Steps to Civil War

Free Soil Movement/Party (1848-1861)

- 3 major issues - most prevalent - rising tensions abt slavery - idealism of nationalism and manifest destiny were high at this time - Wanted to move west for white land - Wilmont Proviso - slavery was abolished in Mexico territory - 1848 - party was formed and moved west -prevented slavery expansion -free homesteads -internal improvements

Election of 1860

- 4 parties - little active campaigns - Lincoln - Republican - Breckmridge - Democratic - Bell - Constitutional Union - Douglas - Democratic - results were consequential - Lincoln won - NC succeeded - did not like idea of abolitionist movement

Lincoln Douglas Debates

- 7 debates in 7 cities - during senate race in 1858 - moral issue was slavery - Douglas wins but lost party support - Lincoln became a national figure - parties begin to split more

Compromise of 1850

- Cali is a free state - $10 mil. to Texas for their territories - Utah/Mexico settlers could vote on slavery - Ban slave trade in DC but not slavery -Harsher Fugitive Slave Law - fed. commissioners earned more money when returning slaves - made to pacify sectionalist conflict - made it worse - Personal Liberty Laws - state level - Fed. beat state law

Underground Railroad (1850-1860)

- Free slaves in North and abolitionist would help free Southern slaves - different sections/stops - Church+more - normally ran by abolitionist - North wanted free slaves, South wanted to enslave blacks - Constitution - 5th Amendment - People started this in early 1800s but South fights back around 1850s

Uncle Tom's Cabin

- Harriet Beecher Stowe was a young mother exposed to slavery in Ohio - Fugitive Slave Law - people could be taken off of the streets - argued it bribed commissioners to kidnap African Americans - thought system was unjust so her sister-in-law said she should write about it - published in 1852 as a book - North/Europe could not believe the treatment of slaves by South - helped many 19th century Americans determine what kind of country they wanted

Nat Turners Revolt (1831)

- He was a self proclaimed prophet who felt that his mission was to have a rebellion - largest # of fatalities - South feared slave revolts - North saw evils of slavery so the South became defensive

Caning of Charles Sumner (1856)

- disputes over slavery in Kansas - Senator Sumner gets hit over the head by John Brown w/ a cane - took 3 yrs. to recover - talks about Bleeding Kansas and slams Andrew Butler - direct attack on South - South says it was honorable - North is outraged

Anti-Slavery Gag Rule (1836)

- due to increasing petitions for anti-slavery - this prevented Congress members to talk about their views - Supporters - Constitution was mot discussed in Congress - John Q. Adams said American rights and freedom was being taken away - further hurt sectionalism

Rise of the Republican Party (1854)

- former Whigs met in Wisconsin in 1854 - anti-slavery - democrats and whigs were sharply divided over slavery, immigration, westward movement, and industrialization - they fought for equality for African Americans - believed slavery was wrong - violence was not a compromise - there was no way to stop it

Dred Scot Decision (1857)

- he was a slave in Missouri that moved w/ master to Wisconsin (free) then back to Missouri - went to Supreme Court to sue for freedom - not a citizen so cannot sue - MO Comp. excluded slavery - unconstitutional - declared slavery could expand - Northern Republicans were mad - South were ecstatic

Wilmont Proviso (1846)

- introduced to Congress by David W. - ban slavery in new territories from Mexico - was passed twice in House, denied in Senate - renewed slavery debate - 1st round of conflict leading to Civil War - not everyone was an abolitionist, like Wilmont - wanted free soil for white men, another reason to contain slavery - South had cheaper system and cheaper products bc they did not have to pay workers - competition should be equal

Bleeding Kansas/John Brown (1856)

- one state- pro-slave was the majority- whole state had to be - anti-slave farmers/slave holders moved to Kansas - wanted control - Brown attacked a proslavery farm w/ sons - in response to raids in Lawrence, Kansas - over 200 killed immediately in raids - killed farm family w/ broad swords - mini civil war - Dem-Rep party splits over slavery

Lecompton Constitution (1857)

- permitted slavery - excluded free living blacks in Kansas - only male US citizens could vote - Pres. Buchanan asked Congress to pass but they refused bc democrats rejected it - 1858 - majority of Kansas rejected it

John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry (1856)

- plot for freedom of slaves - raided Ferry and stormed armory and conflict ensued - confirmed S fears of Radical N out to destroy their life - one event that led to secession - revealed split in country

Kansas Nebraska Act (1854)

- split Nebraska in two parts - Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois approved to build a railroad to obtain S approval - popular soverignty

Missouri Compromise (1820)

- states were balanced 11:11 - bothered North- 1st part of Louisiana Purchase to apply for statehood - Talmadge Amendment is rejected angering the South - Henry Clay came up w/ a solution that temporarily subsided sectionalism - lasted for 30 yrs. and led to Civil War

Know-Nothing Party (1840-1850)

- surge of immigration during 1830-1860 - Roman-Catholics-Irish - Native born felt threatened that they would take their jobs - Protestants opposed - lost influence in sectional issues -Kansas Nebraska Act acceptance - people in group were anti and pro-slavery - ended in 1856

Ostend Manifesto

- written by Pres. Pieroe's administration in 1854 - did not release bc knew it would get backlash from North - provided reasons why Spain should sell Cuba, a slave territory, for $100 mil. - US claimed they would go to war w/ territory - did not pass

The Tariffs (1820-1860)

1828 (Tariff of Abominations) Given this name by the South Negative effects on the southern economy Goal: protect northern industries, which were being driven out of business by low-priced imported goods by taxing them South directly harmed They had to pay higher prices on the goods the region didn't produce South harmed indirectly Reducing the exportation of British goods to US made it hard for British to pay for the cotton they imported from the South Negative Southern reaction (especially South Carolina) led to Nullification Crisis, which began in 1832 1832 (Protective Tariff) The Tariff of 1832 was the fourth in a series of 'protective' tariffs implemented by the government. The protective tariffs taxed all foreign goods, to boost the sales of US products and protect manufacturers in the North from cheap British goods. In 1832, Congress listened to Clay and Calhoun and approved the Tariff of 1832, which brought the import taxes back down to 35% in an attempt to better the relationship between the North and South, but this was not enough for South Carolina, leading to the Nullification Crisis Nullification Crisis (within tariffs): The Nullification Crisis of 1832 centered around Southern protests against the series of protective tariffs (taxes) that had been introduced to tax all foreign goods in order to boost the sales of US products and protect manufacturers in the North from cheap British goods. The South, being predominantly agricultural, and reliant mostly on and foreign countries than the North for manufactured goods, saw the protective tariffs as severely damaging to their economy. During the administration of John Quincy Adams, his Vice President, John C. Calhoun, had drafted the South Carolina Exposition, a document that declared the tariffs that caused the Nullification Crisis were unconstitutional, bringing the sectional interests of the North and the South into open conflict for the first time. 1833 (Compromise Tariff) The Compromise Tariff was passed by Congress in March 1833 and gradually lowered the tariff rates over the next 10 years until, in 1842, they would be as low as they were by the Tariff Act of 1816. The Compromise Tariff ended the Nullification Crisis. Temporarily ended major sectional conflict The significance of the Tariff of 1833: The South Carolina state convention reassembled and formally rescinded the Ordinance of Nullification The Nullification Crisis ended The American System, devised by Henry Clay, continued to meet the requirements of the new, expanding and independent nation As we can see the Tariff of 1833 showed how the south was offering up a solution to what they considered a problem that they were threatened by. This shows sectionalism because the south was protecting their state's interest, and luckily, this plan was accepted by the north as well. Traiff of 1842 (Black Tariff) - The Tariff of 1842, or Black Tariff as it became known, was a protectionist tariff schedule adopted in the United States to reverse the effects of the Compromise Tariff of 1833. - The Compromise Tariff contained a provision that successively lowered the tariff rates from their level under the Tariff of 1832 over a period of ten years until the majority of dutiable goods were to be taxed at 20%. As the 20% level approached in 1842, industrial interests and members of the Whig Party began clamoring for protection, claiming that the reductions left them vulnerable to European competition. The bill restored protection and raised average tariff rates to almost 40% Increased sectional conflict again because this tariff hurt the South Support for high tariffs came principally from New England, where manufacturing was concentrated, and was resisted in the South and West, where people benefited from the competition created by cheap imports. The Whig Party was the strongest advocate for tariffs in Congress. Their argument included two points: If the agricultural regions wanted strong markets for what they produced, it would be more likely to come from the needs of manufacturing workers in New England than in Britain Since the tariff supported the federal government, a low tariff would either be insufficient to fund the national government - Tariff of 1846 (Walker Tariff) Walker (Secretary of the Treasury) induced Congress to enact a new tariff measure in 1846, bringing about a moderate lowering of many rates. Representatives from Northern manufacturing states found themselves outvoted as Westerners deserted protectionism (shielding domestic industry from foreign imports) in the hope of opening foreign markets to purchase their grains and other products., Brought about trade and good relations with Britain. Enacted by the Democrats, and significantly lowered the rates of the "Black Tariff" of 1842, which was enacted by the Whigs. Reduced tariff rates from 32% to 25%-- one of the lowest tariffs in American history Favored the South over the North and remained in effect until 1857 - Tariff of 1857 was the lowest tariff enacted by Congress since 1816. The tariff was partially passed in order to rectify the conflict between the woolen manufacturers and producers, both of whom were badly hit with the 1846 tariff, which had raised the duties on raw wools to thirty percent and reduced that on flannels and blankets to only twenty percent. The Tariff of 1857 effectively lowered the manufacturers' costs, protected their market from foreign competition, and compensated producers by retaining the existing thirty percent duties on competing foreign wools. - The Tariff of 1857 was warmly greeted in the South and hated in the North. The tariff was one of a number of major issues that was dangerously increasing the tension between the two regions, since it favored South over North. This deepened the divide between the north and the south sectionalism intensified even more.