/20/1860) seceded from the Union. Six other states followed their example by seceding before Lincoln even took office. They formed the Confederate States of America Southerners were concerned that Lincoln would end slavery and their economy depended on slaves as a labor source. The current president, James Buchanan took no action against states that had seceded… The Confederacy elected Jefferson Davis as president. Davis argued that southern states were acting on principles found in the Declaration of Independence. “The government rests on the consent of the governed…and it’s the right of the people to alter or abolish a government when it becomes destructive” Davis also pointed out that the south had no hostile feelings towards the north and there were no grounds for a conflict, but that the south would defend themselves