Chapter 10 Section 4 The System Fails By: Erica Bronstein, Abby Kaiser Devon Massey, Andrew Chiang, and Steven Aller

Setting the Scene After the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act national attention focused on Kansas Territory Under the new law, Kansas had to decide whether to allow or ban slavery Majority of Kansas voted to allow slavery to continue

Violence Erupts Antislavery groups in the Northeast set up Emigrant Aid societies to send New Englanders to Kansas to fight against slavery New settlers were known as free soilers Free Soilers- a person dedicated to preventing the expansion of slavery into the western territories

Violence Erupts continued Proslavery settlers in Missouri organized secret societies to fight against the free soilers Kansas had two fighting capitals: Topeka (antislavery) and Lecompton (proslavery) The tension created violence On May 21, 1856 robbing began by proslavery supporters in Kansas

Bleeding Kansas John Brown got upset by the robberies occurring that were done by the proslavery groups He believed he was “ God’s chosen instrument to end slavery” May 24, 1856 Brown gathered New Englanders and they went to Pottawatomie Creek

Bleeding Kansas Continued Brown and New Englanders captured five proslavery men from their homes and killed them in front of their families This caused many raids throughout Kansas The violence that occurred got the territory nicknamed “Bleeding Kansas”

Bleeding Sumner Violence spread to the U.S. capital Senator Charles Sumner made a fierce and bold speech that insulted the South for allowing slavery Especially, he verbally attacked Senator Butler of South Carolina Preston Brooks, nephew of Butler, and a member of the House of Representatives was angry with Sumner’s speech

Bleeding Sumer continued Days after Sumner’s speech, Brooks was offended so he beat Sumner with a cane Sumner was badly hurt and never returned to full health People in the South supported Brooks while the North was upset with Brooks actions One Southerner sent Brooks a cane with the statement “Hit him again” engraved in it

Slavery and National Politics Violence passed and peace returned to the country The issue of slavery continued to dominate national politics

The Election of 1856 In Cincinnati, the Democrats nominated James Buchanan for president The Republicans chose John C. Fremont who had no experience with politics The American Party nominated former President Millard Fillmore

The Election of 1856 Continued The Democrats supported the Compromise of 1850 and the Republicans did not Buchanan won with south support and a little support form the North Buchanan promised to “ stop the agitation of the slavery issue” in the North

The Election of 1856 Continued Buchanan stated that slavery was going to end soon and hoped that the Supreme Court would help end it However, the Supreme Court did not help end slavery and this inaction outraged the North This divided the country further

The Dred Scott Decision In March 1857 the most controversial case came to the Supreme Court This case was Dred Scott v. Stanford Started with an enslaved man: Dred Scott He lived in Missouri and filed a law suit against his owner

The Dred Scott Decision Continued He argued that he and his wife had once lived in states/territories where slavery was illegal, so therefore he and his wife were actually free The ruling was 7 to 2 against Dred Scott The Supreme Court decided that even if a slave is living in a free state/territory, he or she is not free It took ten years before the case was brought to the Supreme Court

The Dred Scott Decision Continued Slaves were not citizens and had no right to sue anyone Also, the Court decided that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional Slaves were property to their owners so by law the Congress could not take away property without a reason according to the Fifth Amendment

The Dred Scott Decision Continued Antislavery forces were disgusted with the Dred Scott v. Stanford outcome President Buchanan supported the court’s choice Buchanan hoped that the national government would not have to deal with the slavery issue again

The Lecompton Constitution The political fight over slavery was not over In 1857 a proslavery group In Kansas elected members to a convention to write the constitution Most people who lived in Kansas opposed slavery

The Lecompton Constitution Continued President Buchanan hoped that the problem of slavery in Kansas would end once Kansas became a state (it was a territory at the time) President Buchanan endorsed the Lecompton Constitution Democratic leader Stephen Douglas spoke against the Lecompton Constitution and criticized Buchanan for tolerating it

The Lecompton Constitution Continued The Lecompton Constitution was defeated in 1858 by the people According to the Dred Scott decision, Kansas was a territory and slavery remained legal. Still, the free-soiler majority banned slavery

Lincoln and Douglas Senator Douglas, also known as “the Little Giant”, criticized the Lecompton Constitution out of his beliefs and to be responsive to society Douglas supported slavery Douglas had been one of the most important senators but was overshadowed by the Republican opponent Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln and Douglas Abraham Lincoln had practiced law as youthful adult and was recognized for his debate and his strength of character These two political figures confronted when competing against each other in the presidential campaign. The campaign was noticed for the debates against the two candidates The seven debates that were occurred were known as the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates The main topics of the debates were majority rule and minority rights Their views: - What they had in common: 1. Views on African Americans were similar

How Lincoln and Douglas Differed in Opinions Supported popular sovereignty Did not support popular sovereignty Supported slavery Opposed slavery ( In the North, he based his speeches mostly off of his opposition to slavery)

Lincoln-Douglas Debates Outcome Douglas won Lincoln gained a good reputation and was elected president two years later

John Brown’s Raid John Brown raided a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia on October 16, 1859 Arsenal- place where weapons are made or stored Brown and twenty-one other men were hoping to raid the arsenal and give the weapons to enslaved people so they could rebel

John Brown’s Raid Continued United States troops surrounded the arsenal The troops killed half of Brown’s men Brown and the surviving men surrendered John Brown was sentenced to be hanged for treason

John Brown’s Raid Continued “ I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away; but with Blood.” -John Brown (final message) To white Southerners Brown was a criminal that tried to launch a rebellion To Northerners Brown was a willing victim to the cause of justice. Brown’s raid caused more anger between North & South

Reading Focus Question and Answer 1. Why did violence erupt in Kansas in the mid-1850s? Violence erupted in Kansas because antislavery groups in the Northeast set up Emigrant Aid societies to send 1,200 New Englanders to fight in Kansas against slavery.

Reading Focus Question and Answer 2. How did slavery affect national politics in this period? Slavery affected national politics because it was diving the North and the South more and more. In addition, it started to become a regional issue and the Republican Party formed over this issue.

Reading Focus Question and Answer 3. What problems did the Lecompton constitution cause? The Lecompton Constitution caused problems including that people refused to vote for either option on the ballot because both choices protected slavery in Kansas. The Lecompton Constitution split the people in half.

Reading Focus Question and Answer 4. What important issues were discussed in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate? The issues that were discussed in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate were slavery, equal rights for African Americans and Caucasians. Douglas supported popular sovereignty, which is when people get to decided if the state they live in is pro or anti slavery. Lincoln supported that idea of majority v. minority, which meant that majority could not affect on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Lincoln had no intentions that blacks and whites should have equal rights; but blacks should be free.

Reading Focus Question and Answer 5. How did John Brown’s raid increase tensions between the North and the South? John Brown caused more tensions between the North and the South because the North gave him sympathy and in the South, Brown was a criminal who tried to launch a rebellion aimed at their very lives. This deepened anger between the North and the South.

Citation "Dred Scott's fight for freedom." PBS. 9 Apr. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html>.