0.9 Buchanan's presidency (events of that time)

what was the first event his presidency saw

Dred Scott case

referred to it in his inaugural address

who was dred scott

slave who had accompanied his owner to Illinois, then Wisconsin territory, before returning to missouri

in the 1840s he went before the courts claiming he was free on the grounds that he had resided in a free state and in a free territory

the case was very long but eventually reached supreme court

Buchanans involvement with Dred Scott decision

referred to the case in his inaugural address

said (not truthfully) he knew nothing of their decision

said he would ‘cheerfully submit’ to their decision and citizens should too

what did the court decide about the dred scott decision

• scott could not have freedom - black americans - slave/free did not have the same rights as white citizens

• his stay in illinois didn’t make him

• his stay in winsconsin made no difference. 1820 missouri compromise line no longer law. US citizens had the right to take their ‘property’ into territories

northern reaction to dred scott decision

horrified

proof of slave power

although scott was then bought and set free, they saw the events as attempts to undermine

• republican party - committed to excluding slavery from territories

• popular sovereignty

what was the situation in Kansas

2 governments

• Lecompton - official, pro-slave

• Topeka - unofficial, free state

Walker given job to bring Kansas into the union

what did walker find

most settlers opposed slavery

aim was to bring kansas into union as free, democrat voting state

Lecompton gov. had an election to draw up constitution on road to statehood

pro-slavers won - but Walker did fraudulent checks and found it was rigged

hundreds of fictitious people had been recorded as voting pro-slave

he overturned the results so free-staters had majority in legislation

when + what was the Lecompton constitution

1857

constitutional convention = last resort of pro-slavers

drafted pro-slavery constitution

offered voters the choice of

• accepting pro-slavery constitution as it was

• accepting another constitution that banned future importation of slaves but guaranteed the rights of slaveholders already in Kansas

southern newspapers said ‘Lecompton or disunion’

reaction to Lecompton constitution

south ‘Lecompton or disunion’

Buchanan - endorsed it, although most in kansas opposed slavery, he wanted to maintain southern support

his acceptance gave republicans political ammunition and enraged the northern democrats committed to popular sovereignty

what did debates with Douglas cause

meant Buchanan accepted Kansas should vote again

in 1858 - results were that a free-state constitution was drawn up

kansas joined the union in 1861 as a free state

who was nominated for 1858 mid-term elections

bad time for northern democrats - party split between Buchanan and Douglas

republicans chose Lincoln

1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates

Lincoln = 6foot4 Douglas = 5foot4

both gifted speakers

debates over race, slavery, slavery expansion

both moderates fighting for middle ground, both considered blacks inferior to whites

where did lincoln and douglas differ in the debates

douglas - never publicly said that slavery was morally wrong

lincoln - didn’t believe in racial equality but thought they shared common humanity, he thought if slavery didn’t expand it would eventually die

Illinois results

douglas re-elected as senator

although Lincoln won 4,000 more votes

but

Douglas had said a lot to alienate southerners - especially the freeport doctrine

freeport doctrine

view voters in territory could exclude slavery

invalidating dred scott ruling as they could refuse to enact laws giving legal protection to owning slaves

impacts of the 1858 election results

disaster for northern democrats

republicans won control of house of representatives

alarmed southerners (heightened then by John Brown’s raid)

when + what was the second John Brown’s raid

1859

harpers ferry

Brown + 18 men went to the federal arsenal at harpers ferry

aim - seize weapons, retreat to appalachians + spark slave revolt

flawed as they couldn’t pre-warn slaves in advance

Brown captured arsenal but a train pulled into Harper’s ferry

state militia units and troops were quickly converged on the town

then a 36 hour siege

Brown was wounded and captured with 6 men

10 of his army killed (including 2 of his sons) 7 others died

brown was executed

results of John Brown’s raid

raised sectional tensions

southerners appalled at what happened as it proved their worst fears - abolitionist trying to stir a slave revolt

some northerners saw him as a hero

northern democrats and many leading republicans said he was out of hand, but didn’t really reassure southerners

most saw republicans and abolitionists as the same