APUSH Chapter 19: Drifting Toward Disunion
Election of 1860
Most fateful election of American history which basically determined peace or war. With two democratic parties, One representing the North and one representing the South. Stephen A. Douglass represented the Northern Democrats and John C. Breckenridge represented the South. A Third Party called the Constitutional Union Party with their nominee as John Bell. With Abraham Lincoln as the Republican party nominee who won.
Bleeding Kansas
Name for the Time of Conflict in Kansas over the institution of Slavery which led to a Kansas Civil War.
"Honest Abe"
Nickname for Abraham Lincoln because, when he was a lawyer, he never lied in favor of his client and never took cases where he would have to lie in order to win.
New England Emigrant Aid Company
Organization created to facilitate the migration of free laborers to Kansas in order to prevent the establishment of slavery in the territory.
"Lame Duck"
Period of time between when the newest president was elected and when the President was put into office.
Pottawatomie Creek
Place where John Brown killed 5 slavery supporters in response to the burning of Lawrence. Sparked the Kansas Civil War
Shawnee Mission
Place where the border ruffians set up the first territorial government for Kansas that was proslavery
Free-Soilers
Political party made up of mostly northerners that wanted to stop the spread of slavery to new territories of the U.S.
National Party
Political party that equally represented people from all over the U.S. and with memebers from all over the U.S.
Stephen A. Douglass
Senator from Illinois that proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Thoroughly hated by the South because of all of his political stances. Strong supporter of popular sovereignty. Helped the Senate make the final decision to send back the Lecompton constitution to Kansas. Northern Democratic nominee for the Election of 1860
Lincoln-Douglass Debates
Series of debates between Senator Stephen A. Douglass and, Abraham Lincoln. Lead to Lincoln becoming politically noticed and widely appreciated.
Robert E. Lee
Southern general that defeated John Brown and his men at Harper's Ferry
Free port Doctrine
Stephen A. Douglass's response to the Free port question. Douglass said that he was in support of the people being able to vote down slavery
Constitutional Union Party
A 3rd party during the Election of 1860. Its platform was to make many Compromises in order to preserve the Union. John Bell was the Presidential Candidate for this party. Primarily made up of Whigs and Know Nothings
John Brown
A Extremist abolitionist from Ohio that slaughtered 5 alleged proslaveryites at Pottawatomie Creek in response to the attack on Lawrence. Led the Abolitionist in the Kansas Civil War. Also Led the attack on Harper's Ferry. Also called "Old Brown"
Lawrence
A Free-Soil town that was burned to the ground by pro slaveryites because of growing tensions
Senator Andrew Butler
A Senator that was openly disrespected by Charles Sumner's Crime Against Kansas speech. Relative of Preston S. Brooks
Captain John C. Fremont
A military war hero with no political experience that was chosen as the Republican party candidate for the election of 1856
Tariff of 1857
A new law reducing the taxes to 20% because of the surplus in the Treasury to help with the panic.
Hinton R. Helper
A non-aristocratic white from North Carolina that wrote The Impending Crisis of the South.
Representative Preston S. Brooks
A representative from South Carolina outraged by Charles Sumner's actions and open disrespect to his cousin, Andrew Butler, and his state, so he nearly beat him to death with a cane.
Crittenden amendments
A series of compromises, proposed by Senator John Jordan Crittenden from Kentucky, that would re-establish the Missouri Compromise. Rejected by Abraham Lincoln
Panic of 1857
A severe economic depression during Buchanan's presidency. It was caused by inflation from California gold, Crimean War in Russia overstimulated the growing of grain, and over speculation. Harshly hit the North, but hardly affected the South.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
A very controversial court case that ruled that a slave could not sue or exercise any constitutional rights because they are property and not people. It also stated that Congress did not have the power ban slavery in territories
Senator Charles Sumner
A very outspoken abolitionist from Massachusetts that gained many enemies for his "Crime Against Kansas" speech including Representative Preston S. Brooks that directly disrespected South Carolina and Senator Andrew Butler.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Abolitionist and author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Popular Sovereignty
Allowing the State to choose whether it would become a free state or slave state based off a majority vote
Homestead Act of 1857
An act that by Northern industrialists severely hit by the panic of 1857. They begged the government for at least 160 acres for 25 cents in the West, so that they would have land to live off of. It was Vetoed by James Buchanan. It was not supported by the South because they would not be able to use that land for slavery and because northern industrialists would take up land. Eastern industrialists that were not hit by the panic were against it as well because they thought all their workers would begin moving out West.
Impending Crisis of the South
Antislavery tract, written by white Southerner Hinton R. Helper, arguing that nonslaveholding whites actually suffered most in a slave economy. Would be banned in the South whilst it flourished in the North.
Other Southern states secede
As a response to the election, and to South Carolina seceding, other southern states followed suit and seceded from the Union. Including: Alabama, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi.
Abraham Lincoln
As a young boy, he was raised in a rustic/pioneer lifestyle and grew up to be the president that ended slavery. He was self educated and eventually became a well known lawyer He challenged Stephen A Douglass in the 1858 Illinois senator debates. He was elected as president as the Republican nominee in the Election of 1860
Democratic Party Split
Because of the strong disagreements between the north and the south over slavery, they decided to split up the Democratic party in the election of 1860
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
Chief Justice of the Dred Scott case from Maryland that made the final ruling that a slave could not sue the court because they were people and not property, and that Congress did not have the right to ban slavery in territories
James Buchanan
Democratic President of 1856 who strongly supported the Lecompton Constitution. Chosen because he had no involvement in the Kansas-Nebraska tensions His support would lead to the splitting up of the Democrat party because of the strong views that separated the party as a whole.
Free port question
During the Lincoln-Douglass debates, Lincoln asked a very controversial question that made Douglass lose many followers. The question asked whether or not Douglass favored that people should be able to vote slavery down in a territory.
Election of 1856
Election where James Buchanan won as the democratic nominee. John C. Fremont was the Republican nominee. And Millard Fillmore was the American Party (Nativist party/Know-Nothing Party)nominee.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's widely read novel that dramatized the horrors of slavery. It heightened Northern support for abolition and escalated the sectional conflict.
Republican Party
The fast growing political party that had its support solely in the North, a sectional party,(The South did not put their party nominee on the ballot during election time). Chose John C. Fremont in the election of 1856 and Abraham Lincoln in the Election of 1860. Party made as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that was against slavery. Appealed to every group other then the southerners
Confederate States of America
The name of the government that the Southern states that seceded made to stay united.
Jefferson Davis
The president of the Confederate States of America
John C. Breckenridge
The presidential nominee for the Southern Democrats that was previously the VP of Buchanan
Kansas "statehood"
The process for Kansas's statehood was a long and bloody process but it eventually ended with Kansas admitting into the Union as a free state under the LeCompton Constitution
Southern Democrats
The second half of the Democratic party it split during the Election of 1860 presidential nominations. This was a sectional party representing the South
Topeka Regime
The territorial government that the Free-Soilers established in spite of the government that was established in Shawnee Mission
Democratic National Convention
There were 3 different Conventions. The first one many Southerners walked out because they could not deal with the fact that Stephen A. Douglass was the nominee and Douglass did not have enough votes to make him the candidate, so they rescheduled it, but the same thing happened. Many Southerners walked out but not enough to prevent Douglass as being the candidate. The Southerners were against Douglass being the candidate so the held a third convention for the Southerners and voted John C. Breckenridge as the Southern Democratic Candidate. Splitting the votes in half for the Democratic party.
South Carolina secedes
This state seceded because they threatened to secede if Lincoln ever won, and he did. This started a domino effect of many other southern states seceding from the Union.
William H. Seward
Leader of the Republican Party.
Millard Fillmore
Presidential Candidate for the election of 1856 for the Know nothing Party
"Border Ruffians"
Pro-slaveryites that moved from Slave state Missouri to Kansas to vote to make Kansas a slave state
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Proposed by Stephen A. Douglass, stated that the Nebraska territory would be split into two, Kansas and Nebraska, and be determined by popular sovereignty. Completely contradicted the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. Deeply hated by Southerners and began the Slippery Slope that would lead to the Civil War.
Lecompton Constitution
The Constitution that admitted Kansas into statehood. It started off as being a pro slavery constitution that originally stated that you would either vote against for slavery or against slavery but everyone that had slaves can still practice slavery, which was majority of the population. The free-soilers in Kansas hated this constitution and boycotted the polls, but there was enough support to pass it for slavery and it was sent to Washington. There it was argued on the Senate floor and eventually sent back to Kansas because it was seen as unjust. It was sent back and eventually the Lecompton constitution became an entire popular vote.
John Bell
The Presidential Candidate for the Constitutional Union Party
Know-Nothing Party
The Solely nativist party that's campaign focused on making immigration laws stricter and against the well being of immigrants. Chose Millard Fillmore as the Presidential Candidate for the election of 1856
Kansas "Civil War"
War between the proslaveryits and antislaveryites in Kansas leading to the American Civil War.`
Harper's Ferry
Weapon's sanctuary in West Virginia that was attacked by John Brown and his followers. Through this attack, John Brown hoped to start a slave uprising and arm the slaves with guns, but failed