Sectional Tensions

America

Second party system

Democrats

• best form of gov = least form

• state > fed

• lower tariffs

• pro-WE

Whigs

• pro-govt intervention

• pro-higher tariffs

• northern whigs supported abolition

WE

long term reason for ST. by 1850 N:S was 3:2

• Missouri Compromise 1820

• Texan independence and statehood issue 1836-45

• Mexican war 1846-8 (slavery expansion) POLK

Wilmot Proviso

1846 → stated slavery to be excluded from any territory gained from Mexico. Passed through HoR by 83:64. DIDNT PASS SENATE

• completely sectional → every southern Dem against it and all but two southern whigs.

• Wilmot proviso became rallying cry for anti-slavery forces. Demonstrated to S that N were against their interests.

Calhoun Doctrine

• doctrine of nullification, meaning any state had the right to overrule/modify federal law deemed unconstitutional

• 1832-3 →South Carolina almost seceded from Union when they disallowed 2 tariff acts under AJ. Jackson lowered the tariffs.

‘Platform of the South’

Calhoun introduced a series of resolutions in 1847 in which he claimed the citizens of every state had the right to take ‘property’ (slaves) into any state they pleased

1848 election: candidates

• president polk not to stand again. Lewis Cass chosen as dem.

• Whigs nominated Zachary Taylor, hero of Mex War with no political experience (slaveowner)

• New party: free soil party, anti-slavery. Martin Van Buren

1848 election: results

Taylor won resoundingly (47.5% of votes)

Not sectional! carried 8/15 slave states and 7/15 free states.

However, ST had influenced election (free soil party won 10% of the vote → Slavery = important)

President Taylor

• man of honesty and integrity.

• political amateur.

• ignored the advice of 2 senior whig politicians (Henry clay and Daniel Webster). Listened to William Seward, less interested in compromise, championed anti-slavery policies.

• Seward was hated by southern whigs → Taylor was alienating them.

situation by 1850

thought that CA and NM would not immediately apply for statehood but gold rush!

Utah applying in 1849 due to Mormon population.

would these states be slave or free?

1850 compromise

issue over CA/NM state applications. while Taylor was preparing for a potential secession/civil war, Henry clay was drafting a compromise to ease tensions:

• CA was to be a free state, NM and Utah to be organised into territories with no restrictions on slavery

• Slave trading banned in DC

• Fugitive slave act to be rewritten

• Texas-NM dispute settled by Texas ceding land to NM on the bases of gov paying $10 million of public debt that Texas still owed.

1850 compromise, issues

• put out to congress as one giant bill, they had to either reject it or accept it totally.

• Pres Taylor opposed the bill, would rather admit both CA and NM as free.

• In July, Taylor died. Many believe the civil war would have occurred in the 50s if he didnt.

• Milliard Filmore became president, supporting the bill. BUT it was defeated.

1850 compromise ‘the little giant’

Senator Douglas replaced clay as leader of the compromise and stripped it into its component parts.

Each section of the bill was then resubmitted and the moderates swung the vote so each passed successfully.

By September it had passed completely

1850 compromise → impact

• healed as a success, talk of secession in south all but ended.

• BUT ST did not end here. voting was still sectional, but the moderates made it pass

the fugitive slave act 1850

• marshals could pursue fugitives on northern soil. if the northerners refused they would be fined $1000.

• Emotive issue some abolitionists got in the wary.

• Overall the law was enforced in most N states, resistance was mostly exaggerated by S.

Uncle toms cabin

Harriet Beecher-Stowe, an abolitionist, began publishing story in anti-slavery newspaper.

Fierce attack on slavery, sold over 300,000 copies in 1852 and a further 2 million copies over the next decade.

Sympathy for slaves and made some northerners more openly aggressive to it.

Pierce and the ‘Slave Power Conspiracy"‘

• Pierce won the 1852 election. Main appeal was he was acceptable to both N and S Dems.

• Championed expansionist polices, with his eye on Central America and Cuba → which would allow slavery to expand.

Gadsden purchase

southerners supported it → allowed expansion of slavery, and allowed potential for a S railroad leading to the pacific.

Cuba and the Ostend Manifesto 1854

• Ostend manifesto was created and demanded that Spain handed over Cuba or risk suffering US invasion.

• Details were leaked and N politicians were outraged. They thought the S wanted to set up a latin American slave empire.

K-N Act

• K and N wanted to joint he Union

• Douglas presented idea to remove Missouri compromise line and allow the territory to vote on the issue of slavery themselves (PS)

• North hated this: “a gross violation of a sacred pledge” - Salmon Chase. Confirmation of the SPC

• South called bill a symbol of southern honour.

• passed may 1854.

• Ultimately Douglas had failed to settle tensions. (BLEEDING KANSAS)

Southern Fire-eaters

extremist Southern Democrats in the 50s/60s who promoted S rights and Slavery

Calhoun provided foundation for these fire eaters.

opposed 1850 comp.

celebrated bleeding sumner

used John browns raid to terrify the south

refused to support Stephen Douglas in 1860 election, ran their own candidate (John Brechinridge) which helped Lincoln win.

Whig party collapse

• democrats held 91 seats in congress but in the 1854 midterms this was reduced to 23 (blamed for K-N)

• Prior to 1854 the Whigs would have benefited from this but they were becoming irrelevant in the north States.

• fracture between conscious whigs and cotton whigs.

• Republican Party (1854) absorbed most anti-slavery whigs.

The know-nothings

so named because when asked about beliefs they said ‘ I know nothing’. only voted for native-born protestants. lots of support from ex-whigs in the south.

Unpopularity of KN act helped the Know Nothings.

by 1856 the party had to drop its KN position to maintain support int he south, losing northern support.

became known as ‘do-nothings’.

the rise of the republican party

• made up of abolitions, ex whigs, ex dems. became most popular anti-slavery coalition by 1854.

• Know Nothings expected to be Dems main opposition, as republicans could only have support in the north.

• Against dems, against SPC. Not all were abolitionists, relatively few believed in black equality.

Bleeding Kansas

• Nebraska had vote o the issue of slavery and became a free state

• The north was scared K would be a slave state, the S was opposite.

• During 1st Kansas vote lots of pro-slavery Missourians crossed state lines to vote in the election. This led to a slavery win (lecompton gov set up).

• Topeka gov (free state) set up to oppose.

• Led to violence. pro-slavers tried to arrest Topeka leaders in 1856.

• John brown murdered 5 pro-slavers in pottawatomie creek, the N hailing him a hero.

• Civil war?

Bleeding sumner 1856

Congressman Preston brooks entered the senate, found sumner at his desk and beat him with his cane (due to criticism).

Sumner = northern martyr, Brooks = Southern hero. Brooks resigned from congress but stood again and won easily. Scores of S sent new canes to Brookes to replace his old ones.

1856 election: candidates

american party: Milliard Fillmore.

Republicans: Fremont

Democrats : James buchanan.

1856 election results

North → election fought between Fremont and buchanan. south → buchanan and Fillmore.

Fear that if Fremont won the S says would secede

Buchanon won, all but one S states and a few others. Fremont won the rest.

B → 45.3%

Fr-. 33.1%

Fi→ 21.6%

Who was president buchanan

• appealed to S and N.

• Seemingly safe candidate, lots of political experience.

• N feared he agreed w/ SPC

• 1857 → Buchanan had failed to fix tensions. ‘point of no return’

Buchanans issues: Dred Scott case.

Scott went before Missouri court, claimed freedom on grounds he had been taken into free state. decision made public: Scotts stay in Wisconsin did not make him free, Missouri compromise no longer stands.

N was horrified, proof that Buchanan was in SPC as he was aware of Supreme Court decision before it went public.

Buchanan and Kansas

Still two govs. New governor appointed in 1857, realised free-state majority.

Multiple votes to try sort out issue but all were fraudulent, governor gathered proof but Buchanan still admitted K into the union as a slave state.

Governor resigned. N outraged. SPC. even south annoyed.

Kansas failed to join, blocked by congress. New fair vote taken, massive free state majority.

Finally joined union in 1861.

Panic of 1857

massive depression, but buchanan believed in laissez-faire politics and did nothing. He and his party were subsequently blamed.

republicans proposed interventions to help, all of which were blocked by Dems in congress.

republicans came off well

depression ended 1859

1858 mid terms

Senator Douglas gaining popularity as alt. to buchanan. Stood for relocation in 1858 Illinois. His opponent in the election was Lincoln.

Both men gifted speakers and debated issues on race, slavery and slavery expansion.

Douglas won and was not in strong position to run for presidency in 1860.

Lincoln won signficiant number of votes, came off a well-respected republican.

John Brown’s raid. 1859

republicans won control of HoR and southerners alarmed by massive increase in republican popularity.

Radical abolitionist led 18 radical abolitionists to the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. They aimed to seize weapons and spark a slave revolt. raid failed. Came on the eve of presidential election.

S became paranoid

By 1858

Southerners blocked all republican measures proposed and likewise, northerners blocked all pro-southern proposals.

buchanan had failed to avoid controversy.

1860 election → DEM SPLIT

• Douglas had best chance at winning free states but unpopular w/ S.

• Dem party split after delegates from lower S states staged mass walkouts. the Lower South nominated John Breckinridge.

• Some argue this split strengthened the Republican Party.

1860 election → republic convention

• republican platform declared that they would oppose the extension of slavery but would not interfere where it already existed.

• William Seward was initially favourite to be the presidential candidate - but he had been in politics too long, too many enemies. Lincoln was popular. Lincoln win.

1860 election → constitutional unionist party

new party, composed of mostly ex-whigs, main strength lay in upper south

they nominated John bell of Tennessee.

aim was clear: to remove the issue of slavery from the political arena, thus reliving sectional strife.

1860 results

N → flight between Lincoln and Douglas. South fight between Breckinridge and bell

Republicans focused on emphasising SPC.

Southerners stereotyped northern politicians as ‘black republicans’ set on a abolishing slavery.

81% turnout

Lincoln clear majority in electoral college (180 vs 123 combined) no votes in southern states but won every free state apart from NJ.

Why did the north vote for lincoln

Lincoln received 54% of all votes in free states.

northerners saw a vote for Lincoln as a vote against SPC.

Why did the south want to secede

rationally, secession should not have been an option, Lincoln denied wanting to ban slavery.

Secession not inevitable

Most southerners were loyal to their state not the south. Individual states could not act alone in this matter (as proved by SC in 1830s).

Secession

10th November 1860 SC state legislature called for elections to decide whether the state would secede (20th December they voted for secession)

created a chain reaction. 1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas had seceded.

Further proof of SPC.

creation of confederacy

• 4th February 1861 the seceded states met in Alabama to launch confederate gov. 49/50 delegates who met were slave owners.

• The delegation wanted to win support from the upper south, tried to appear more moderate.

• jefferson Davis appointed as president of the confederacy. he had served in the Mexican war, was a state senator and had been secretary for war.

• His inaugural speech → asked only that the south now be left alone.

• only represented 10% of US populations

the upper south

states of Arkansas, Virginia, missouri, Tennessee and NC were all far less secessionist than the others.

smaller stake in slavery

larger ties with N and thus had more reason to fear economic consequences of secession.

was compromise possible?

Buchanan remained president until march 1861 Aimed to not provoke war by allowed conf. states to do as they pleased.

Before taking the presidency Lincoln maintained a strict silence, but willing to compromise on issues like fugitive slave act and slavery in DC.

Even prepared to make concessions on NM.

Lincolns inauguration

on the 4th march, 1861, Lincoln was inaugurated. He arrived in DC quickly, warned of assassination plot.

His inaugural speech was conciliatory but firm. He said he would not interfere with slavery where it existed.

He did make it clear that secession was illegal, and he intended to hold onto any further federal property in the south.

fort Sumter

• south seized most foes in the south except fort Sumter and fort Pickens.

• Fort Sumter had become a symbol on both sides. If the conf was to lay claim to the full rights of a sovereign nation it could hardly allow a foreign fort int he middle of one of its main harbours.

• Sumter would run out of supplies in 6 weeks, Lincoln needed to act.

• He sent ships to reprovise not reinforce both forts.

• Lincoln sent letter to governor of SC informing him.

• He knew that the expedition was unlikely to go unchallenged, if the conf fired on unarmed ships carrying food and supplies, ti would unite N opinion about the S.

southern reaction to fort Sumter

Davis called cabinet meeting - decided to take fort by force.

Conf opened fire on the fort. No deaths but 5000 rounds of artillery exchanged.

fort was forced to surrender on 13 April 1861, but troops were allowed to be evacuated.

North was outraged. BY 15th April Lincoln had issued a call to arms, he wanted 75000 troops to put down the rebellion.

19th April Lincoln blockaded the conf, intending to prevent it trading w/ Britain and Europe.

Secession and the 2nd wave:

upper south now had to pick a side.

virginia was crucial, having more industrial capacity than the other 7 conf states combined. West Virginia seceded and remained in the union. Richmond became conf capital.

In may, Arkansas and NC joined the conf, as well as Tennessee.

Delaware, Maryland, missouri and Kentucky did not secede.