17.3 A New Political Party pp. 552-555

Objectives: Relate how the Republican Party was formed. Discuss the issues and results of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Review 1. What legislation was introduced to outlaw slavery in all territory acquired from Mexico? 2. Define sectionalism— 3. Which Michigan senator is best known for introducing the notion of popular sovereignty? 4. Define popular sovereignty— 5. __________________’s application for statehood touched off a long and bitter sectional debate. 6. Which South Carolina senator warned that the South might secede? 7. Define secede— 8. Who was known as the “Great Compromiser”? 9. Who guided Clay’s compromise bills through and won Senate approval for all of them? 10. List the parts of the Compromise of 1850.

Review 11. What legislation made it a crime to help runaway slaves? 12. What best-selling novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe swayed more Northerners than ever against slavery? 13. What 1854 legislation outraged Northerners by effectively canceling the Missouri Compromise and allowing slavery in areas long considered free? 14. Which Kansas town became a Free-Soil stronghold before it was sacked and burned by proslavery settlers? 15. What were drifters from Missouri who crossed the Kansas border to vote illegally for a proslavery government called? 16. Which fanatical abolitionist led a group that murdered several proslavery settlers at Pottawatomie Creek (Kansas)? 17. Because of numerous incidents of violence and lawlessness, Americans began referring to the Kansas territory as “____________ _____________.” 18. Who savagely beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in retaliation for an insulting antislavery speech? 19. Who sued for his freedom on the grounds that living in a free territory had made him a free man? 20. List three important rulings in the Dred Scott decision.

A. The Republican Party (p. 552) The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision were welcome news in the South. But in the North, the fury surrounding these events split the old Whig party and brought about new political alliances. Antislavery Whigs, anti-Nebraska Democrats, and some Free-Soilers formed the Republican Party. Despite some differences, all Republicans agreed that Congress should keep slavery out of the Western territories.

B. The Emergence of Lincoln (pp. 553-554) Having overcome a childhood of poverty, personal tragedy, and loneliness, Abraham Lincoln was a classic example of a self-made man As a young adult Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois, where he purchased a country store, entered local politics, and joined the Whig Party. But it was the Republican Party that addressed the spread of slavery—one of Lincoln’s concerns. In a famous political speech, Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

C. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (p. 554-555) In 1858 Lincoln decided to challenge Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas, the “Little Giant,” for his seat in the Senate. In a famous series of debates, Douglas accused Lincoln of calling for war between the North and South, and he attacked the idea of African American equality. To Lincoln, slavery was a moral wrong, an evil that must be limited so that it would die out. Although Lincoln lost the election, he won respect and a national reputation.

Abraham Lincoln

Review: 21. Which political party was formed in 1854 from antislavery Whigs, anti-Nebraska Democrats, and Free-Soilers? 22. What was the main goal of the Republican Party? 23. According to Abraham Lincoln, “A ___________________ divided against itself __________________ __________________.” 24. Who did Lincoln debate in 1858 for the Senate seat for Illinois?