Chapter 19

James Buchanan

-15th President of the United States -Tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both North and South

Dred Scott v. Sandford

-A Missouri slave sued for his freedom, claiming that his four year stay in the northern portion of the Louisiana Territory made free land by the Missouri Compromise had made him a free man. -The U.S, Supreme Court decided he couldn't sue in federal court because he was property, not a citizen.

Stephen A. Douglas

-A moderate, who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and popularized the idea of popular sovereignty

New England Emigrant Aid Company

-Antislavery organization in the North that sent out thousands of pioneers to the Kansas-Nebraska territory to thwart the Southerners and abolitionize the West.

Crittenden Amendments

-Designed to appease the South by prohibiting slavery North of 36, 30' but allowed protection South of this line. -Allowed future states to enter with or without slavery regardless of their position North or South.

Freeport question

-Developed by Stephen Douglas that said the exclusion of slavery in a territory could be determined by the refusal of the voters to enact any laws that would protect slave property. -Unpopular with Southerners, and thus cost him the election.

Tariff of 1857

-Major tax reduction in the US amended the Walker Tariff. -Supporters mostly came from south and agriculture states

Henry Ward Beecher

-New York minister sent Beecher's Bibles, nice guns, with followers to Kansas to support abolitionism. -His sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Lecompton Consitution

-Supported the existence of slavery in the proposed state and protected rights of slaveholders. -Rejected by Kansas, making Kansas an eventual free state.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

-Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1853 -Highly influenced England's view on the American Deep South and slavery. -Intensified sectional conflict. (promoting abolition)

Harriet Beecher Stowe

-Wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin -Persuaded more people, particularly Northerners, to become anti-slavery.

Confederate States of America

-a republic formed in February of 1861 and composed of the eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States

Charles Sumner

-gave a speech in may 1856 called " the Crime Against Kansas" -beat with a cane by Preston Brooks after the speech -symbol throughout the north.

Preston S. Brooks

-representative of South Carolina who avenged the honor of his uncle by beating Sumner senseless with a cane

John Bell

Bell was nominated for the presidency in 1860 by the Constitutional Union Party. This party arose due to the division in the nation. They offered the Constitution, only, as their platform since all could agree to that. He was a compromise candidate.

Panic of 1857

Bell was nominated for the presidency in 1860 by the Constitutional Union Party. This party arose due to the division in the nation. They offered the Constitution, only, as their platform since all could agree to that. He was a compromise candidate.

John Crittenden

Crittenden was a Senator of Kentucky responsible for the Crittenden Compromise. This was a last-minute attempt to avoid conflict over slavery. It proposed going back to the old Missouri Compromise line of 36°30' line extended to the Pacific. This failed attempt at compromise showed that the days of compromise had ended. He had two sons—one fought for each side during the Civil War illustrating the absurdity of the war. Kentucky and other states were split up between the Union and Confederacy, and both he North and South sent people to the other side. This suggests that the war is primarily over slavery.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

In 1858, Lincoln challenged Stephen Douglas to a series of 7 debates. Though Douglas won the IL Senate seat, these debates gave Lincoln fame and helped him to later win the presidency.

Hinton Helper

In 1875, Helper wrote the book entitled Impending Crisis of the South. It attempted to prove through statistics that indirectly the non-slave-holding whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery; the book was banned in the South but countless copies were distributed as campaign material for Republicans.

American or "Know-Nothing" Party

John Breckinridge was the vice-president elected in 1856. Breckinridge was nominated for the presidential election of 1860 for the Southern Democrats. After the Democrats split, the Northern Democrats would no longer support him. Breckenridge favored the extension of slavery, but was not a secessionist. He won nearly the Southern electoral votes in 1860.

John Breckinridge

John Breckinridge was the vice-president elected in 1856. Breckinridge was nominated for the presidential election of 1860 for the Southern Democrats. After the Democrats split, the Northern Democrats would no longer support him. Breckenridge favored the extension of slavery, but was not a secessionist. He won nearly the Southern electoral votes in 1860.

John Brown

John Brown was a militant abolitionist that took radical extremes to make his views clear. In May of 1856, Brown led a group of his followers to Pottawattamie Creek and launched a bloody attack against pro-slavery men killing five people. This began violent retaliation against Brown and his followers. This violent attack against slavery helped give Kansas its nickname, "bleeding Kansas." He later led a raid on the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, VA in a wild attempt to free slaves. He was captured and hanged but became a martyr and symbol of abolition.

"Bleeding Kansas"

Kansas was being disputed as free or slave soil during 1854-1857 period, by popular sovereignty. In 1857, there were enough free-soilers to overrule the slave-soilers. So many people were feuding, that disagreements eventually led to killing in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was nicknamed "Old Abe" and "Honest Abe" and was born in Kentucky to impoverished parents and was mainly self-educated. He became a Springfield, IL lawyer. Republicans chose him to run against Senator Douglas (a Democrat) in the senatorial elections of 1858. Although he lost senate race that year, Lincoln came to be one of the most prominent northern politicians and emerged as a Republican nominee for president 2 years later. Although he won the presidential elections of 1860, he was a minority and sectional president (he was not allowed on the ballot in ten southern states). Lincoln's victory gave South Carolinians an excuse to secede from the Union and caused the South to completely break off from the North.

Dred Scott

Scott was a black slave who had lived with his master for five years in the Illinois and Wisconsin territory. He sued for his freedom on the basis of his long residence in free territory. The Dred Scott decision was handed down by the Supreme Court on March 6, 1857. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was a black slave and not a citizen. Hence, he could not sue in a federal court. (This part of the ruling denied blacks their citizenship and menaced the position of the South's free blacks). The Court also ruled that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional and that Congress could not ban slavery from the territories regardless of what the territorial legislatures themselves might want. The South was extremely happy about the decision, but Republicans were infuriated.

Roger Taney

Taney was Chief Justice during the Dred Scott case of 1857. Roger Taney ruled against Dred Scott. Scott was suing for freedom because of his long residence in free territory. He was denied freedom because he was property and legislatures were disallowed from banning slavery in the territories. This court ruling was a major cause in starting the Civil War.

Freeport Doctrine

The Freeport Doctrine occurred in Freeport, Illinois during the debates of Lincoln and Douglas for senator. This was the answer to a question that Lincoln asked Douglas. Lincoln asked, "If a territory voted against slavery, which would you support Mr. Douglas, the people's vote or the U.S. Supreme Court who said in the Dred Scott case that a legislature can't outlaw slavery?" Lincoln put Douglas in a tight spot, Douglas had to offend either the people or the Supreme Court in his answer. He sided with the people and their vote (popular sovereignty), but this cost him popularity in the South and the presidential election later.

Constitutional Union Party

This party was also known as the "do-nothings" or "Old Gentlemen's" party in the 1860 election. It was a middle-of-the-road group that feared for the Union's future. It consisted mostly of Whigs and Know- Nothings, met in Baltimore and nominated John Bell from Tennessee as candidate for president. Their slogan was "The Union, the Constitution, and the Enforcement of the laws."

Harper's Ferry Raid

This raid occurred in October of 1859. John Brown of Kansas attempted to create a major revolt among the slaves. He wanted to ride down the river and provide the slaves with arms from the Northern arsenal, but he failed to get the slaves organized. Brown was captured. The effects of Harper's Ferry raid were as such: the South saw the act as one of treason and were encouraged to separate from the U.S., and the North saw Brown as a martyr to the abolitionist cause.

The Impending Crisis of the South

This was a book written by Hinton Helper. Helper hated both slavery and blacks and used this book to try to prove that non-slave owning whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery. The non-aristocrat from NC had to go to the North to find a publisher that would publish his book.