Dred Scott v. Sanford Harper’s Ferry The Election of 1860 Slavery & Secession Dred Scott v. Sanford Harper’s Ferry The Election of 1860

Objectives To understand how the decisions made in the Dred Scott case and Lecompton Constitution impacted the political crisis over slavery. To understand what happened at Harper’s Ferry and the effect it had on the North and South. To understand what events led to Lincoln’s election, and how the Confederate States of America formed.

Slaves Issues Plague the Democratic Party

Buchanan and the Democratic Party Slavery remained the largest obstacle even for strong leaders, so for an indecisive president like Buchanan, the struggle to resolve the issue was nearly impossible. The political cartoon on the previous slide satirized Buchanan as little more than a mouth-piece for southern slavery. What were the two major slave issues that arose during Buchanan’s presidency? Dred Scott v. Sanford (1856) The LeCompton Constitution (1857)

The Dred Scott Decision A major political concern arose in 1856 when a slave, Dred Scott, claimed he had gained freedom by living several years in a free state with his owner before returning to Missouri and his owner dying. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney handed down his decision which had far flung impacts which went beyond the status of Scott’s freedom. How did Tanney’s decision impact the future of America? Tanney’s ruling stated three things; Slaves do not have the rights of citizens. Scott had no claim to freedom since the lawsuit was filed while he was living in Missouri, a slave state. The Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional according to the 5th Amendment, which supports the right to property. Therefore Congress can not forbid slavery in any state.

The LeCompton Constitution In 1857, the proslavery government at LeCompton, Kansas wrote a Constitution and applied for statehood. Free-Soiler’s outnumbered proslaver’s and rejected the Constitution. Buchanan made matters worse by endorsing the LeCompton Constitution since he felt he owed his election to Southern support. This infuriated Northerners, particularly Stephen A. Douglas. Douglas felt that popular sovereignty was being infringed upon with a presidential endorsement and rallied antislavery Democrats and Republicans to help reject the Constitution. The issues in Kansas showed the further separation of the two wings in the Democratic party.

Lincoln & Douglas Debate Stephen A. Douglas Abraham Lincoln Believed popular sovereignty would slowly diminish slavery. Viewed slavery as a backward labor system unsuitable to prairie agriculture. Depicted Lincoln as an extreme abolitionist who wanted racial equality. Believed slavery was immoral, and a labor system based on greed. Depicted Douglas as a defender of slavery and the Dred Scott decision. Argued that he was not for the equality of blacks and whites, but rather against the social, political and moral injustice that it represented. Lincoln & Douglas Debate

The Freeport Doctrine The second round of senatorial debates between Lincoln and Douglas took place in Freeport, IL. What important questions was asked there that made this debate famous? Lincoln asked “Could the settlers of a territory vote to exclude slavery before the territory became a state?” Everyone knew that the Dred Scott decision said “NO” to this, therefore popular sovereignty was a useless concept. This response to this question became known as the Freeport Doctrine. Douglas argued that “slavery cannot exist a day or an hour anywhere, unless it is supported by local police regulations.” This meant people could get around the Dred Scott ruling simply by electing representatives in their local governments who would not support slave property laws. This response won him the Senate seat, but worsened the rift between Northern and Southern whigs of the Democratic party.

Passions Ignite: Harpers Ferry When all seemed quiet in America, 1859 proved to be the end of compromises between the North & South over slavery. With financial backing from Northern abolitionists, John Brown reappeared on the scene with a plot to lead a slave uprising in Harpers Ferry, VA. On October 16th, 1859, Brown led a group of 21 men to the federal arsenal in the hope to seize weapons and distribute them to local slaves. Brown held 60 citizens hostage, but his plan failed when no slaves stepped up to revolt and local troops killed 8 of Brown’s men. Col. Robert E. Lee then arrived with a detachment of Marines to capture Brown. John Brown was convicted of high treason and hanged, which resulted in mixed reactions all over the U.S.

The Election of 1860 Lincoln won the Republican nomination at the Convention due to his opponents reputation that offended some of the Republican members. Lincoln’s more moderate approach led him to be propelled into the election. There were three candidates other than Lincoln that ran for office in 1860. Northern Democrats backed Stephen A. Douglas, Southern Democrats backed John C. Breckinridge, and a new party formed (Constitutional Union Party) which backed John Bell. Look at the political cartoon to the right and discuss what you notice about how the candidates are depicted? Lincoln won the election, but the outcome showed a strong sectional following which alienated the Southern views. Look at the map on the following slide to see how skewed the poll was as well as the grim outlook for U.S.

The Election of 1860 (Map & Stats)

Southern Secession Lincoln’s victory made Southerners feel that they lost their political voice in the national government since no Southern state voted for Lincoln. South Carolina decided to act through seceding from the union on Dec. 20th, 1860. Within a few weeks, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed suit by seceding along with South Carolina. The 7 seceded states met in Montgomery, AL and formed the Confederacy. They drafted a Constitution that protected the rights of slaveholders and states’ rights. Jefferson Davis was elected as President of the Confederacy, and the nation awaited the outcome of this event. Eight slave states remained in the Union and people wondered if they would secede. Mass resignations took place as secessionist left Washington, and Buchanan tied his own hands by stating that although secession was illegal, it was illegal for him to do anything about it.

The Confederate States (Map)

Reminders HW: Complete the Short Answer Questions on the Ch10 Review Packet Make-up missing assignments… falling behind will result in Sunday study halls and failing grades. Leave the room better than you found it and have a great day.