10.4 Slavery and Secession

How did Harpers Ferry and John Brown's hanging increase tensions between the North and South?

Some Northerners began to call Brown a martyr after his hanging. In the South, outraged mobs assaulted whites who were suspected of holding antislavery views. Harpers Ferry terrified Southern Slaveholders who were convinced the North was plotting slave uprisings everywhere. Some began calling for secession.

What was the Calm Before the Storm?

Citizens were nervous about what would happen after the secession. President Buchanan was uncertain, as secession was illegal, but it would also be illegal for him to do anything about it. There was not much he could do, his hands were tied. One problem was that Washington DC was very much a southern city. There were secessionists all in Congress and the government. Mass resignations took place, and to many it seemed as if the federal government was melting away. People also wondered if the North would allow the South to leave the Union without a fight.

What were the positions and arguments between Lincoln and Douglas?

Douglas believed deeply in popular sovereignty. Although he did not believe slavery was immoral, he believed it was a backward labor system unsuitable to prairie agriculture. Lincoln believed that slavery was immoral, a labor system based on greed. The crucial difference was that Douglas believed that popular sovereignty would allow slavery to pass away on its own, while Lincoln doubted that slavery would cease to spread without legislation outlawing it in the territories. In the debates, both tried to distort the views of each other. Lincoln tried to make Douglas look like a defender of slavery and the Dred Scott decision. Douglas accused lincoln of being an abolitionist and an advocate of racial equality. Lincoln responded by saying he is not in favor of bring social and political equality between blacks and whites. He did, however, insist that slavery was a moral, social, and political wrong that should not be allowed to spread.

What was the result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates?

Douglas won the Senate seat, but his response worsened the split between the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic Party. Lincoln's attacks on slavery drew national attention, and some Republicans began thinking of him as a good candidate for the presidency.

What was the Dred Scott controversy?

Dred Scott's, a slave from Missouri, owner took him north of the Missouri Compromise line. For 4 years they lived in free territory. They later returned to Missouri, where his owner died. Scoot began a lawsuit to claim his freedom, stating that he had become a free person by living in free territory for several years.

What occurred at Harpers Ferry?

John Brown led a band of men into Harpers Ferry. His aim was to seize the federal arsenal there, distribute the arms to slaves in the area, and start a general slave uprising. John Brown held 60 town residents in hostage and hoped their slaves would join the rebellion. Now slaves came forward, and instead troops killed some of Brown's men. US Marines stormed the engine house where Brown and his men had barricaded themselves, killed a few more, and captured Brown. He was the turned over to Virginia to be tried for treason. He was then hung in public.

Why did Buchanan support the Lecompton constitution?

President Buchanan made a poor decision by endorsing the proslavery Lecompton constitution, He owed his presidency to Southern support and believed that since Kansas didn't contain that many slaves, the Free-Soilers were overreacting.

What was the freeport doctrine?

Lincoln asked Douglas during the debates if settlers of a territory could vote to exclude slavery before the territory became a state. The Dred Scott decision said no. Lincoln then implied popular sovereignty was an empty phrase. Stephen Douglas's argument to that was that slavery could not exist anywhere unless it is supported by local police regulations. If the people of a territory were abolitionists, all they had to do was elect representatives who would not enforce slave property laws. In other words, regardless of the Supreme Court's ruling, people could get around the Dred Scott decision.

How did Lincoln challenge Douglas?

Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of open-air debates to be held on the issue of slavery in the territories. Douglas accepted the challenge. To many outsiders, it may have seemed unfair. Douglas was a senator with an outstanding record, who was Lincoln? They both had very different speaking styles. Douglas exuded self-confidence, paced on stage, and used his fists to pound home points. Lincoln delivered his comments solemnly, using direct and plain language.

How did Lincoln's election affect the south?

Lincoln's victory made the South feel like they lost their political voice and their way of life was in danger. Most white Southerners had feared that an end to their entire way of life was at hand. Many were desperate for one last chance to preserve the slave labor system and saw secession as the only way. Some Southern States decided to act. South Carolina led the way, seceding from the Union. Very quickly, other states began to secede.

Who was William H. Seward and why was Lincoln nominated instead?

One of the possible Republican candidates for the presidential election, he appeared to have everything a successful candidate needed. He led antislavery forced in Congress, had financial support, and a desire to be the center of attention. He himself had no doubt he would be nominated. His well-known name must have worked against him. Lincoln being relatively unknown probably the nomination. Unlike Seward, Lincoln had not had much of a chance to offend his fellow Republicans. The delegates were discouraged by Seward's talk of a conflict between the North and the South. They nominated Lincoln, who appeared more moderate in his views. Lincoln pledged to halt the further spread of slavery and also tried to reassure Southerners that he would interfere with their slaves. His reassurances fell on deaf ears, and the South viewed him negatively.

What was the reaction to the Dred Scott decision?

Passions exploded immediately. Southerners cheered the decision while northerners were stunned. The Supreme Court cleared the way for the extension of slavery by striking down the Missouri Compromise. Abolitionists looked toward the Republican Party. If they became strong enough, they could keep slavery in check.

Describe how the Confederacy was formed.

Secessionist states met, where they formed the Confederacy. Their constitution closely resembled that of the US. The only difference was that the constitution protected and recognized slavery in new territories. The constitution also stressed that each state was to be sovereign and independent. Jefferson Davis was unanimously elected the president of the Confederacy.

What did the Supreme Court rule in the Dred Scott decision?

Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney gave the decision. The Court ruled that slaves did not have the rights of citizens. Dred Scott had no claim to freedom because he had been living in Missouri, a slave state, when he began his suit. Finally, the Court ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. Congress could not forbid slavery in any territory, because doing so would interfere with slaveholders constitutional right to own property.

What was the controversy over the lecompton constitution?

The proslavery government at Lecompton, Kansas, wrote a constitution and applied for admission to the Union. Free-Soilers who outnumbered proslavery settlers in Kansas by a great deal rejected the proposed constitution because it protected the rights of slaveholders. The legislature called for a referendum in which the people could vote on the proslavery constitution. They voted against it.

How did Stephen A. Douglas react to Buchanan's support of the Lecompton Constitution

This provoked the wrath of Stephen A. Douglas, who supported popular sovereignty. Backed by a coalition, he persuaded Congress to authorize another referendum on the constitution. Voters rejected the constitution once again. Northerners hailed Douglas a hero, Southerners scorned him as a traitor, and the two wins of the Democratic Party moved apart.