The House Divided 1846-1861

North vs South North South Northern states had either abolished slavery or put it on the road to extinction Southern states had built the largest slave society in the world

Slave society The South was not merely a society with slaves. It had become a slave society. Slavery shaped the region’s economy, culture, social structure, and politics.

David Wilmot of Pennsylvania

The Territories? Should slavery be extended to the territories? The Wilmot Proviso says no A compromise of “popular sovereignty” is proposed—let those who live in the territory decide

Congress Does not Act The House of Representatives passed the Wilmot Proviso (it is dominated by northern states) The Senate rejected the proviso (it is dominated by slave states) It becomes an issue in the election of 1848

Political Parties All political parties were split between those advocating slavery and those against it

Election of 1848 Democrats: Lewis Cass (‘popular sovereignty’) Whigs: Zachary Taylor (Mexican War hero) Free Soil Party: Martin Van Buren

Free Soil Party Anti-slavery Whigs and anti-slavery Democrats founded the Free Soil Party, making slavery the central issue of the campaign Neither the Whigs nor Democrats took an official stand on slavery in the election of 1848

Zachary Taylor Taylor supported the Free Soil approach to the territories—surprising given that he was a Southerner and slaveholder He encouraged California and New Mexico to draw up constitutions to apply for statehood promptly

Congressional Session of 1849 One of the most contentious and significant sessions in its history Senator Henry Clay proposed a series of resolutions that sought to balance the interests of the slave and free states: The Omnibus Bill both the anti-slavery people and the “fire- eaters” or radical secessionist Southerners hated Clay’s plan and it failed

Great Triumvirate

Senator Daniel Webster Sanctioned compromise, stating that the new territories did not have the climate appropriate for slavery, making it a mute point Northerners thought he abandoned their cause

Senator Stephen Douglas broke Clay’s compromise into its various parts and skillfully ushered each part through Congress Combined, the various bills are known as the Compromise of 1850

Compromise of 1850 California to enter the Union as a free state New Mexico and Utah would be decided by popular sovereignty Texas accepted its boundary with New Mexico Slave trade in Washington DC would be abolished Fugitive slave laws would be more stringent

Compromise of 1850

The Compromise It is more a testament to Douglas’s political skills than to real compromise It preserved the Union, but only temporarily

1850 President Zachary Taylor died President Millard Fillmore succeeds him California is admitted to the Union Fugitive Slave Act is passed

Fugitive Slave Act The most explosive measure of the Compromise of 1850 Southerners thought the North betrayed the Compromise In the North there were some “personal liberty laws” that provided some fugitives with protection Brutal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act radicalized the North

Harriet Beecher Stowe

President Franklin Pierce

Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854

Political Realignment

Know Nothing Party

John C. Fremont First candidate of the Republican Party to run for president

Jessie Benton Fremont

Anti-slavery candidate

President James Buchanan

Dred Scott Decision

Lincoln-Douglas debates

Lincoln challenges Senator Douglas

Douglas retains his Senate seat

John Brown

John Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry

1. What was the tone of this execution? (Answer: Somber and intense; the artist paints the scene in muted colors. The leaves on the trees have died, and all of the spectators are bundled up for the cold autumn weather. The men in the scene wear black, and they do not appear to talk to one another. Nearly everyone watches Brown’s procession. Brown silently and calmly stares forward. A lone African American turns to the viewer with a dismayed look on her face.)   2. How do you think this artist felt about Brown’s execution? (Answer: The artist felt sympathy for Brown. There is no celebration of the execution. Brown makes no commotion and wears a look of dignity. The African American woman, wearing blue for emphasis, reveals that the author viewed Brown as a hero for his actions.)

Lincoln elected 1860