Slavery & secession Pre-Civil War

4 Views of Slavery 1- Abolish slavery immediately 2- Make progress towards abolishing slavery (but not immediately) 3- Slavery is a “necessary evil” (either for political or economic reasons) 4- Slavery is perfectly acceptable [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hQ2u214A2Y

William Lloyd Garrison Radical abolitionist In his newspaper, The Liberator, he argued for “immediate” abolishment of slavery Famous for burning the Constitution Not all abolitionists agreed with Garrison’s extreme actions; opponents obviously really disagreed with him [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PbxSl-U89w

Nat Turner Revolt Nat Turner was a Virginia preacher who encouraged a slave rebellion that ended up killing about 60 people Southerners blamed Garrison for the revolt [video] http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery/videos/nat-turners- rebellion

Positive Steps Forward for Abolitionists The Liberty Party was formed (an abolitionist political party) The “underground railroad” was effective Harriet Tubman = helped about 300 slaves escape to freedom through the underground railroad [Tubman Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdno2YLm4Ms

The Wilmot Proviso This law “would have” made the new territories added from the Mexican War (Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty) to be free states After being debated in the House of Representatives, the Senate rejected it—ending the proviso

The Election of 1848 Two major parties: The Whig Party and the Free-Soil Party The Whigs were indifferent towards slavery The Free-Soil politicians were against slavery Presidential winner of 1848: Zachary Taylor

Compromise of 1850 Key Question: How to preserve the Union with the split opinion on slavery? Daniel Webster gave a famous, “Seventh of March Speech” which argued that there could be no “peaceful secession” ^ Why is this speech important to your teacher? Also of note: The powerful Zachary Taylor died in office during the summer of 1850, making Millard Fillmore president [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiOFqNppFmw

Kansas-Nebraska Act [Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIXmvr4kTEM [TED Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWww0YIf-JE The Missouri Compromise was…compromised The South got Kansas (slave state) The North got Nebraska (free state)

“Bleeding Kansas” As a reaction to the slave/free state controversy with the Kansas-Nebraska Act, spontaneous violence arose in Kansas—killing about 200 people

The Republican Party This party was form in 1854 to oppose the extension of slavery This was a coalition of Whigs, Free-Soilers, and Democrats (remember, these parties were not identical to today’s Democrat-Republican relationship)

Dred Scott Dred Scott had traveled with his owner from the slave state of Missouri to the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. HOWEVER, before his owner died, both had returned to the slave state of Missouri Scott’s Claim: Since he had lived in free states before returning to Missouri, he was now a free citizen Court’s Ruling: (1) Slaves are not allowed to sue (2) The Missouri Compromise (barring slavery in certain states) was unconstitutional. Therefore, Scott was not free. [Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OML9AVR10PQ

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates The “Little-Giant,” Stephen Douglas debated against the 6 ft. 4 “Honest Abe,” Abraham Lincoln for the fight to become a Senator of Illinois. Douglas was an incredible speaker; Lincoln was perceived by some as being very weak. However, it has been told that Lincoln’s honesty helped him win favor. Deciding factor: slavery. Lincoln spoke out against it in his debates (though his personal thoughts are questionable), while Douglas tried to keep the issue up to the states. The Outcome—Douglas won the seat in the Senate, but Lincoln would later win the presidency.

john Brown’s Raid John Brown was a radical abolitionist who tried to take over the South in order to destroy slavery He claimed to be called by God to destroy slavery His plan: To give the slaves weapons, establish a republic in the mountains of Virginia, and then invade the South to free all slaves He led a gang of 18 men into Harper’s Ferry, Virginia and seized a federal armory. However, the state militia captured him and was hanged for treason and conspiracy. [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11gevEoaJsk

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Author Harriet Beecher Stow published this novel to describe the abuses of slave life In the North, many people read the book. It became so popular that even plays were based on it, causing more and more people to oppose slavery.

The Election of 1860 Although there were more political parties back then, the major candidates were (a repeat of the 1858 Illinois election) Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. The winner: Abraham Lincoln (the Republican Party’s first president) [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6XJ5_hO1RE

Southern Secession Soon after the presidential election, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Others quickly followed: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas The Southern Confederates chose a president: Jefferson Davis [link] http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primaryso urces/declarationofcauses.html

Days of Crisis The president could not do anything to keep the South from seceding Some Northerners believed that the South could secede if they chose; others did not grant the South that right Lincoln’s inauguration address: “I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.” ALL attempts at compromise would fail…