Renewing The sectional struggle 1848-1854 Ayanna Ogaldez and Haleigh Heflin

The sovereignty panacea Both political parties enjoyed powerful support in both the North and the South It would not have been beneficial to the Union if there were to be two purely sectional political parties The Democratic National Convention in Baltimore turned to an aging leader, General Lewis Cass as their candidate for presidency. He is known as the Father of Popular Sovereignty

the Sovereignty Panacea Popular Sovereignty- stated that the sovereign people of a territory under the general principles of the Constitution should themselves determine the status of slavery Popular with both the public and politicians Had one fatal defect; it might serve to spread the blight of slavery

POLITICAL TRIUMPHS FOR GENERAL TAYLOR The candidate for the Whig Party was Zachary Taylor, the Mexican American War hero He had never held political office or voted for president He was popular with the public, and the Whigs were able to avoid all controversial issues during his campaign. Unhappy antislavery people in the North organized the Free Soil Party, a party that was committed against the spread of slavery in the territories, advocated for government for internal improvements and pressured the government to provide free homesteads for settlers This party appealed to people who didn’t want blacks in the new territory and conscience Whigs who didn’t like slavery because of moral beliefs The Free -Soilers’ nominated Martin Van Buren Neither party talked about slavery, and Taylor won by a narrow margin

“CALIFORNY GOLD” In 1848 gold was discovered in California Many people rushed to California to try and get rich This brought a lot of violence and disease that the small California government couldn’t handle The California government needed protection from the renegades and made their own Constitution that outlawed slavery and passed in 1849. They applied and were granted statehood in 1850, much to the South's disdain. It tipped the balance of power in Congress toward states that were against slavery.

Political Cartoon of Zachary Taylor California Gold Miner Political Cartoon of Zachary Taylor

SECTIONAL BALANCE AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD In 1850, the South was relatively prosperous, it’s cotton fields were expanding and the price of cotton was increasing There were not that many people in the North or South that thought slavery was threatened where it already existed There were 15 slave states and 15 free states but, the admission of California would upset the already delicate balance between free and slave states in Congress

SECTIONAL BALANCE AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD There was not that much potential slave territory left, and there was already tension building up in both the Utah and New Mexico territories because some in those territories wanted them to be admitted as free states Many Southerners were also upset about the number of slaves that were lost to the Underground Railroad, which wasn’t actually a railroad, but a system of informal chain “stations” (antislavery) through which many “passengers” (runaway slaves) were taken through by “conductors” (usually black or white abolitionists) from slave states to the free soil of Canada

TWILIGHT OF THE SENATORIAL GIANTS The Congressional Debate of 1850 was called to talk about the admission of California as a free state and the possible secession of some southern states Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster known as the Immortal Trio spoke at the debate. Clay, known as the Great Compromiser proposed a series of compromises such as the idea that the North make up a stricter Fugitive Slave Law

TWILIGHT OF THE SENATORIAL GIANTS John Calhoun, the Great Nullifier, proposed that slavery be left alone, that runaway slaves be returned, that the South get their rights as minority, and that the political balance be restored. His idea was that there would be 2 presidents, one from the North and one from the South Daniel Webster, proposed that all compromises be made with the South and that the North enact a new fugitive slavery law. Though he was against slavery, he agreed that the South was very important to the Union. Webster’s famous Seventh of March Speech of 1850 helped to turn the tide in the North toward compromise. His attempt visibly improved Union sentiment. However, Free Soilers and abolitionists saw him as a traitor.

Henry Clay Daniel Webster John Calhoun

DEADLOCK AND DANGER ON CAPITOL HILL The Northern “New Guard "hadn't grown up with the Union and as a result wanted to cleanse and purify it as opposed to patch it up William H. Seward was an antislavery senator from NY, and spokesperson for much of the “New Guard” Against concession Argued that there was a power higher than the Constitution Didn’t realize that the Union was built off of compromise and without it, split would be inevitable President Taylor had fallen under Seward’s influence and seemed to want to veto all compromises Because of this, the Civil War almost broke out in 1850

BREAKING THE CONGRESSIONAL LOGJAM President Taylor died suddenly in 1850 Millard Filmore took over He then signed the Compromise of 1850 However, it was just as hard to get the country to agree to this compromise as it was Congress The “Immortal Trio” spoke on behalf of the compromise The South hated the compromise, but eventually accepted it Another Era of Good Feelings dawned

What was gained in the compromise of 1850…. NORTH SOUTH California was admitted as a free state. Popular sovereignty in the Mexican Cession lands. Texas lost it’s disputed territory to New Mexico and Oklahoma. Texas was paid $10 million for the land lost to New Mexico The District of Columbia could not have slave trade, however, slavery was still legal. A new, tougher Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was instated and more drastic than the previous version.

DEFEAT AND DOOM FOR THE WHIGS In 1852 the Democrats nominated Franklin Pierce, who was unknown and enemy-less. The Whigs nominated Winfield Scott, a veteran of the War of 1812. The Whigs were split in political beliefs, so Pierce won by a landslide. This brought about the death of the Whig party, and the rise of sectional political alignment.

EXPANSIONIST STIRRINGS SOUTH OF THE BORDER Pierce’s cabinet was filled with Southerners like Jefferson Davis and he was all set to be a tool for the Southerners In July of 1856 William Walker invaded Nicaragua, proclaimed himself president and legalized slavery However, a group of Latin American leaders overthrew him This threw some fuel into the idea of the “Slavocracy Theory” (the theory that the South was always trying to find new slave land)

Jefferson Davis Franklin Pierce

EXPANSIONIST STIRRINGS SOUTH OF THE BORDER The U.S. also wanted Cuba However, Spain would not sell it at any cost After two failed attempts to take Cuba and the Spanish captured the American Steamer “Black Warrior, 3 U.S. foreign ministers met in Ostend, Belgium and drew up the Ostend Manifesto which stated that the U.S. would offer Spain 120 million dollars for Cuba, or they would invade it Northerners were vey upset once they found out about the document The South was upset because it would not have been able to get Cuba as a slave state Pierce was embarrassed and even more fuel was thrown into the “Slavocracy Theory”

THE ALLURE OF ASIA In the Pacific, America was ready to open up to Asia Caleb Crushing was sent to China on a goodwill mission The Chinese were welcoming because they wanted to counter the British The U.S. China trade began to flourish Missionaries also sought to save souls in China; however, they mostly encountered resentment Relations with Japan were opened when Commodore Matthew C. Perry went to Tokyo in 1854 and coerced/forced/asked them to open their nation The Treaty of Kanagawa formally opened up Japan, and broke their centuries old tradition of isolation and put them on the road to militarism, modernism, and imperialism

PACIFIC RAILROAD PROMOTERS AND THE GADSEN PURCHASE Though the U.S. owned Oregon and California, it was very difficult for potential settlers to get there because the sea routes were very long, the land routes were dangerous. So, the only real solution was a railroad The Southerners wanted a route in the South, but the best one would go through Mexico, so Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War made it so James Gadsden was appointed as minister to Mexico Santa Anna, the ruler of Mexico at that time agreed to sell that portion of Mexico for $10 million. This was known as the Gadsden Purchase The South appeared to have control of the railroad, but the North said that if organization was the problem, then Nebraska should be organized

DOUGLAS’ KANSAS NEBRASKA SCHEME Senator Stephen Douglas proposed the Kansas- Nebraska Act Let slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, but only by popular sovereignty. However, the Act would conflict with the Missouri Compromise that had banned any slavery north of the 36, 30’ line. The Southerners had never considered Kansas a possible slave state, so they backed the bill, but Northerners rallied against it. Nevertheless, the Act passed through Congress, and nullified the Missouri Compromise.

CONGRESS LEGISLATES A CIVIL WAR The Kansas-Nebraska Act wrecked the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and indirectly wrecked the Compromise of 1850. Northerners no longer enforced the Fugitive Slave Law at all, and Southerners were angry. The Democratic party was hopelessly split, and after 1856, would not have a president elect for 28 years.

BIBLIOGRAPHY apnotes.net The American Pageant 14th Edition

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