AP US History - Chapter 12: Sectional Conflict and Crisis

“spot resolution”

Representative of general discontent by small factions of the country over the Mexican American War. Senator Lincoln tried to get Polk to admit he’d incited the war rather than Mexico but it lead to larger ridicule and Lincoln went home to Springfield and returned to his law practice, having sort of given up.

Gold Rush

Tales of gold in California generated massive amounts of excitement both among Americans and internationals. Some struck it rich but it severely mounted tensions in the growing region and wreaked havoc on Native communities already living in California, violating treaties and reducing numbers

Mexican Cession

The territory given to the united states by Mexico following the Mexican American War, and it reignited fierce debates over slavery as while northeners weren’t anti slavery by rulethey were anti the power it gave the south. They wanted westerly lands to be for white farmers, splitting the country into two factions over what shall be done with the new land.

Downsides of the Mexican American War

Even critics of the war knew America could handily defeat Mexico, but it poisoned the country by aggravating sectional tensions including the ever pressing issue of slavery and the increased violence over potential wealth in California. Split voters and the Democrats

Wilmot Proviso

A ban on slavery in the Mexican cession proposed by David Wilmot, an anti-slavery Democrat. Quickily passed the house with the whig and anti-slavery democrat majority. Southerners started to panic and some northeners sided with them, fearing succession. It was shot down in the Senate.

Racism Preventing further expansion

People like Polk and his Secretary of State, Buchanan started to pursue gaining more Mexican territory but face opposition from Calhoun and other white supremacists who didn’t want to assimilate mixed race people into America, Polk and Buchanan accepted to unite the Democrats

Oregon Territory

Quickly established and created ability for farmers to be granted land if they move to the Territory before 1854, nullifying Native land claims.

Discontent with the Democrats

The debate over slavery in the ceded lands continued, and northerners became further irritated with the 3/5 compromise, giving southern whites disproportionate amounts of political power. Disliked how the democrats were catering to them and their interests with policies and appointments

Free Soil Movement

Was anti slavery in that they wanted the land for poor white farmers. Placed less emphasis on slavery as a sin and rather pitted it against jeffersonian republicanism that really advocated for yeomen and white farmers. Some abolitionists realized it would be more effective than outright abolotionism while some criticized it for prioritizing white men.

Election of 1848

Slave related conflict took a toll on Polk and the Democrats who eventually nominated Lewis Cass for the ticket. He was an avid expansionest, and promoted squatter sovereignity which proposed that the settlers choose the legality of slavery. Failed to persuade northern Democrats who joined the Free Soil Party. Whigs nominated Zach Taylor, a southern war hero who promoted slavery in the south but not in the territories. Taylor won due to Democrats losing votes to Van Buren and the Free Soil Party

Forty Niners

Was the name for riches seeking miners flocking to California by boat or by wagon. Lived in chaotic mining towns, with lots of immigrants who they did their very best to drive out systemically and whatnot. The first to arrive often cashed out, leaving the rest to fight for scraps and dashing many dreams of Californian wishes. By the mid 1850s, as many people were leaving as arriving. People stayed however, and turned to wage work for mining companies or farming

Taking the Land

Natives were the first group to be subjugated and driven out of California for the benefit of the forty niners since they didn’t have any legal claim to the land in the eyes of the US. Populations were decimated. Mexicans and Californios were harder to drive out due to standing treaties and bureaucratic systems. Still eventually gave up under the onslaught and sold land for cheap

Farming in Northern California

As people realized mining wasn’t sustainable, they found they could grow crops and raise livestock instead. Produced large crops for exporting and sold cattle meat to newcomers. Wheat boom replaced gold rush

California Seeks Admission to the Union

With debates over slavery, Californians pushed to be admitted as a full state in the union

Calhoun goes off the rails

Basically proposed a split presidency between the north and the south and said that congress had no right to regulate slavery in the states. Said that southerners could pick up slaves as property and move wherever they pleased. Moderates suggested to just continue the Missouri compromise line

Popular Sovereignty

The principle of allowing newcomers to the territory to decide the question of slavery, linked to republican ideology and prevented congress from having to make any controversial decisions. Was slippery and ill defined which lead to issues. Free soilers and other opponents of slavery opposed this as they did any proposal that allowed slavery

Compromise of 1850

Included a stronger fugitive slave act, while admitting California as a free state, resolved boundary issues between Texas and New Mexico, abolished the slave trade in DC and organized the rest of the territories won in the mexican cession. Killed lots of birds with one stone. Appeased southerners by further entrenching slavery but there was still open talk of secession among those who truly feared their rights being taken away

Brewing Tensions

While the architects of the 1850 Compromise hoped it would be as longstanding and effective as the Missouri compromise but sentiments for and against slavery grew on their respective sides of the country

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Part of the compromise, encouraged northerners more strongly to return escaped slaves to their rightful owners, even establishing courts to try runaway slaves. Was widely despised and responsible for growing Abolitionist sentiment among those who sympathized with the fugitives and free blacks put in harms way due to this act. They even turned violent on slave catchers who were trying to do their jobs. Many northern states passed personal liberty laws ensuring trial by jury, invoking the usually southern argument of states rights. Taney declared federal courts supreme but popular opposition still stood in the way

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe to shine a light on the horrors of slavery in the south. Sold massive numbers both in America and in Britain. Sparked outrage and visual adaptations for audiences

General Winfield Scott

Was the Whig candidate in 1852 as an attempt to unite the crumbling party. Embraced Calhoun’s constitutional argument that all territories should be open to slavery but was heavily outgunned by the Democrats. The Free Soil party ran another strong campaign as the Whigs floundered further

Franklin Pierce

New Hampshiran Democrat who won the election of 1852. Pursued an expansionist foreign policy. Under him a treaty was signed with the reclusive Japanese to fuel US ships in ports. Also authorized the Gadsen Purchase, which allowed for a transcontinental railroad line. Also got his fingers involved in Cuba, Spain and the carribean as southerners wanted those slave owning people to join up tm.

Ostend Manifesto

William Marcy, his Secretary of State arranged for American european diplomats to gather and compose this to encourage Pierce to seize Cuba by force. However, Pierce wisened up and quit his support of private military expeditions

John Quitman

Made a not-so-secret plan to conquer Cuba and add it to the pro slave US. The South strongly supported this plan. An example of filibustering

William Walker

Despite Pierce’s withdrawn support for filibustering, he gathered other failed forty niners. Tried and failed to capture Sonora in Northern Mexico, and was eventually hired to help in a civil war in Nicaragua. Took over Nicaragua but was eventually forced to flee. Was the ideal of the recklessly ambitious southerner who would stop at nothing to further slavery, at least to the north

The Immigrant Issue

Most immigrants had previously come from northern europe with some funds and means, moving into small farming towns with that money. The Irish Catholics driven out by the potato famine weren’t of means and driven out by catastrophe

The Irish Potato Famine

The Irish had to export the majority of their crops to british, eating not much but potatoes. When a potato blight came, they were forced to eat their seed crop and quickly started starving. Over 1 million people died from 1845 to 1851 of malnutrition and disease

Irish Immigrants

In contrast to the usual men, Irish families started pouring into America. Clustered in Urban areas, some managed to break into being shopkeepers or whatnot, formed group mutual aid organizations and joined/dominated the American Catholic Church. As they reported positive results, more Irish flooded in, even after the famine

Hostility towards Immigrants

The immigrants were able to find jobs and develop their cultures and have it be adopted, but the numbers lifted some poltiical. They disliked the crowded tenements and how jobs were being replaced by cheaper immigrant labor. Also disliked their languages and their catholicism. Some were violent and disruptive and others sided with the democrats. Some germans also held socialist beliefs

Know Nothing Party

Emerged from growing hostile nativist sentiment. Was very secretive (hence name) and was very anti immigration and wanted to discourage it in a variety of ways including literacy tests for those seeking to immigrate

Nebraska Territory

Was proposed as opposed to the permanent indian territory but faced opposition in south that didn’t want new territories w/ missouri compromise so to win their support Douglas added removal of Missouri Compromise. Ended up creating Kansas and Nebraska Territory. After bitter debate, both were instated. Stephen Douglad fought for it bc he wanted to make another transcontinental railroad so he got the souths support. Implied Kansas could maybe be a slave territory

Republican Party

Was created out of a few other parties, joined by ex whigs who wanted to oppose slavery as well as northern democrats and free soilers. Was too mild for abolitionists esp strong ones but still opposed the spread of slavery. Abraham Lincoln became a Republican

Conflict in Kansas

Settlers flooded into Kansas as everyone wanted to get a hand in whether the territory would be slave territory or not. Southerners and Northeners flooded to elect crucial positions, and pro slave people elected a proslavery government in Lecompton. The vast majority of the state was anti-slavery though and rejected this government. Devolved into a proxy war of sorts between abolitionists and southerners

Charles Sumner

Was a republican who may have distanced himself from more violent abolitionists but was still loudly anti-slavery. Talked shit about a congressman who was pro slavery and his cousin beat him up very badly. Was reelected, but so was the guy that beat him up.

Election of 1856

The Republican party stoked anger over slavery, linking it with the mormons as well. Went along with know nothings in immigrant policy. Nominated Colonel John C. Frémont. The American Party was split along sectional divides and nominated Millard Fillmore. The Democrats nominated James Buchanan. He had one job, hold the Democrats together and failed miserably

The Dred Scott Decision

Dred Scott was an enslaved man who lived for 5 years in Illinois which should be a free state. However, 7 out of 9 supreme court justices disagreed for a variety of legal reasons. Robert Taney in his opinion basically said that no black people could be citizens or sue and said that slaves were property and thus shouldn’t be restricted and should be able to be taken to free states like a couch. Republicans raised issues of conspiracy as Buchanan made things worse by supporting slavery in Kansas as they petitioned for slave statehood and failed

The Mormon War

The Mormons petitioned to make Deseret a big state, congress was like…. no but gave them the utah territory and appointed Brigham Young as Governor. Tensions festered especially over polygamy and the threat to nullify federal law. Buchanan thus dispatched an army to try and unite pro and anti slave people against the mormons. Eventually ended quietly and the nation turned back to the slave issue

Abraham Lincoln

Came from a farm family and became a sales clerk at first in Illinois rather than a substenance farmer like his family. He entered the middle class by learning their culture and joined a debate group as he studied law. Was a Whig in eventually Illinois state legislature. Served a single congressional term but eventually returned back to Illinois. Was propelled back into politics by the Kansas Nebraska Act but this time as a Republican

Douglas-Lincoln Debate

In 1858, Lincoln ran for Stephen Douglas’s Senate seat, challenging Douglas to seven open air debates. Douglas supported popular sovereignty and Lincoln says it must be stopped. He argued that Dred Scott made popular sovereignity irrelevant. While he lost the seat, he made waves and entered national purview.

John Brown’s Raid

Hopes to lead a slave revolt in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Failed miserably but he’s made a martyr when he’s hung and spreads fear in southern states of northen abolitionists coming in and messing with their property. This furthered tensions between the north and the south, as they prepared for impending conflict.

Election of 1860

Lincoln is on the republican ticket, Stephen Douglas is the northern democrat bc the south didn’t like his milder approach to slavery. Southern democrats choose John Breckinridge.

There was a fourth party as well, and they chose John Bell. Because of split democrats. Lincoln wins 40% of the popular vote but becomes president, leading South Carolina and the rest of the Deep South splits from the union, fearing that Lincoln would end slavery altogether. White opinion was more split in border states rather than the deep south

The Confederate States of America

Composed of the states that had seceded from the union, organized government in 1861. Buchanan' floundered under the weight of secession, declaring it illegal but failing to do anything to prevent it under the guise of states’ rights. Built on the ideals of white supremacy rather than liberty

The Crittenden Proposal

Had a proposal to lure the states back, to protect slavery in the constitution and extend the missouri compromise to the pacific ocean so they could potentially expand into Cuba and the Carribean. The extension of the Missouri Compromise was what made it a no for Lincoln and the Republicans who feared imperial ambitions overtaking the union

Lincoln’s Choice

In his inauguration speech, Lincoln said he advocated for perpetuity of the union (no secession). He also said they would use force if necessary, giving them a choice. Return to the union and keep having slaves and keep your head down or go to war with us. When they captured Fort Sumter, it was clear they intended for war.

Response to Impending War

Northerners responded to the threat of war with unfettered enthusiasm, eager to volunteer. Citizens and states aliked rush at the chance to join up with the troops and support the Union. Both sides expected war and Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas and Tennesee joined up with the confederates as both sides primed to fight