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The Road to Disunion: Causes of the Civil War

Added May 15, 2017 •

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Use to study for Civil War Final

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today we go look at the breakdown of the Union by considering how failed compromises of the institution of slavery increased sectional tension between the North and the South can the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 ultimately led to Civil War it's on the road to disunion previously we talked about manifest destiny American expansion in the 19th century the big question was whether new territories would ultimately allow slavery this was an issue because Northerners and where is when did they have as many votes as possible in Congress but to keep the other from other from having too much power both sides compromise and tried to maintain a balance between slave states and free states remember each state gets two votes in the Senate regardless of size what we'll see in the 1850s is tension between North and South that will ultimately lead to Civil War the first such compromise actually took place in 1820 when Missouri applied to when the Union as a slave state at the time they were seeking Northerners in Congress delayed Missouri's admission until they could find a state to counter to remain tame the balance ultimately as part of the Missouri compromise Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state Maine would enter as a free state but more importantly the remise drew the 36-30 line with said any future States from the Louisiana Territory north of this line would enter as free states do any states south of the line would enter a slave states remember most of the territory west of the Louisiana Territory was possessed by Spain and 8th 20 ultimate Lee disagreement did work and helped maintain sectional Harmony until the 1850s in 1850 California apply to join the United States as a free state California's population dramatically increased after the Mexican War when the United States bought the territory New Mexico also during this time gold was discovered leading to the California Gold Rush in 1849 these people who rushed into California were known as 49ers so if you're wondering how the San Francisco 49ers got their name this is how Southerners argued that a majority of California was south of a 30 play 630 line if it were drawn across the continent and some Southern started calling for secession Ewing at the potential of a California as a free state as a threat to their way of life ultimately the big names in Congress Henry Clay Daniel Webster and John C Calhoun got together one last time constructed a compromise this compromise known as the Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state it divided what was left of the Mexican Cession that territory the United States gained after the Mexican War and the two territories New Mexico and Utah is important understand that these were territories not States during the slavery question in these territories popular sovereignty would be used to decide let's make sure we understand that popular sovereignty is the idea that the people would side show people residing in these areas with vote to answer the question slave or free the compromise also set the border between Texas Mexico territory in the slave trade in Washington DC and established a much stronger Fugitive Slave Act play back that was part of the Compromise of 1850 dealt with runaway slaves as slaves who ran away for considered fugitives from the law the new law said slaves were not allowed to testify on their on their own behalf for have a trial by jury it only took the word of a slave owner to claim it after African working was a slave so free blacks could be placed into slavery and do nothing about it because they could not testify on their own behalf and this did happen this again the compromise is that it bought the United States a little more time before the Civil War while Southerners like the new Fugitive Slave Act Northern abolitionists were outraged in resync sectional tension popular sovereignty did not please anyone in would eventually lead to violence our last compromise over the institution of slavery this time. Was the Kansas-Nebraska Act Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas proposed a plan to settle the debraska territory so that he could build a rail to the West Coast V Illinois Senator he wants the railroad to go through Illinois do this Douglas needed support he proposed that slavery would be settled through popular sovereignty in the Kansas and Nebraska territories what is sued was it Fierce debate because this could potentially allow slavery north of the 36-30 line the Act was signed by President Franklin Pierce in 1854 and divide Nebraska territory into the Kansas and Nebraska territories it repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing for the slavery question in these territory you decide if you're popular sovereignty Northerners did not take this well as both territories were north of the 36-30 line from the Missouri Compromise grow slavery forces in Kansas which should be introduced to mr. John Brown the significance of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that a voided the Missouri Compromise and when did the creation of the Republican Party important understand that the Republican party did not want to abolish slavery it wanted to stop the spread of slavery into the I will talk a little bit more about the Republican party will get to the presidential election in 1860 and finally there was violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery purses in Kansas has both sides sent waves of people in the territory to influence the vote on slavery again popular sovereignty at the center of what can what is Bleeding Kansas was John Brown who was an abolitionist Crusader who believed he was doing God's work by punishing those who owned slaves LeBron just tired of people talking about abolition he wanted to force the issue at what can be known as the Pottawatomie Massacre John Brown in the band of arsonist retaliate against those who had attacked abolitionist forces in law in Lawrence Kansas by hunting them by hunting them down and hacking them to death swords all told you hundred people were killed in fighting between Pro and anti-slavery forces in Kansas and the US military would have be called in want me to last time to talk about John Brown there were many other issues in the 1850s that divided the country in 1862 Harriet Beecher Stowe puzzles the Tom's Cabin which was a novel that portrayed the horrors of slave life so was an active abolitionist and her book was widely read becoming the most read novel 19th century the only book that sold more copies in the 19th century the Bible did novel increased opposition to slavery it was concerning Southerners as it put slavery in the spotlight there was a story that says when Abraham Lincoln Mets toe in the early stages of the Civil War he said this is the lady who started the Great War what was not clear whether these words actually came out of the president's now there's some truth to the sentiment as Uncle Tom's Cabin play increase the rising tension between north and south and the 1850s violence is not just limited to abolitionists Crusaders with broadswords and is it starting this time it was also violence in the halls of Congress after giving an anti-slavery speech Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was approached by mersman Preston Brooks of South Carolina Brooks did not like the Senators message especially the part where his uncle Senator Andrew Butler was insulted by Sumner Brooks proceeded to beat Sumner within an inch of his life in congress with a cane while trying to escape from under a desk that was bolted to the floor Sumner ripped it from the floor and ran down the hall Butler proceeded to follow him beat him over the head repeatedly until his Cane broke some of was viewed as a martyr Brooks was seen as a hero the People South Carolina sent Brooks dozens of came to replace the one he broke on Sumner's head with a mess good job for those who think our politics are bad today at least we don't have this the Supreme Court also played a role in increasing divide between North and South Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom after his owner took him into a free territory but she just said the time was Rodger Taney who preside every Supreme Court that was controlled by Southerners Scott was not a citizen no right to be in court in the first place and had no claim to Freedom Jenny continued by ruling that Congress had no rights prohibit slavery in a territory as slaves were property this made the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional this was the first time the Supreme Court have used the power of judicial review since the Marbury versus Madison Case of 1803 Southerners love the ruling as slavery was now legal and all territories Northerners were obviously Supreme Court cleared the way for the expansion of slavery into the territories and by 1857 the tension between north and south is reaching its boiling an 1858 Abraham Lincoln a Republican lawyer from Illinois shall and Stephen Douglas for Douglas to send it to the same Steven the Kansas-Nebraska Act earlier Lincoln Challenge Senator Douglas to a series of debates ending around the issue of slavery Douglas argued for popular sovereignty and Supreme Court's ruling in Dred Scott and Lincoln as Republican argue for no expansion of slavery into territories Lincoln believed slavery to be only wrong but did say I am not nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the whites and blacks lost the race that was now in Memphis now in name in the North in Kansas need to start an armed slave rebellion in Virginia this plan involve capturing the federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in spreading out by the shooting weapons to the Prince of followers Brown thought would look to join his effort Browns plan failed when he was captured by Marines led by Robert E Lee Brown was tried and convicted of reason before being hanged Brown's actions terrified Southerners as they always fear to slave revolt and while Southerners view John Brown as a ad man he was a martyr for Northern abolitionists let's close the show by considering the election of 1860 the Democratic party split between toucan Stephen Douglas a northern Democrat in jhansi Breckenridge of Southern Democrat moderates nominated John Bell for the Constitutional Union party Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln the Republican party's platform in 1860 included no slavery in the territories they called for a strong tariff what internal improvements in the west we can look at a quote from one of Lincoln's famous speeches A house divided against itself cannot stand cannot endure permanently half slave and half free I do not expect the union to be dissolved I do not expect the house to fall but I do expect it will cease to be it will become all one thing or all the other and it'll be the election of 1860 that will test lipids idea we look at the map for the election of a 60 you can see that Lincoln wins the popular vote with about 40% of the of the vote you easily when's the Electoral College 59% look at this map is look at what Lincoln support comes from look where that dark blue is it's all in the north it's all in the West in the election of 18 shows the sectional differences as I just said your Lincoln wins in the North and the West Breckenridge the southern Democrat wins in the South easily and it's a sign the selection Lincoln's name doesn't even appear on the ballot in some Southern States but here's why this is significant people in the South sincerely believe Lincoln the northern Republican will any institution of slavery as president which is why on December 20th 1860 at 6 after Lincoln's elected the state of South Carolina secedes from the union and it's going to start a chain reaction of events for other states will follow and the Uhn United States now finds itself embroiled in a civil war will start that war next class until then goodnight Alba

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The Road to Disunion: Causes of the Civil War

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