Unit 5: The Wedges of Separation

Antebellum Period

-Pre Civil war period
-1840s and 50s

Wedge of Seperation

-Lead to the Civil War in 1861

How many Wedges of Separation are there?

11

The Wedges of Separation

1. Missouri Compromise (1820)
2. Tariffs (1828, 1832, 1833)
3. Wilmot Proviso
4. Abolitionism
5. Compromise of 1850
6. Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
7. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
8. Dred Scott V Sanford (1857)
9. Lincoln-Douglas Debates
10. Raid at Harper's Ferry (1859)
11. Election of 1860

#1: Missouri Compromise (1820)

-Sect. tension in 1819
-Tallmadge Act-no more slaves should be brought to Miss. and slave children should be given emanc.
-South saw it as a threat
-North had more wealth & adv.
-Each state still had 2 votes
-Henry Clay sugg. the Miss. Comp.
-Miss. a slave state
-Maine a free state
-Beyond 36 30' was free

#2: Tariffs (1828, 1832, 1833)

-Tariff of 1828- Abom. Tariff
-Protect N.manu.; harmed S.bus.
-Response: Calhoun wrote the SC Exposition which revived nullification
-Cong: Tariff of 1832
-SC null. it & threatened secession
-Jackson: "Force Bill"
-Comp. Tariff and Force Bill passed in 1833
-SC accepts tariff but null. Force Bill
-Unresolved Issue: the quest. of fed. power

#3: Wilmot Proviso

-1846
-David Wilmot favored expansion but the Proviso stated no lands from MX should have slavery
-N. Dem. supported it
-Free Soil Party (1848):prevent extension of slavery
-Lewis Cass:pop. sov.
-Thomas Hart Benton & Polk sugg. extending the Miss. Comp & div. states at 36 30' to the Pacific
-Election of 1848
-Dem.:Cass
-Whigs: Taylor
-FS Party: Martin V.B
-Taylor won b/c FS Party acted as a spoiler in the n.states

#4 Abolitionism

-Interac. marriage & race war convinced whites that slavery must be maintained
-Emanc. mvmnt. increased due to 2nd GA
-Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831): hysteria
-Liberator-William Lloyd Garrison
-Null. crisis in 1832
-Bible and Aristotle teachings
-Separated N&S

#5 Compromise of 1850

-1849: CA Gold Rush
-Taylor supported CA & NM as free
-Equil. would be out of balance
-South angry by abolition & runaway slaves
-Henry Clay sugg. Comp. of 1850
1. Admit CA as a free state
2. The rest of the MX Cess. would be left to pop. sov.
3. Uphold slavery in Dist. of Columbia
4. Abolish slave trade across its boundaries
5. Adopt a more effective fug. slave law

#6:Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

-Harriet Beecher Stowe
-Novel about a slave and his owner
-Response to Fug. Slave Law
-Mission: convince n.neighbors that slavery should be abolished
-South angry
-North sees south as monsters

#7: Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

-Stephen Douglas
-Cong. wants to be railroad through north
-Proposes the KN Act
-Div. Neb. into 2 terr.
-Pop. sov. to determine slavery
-Repealed Miss. Comp. & 36 30' line
-South saw opp. to extend slavery
-Effects
1. Formation of Rep. Party
2. Violence in Kansas
3. Violence in Congress

What are the Effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

1. Formation of Rep. Party
-Wanted to repeal KA-NB Act & Fug. Slave Law
2. Violence in Kansas
-Bleeding Kansas
-Lecompton V Topeka
-2 legis. estab. (pro. & anti slavery)
3. Violence in Congress
-Sumner-Brooks Incident (1856)

#8:Dred Scott V Sanford (1857)

-Dred Scott, a slave, had lived in the free state of Illinois & Wisconsin
-He claimed that his presence on a free terr. should make him free
-Goes to court in Miss. then to fed. court
-CJ Roger Taney states that Scott is not a US citizen (he's chattel)
-Cong. does not have the power to ban slavery in the terr. b/c slaves are prop.
-Declares pop. sov. & the 36 30' parallel unconst.; Miss. Comp. unconst.
-All w. terr. is open to slavery
-South happy
-North and Rep. angry

#9: Lincoln-Douglas Debates

-1858
-Senate Debate (7 times)
-Lincoln forced Douglas to debate issue of slavery
-Douglas supported pop-sovereignty
-Lincoln asserted that slavery should not spread to territories
-Lincoln emerged as strong Republican candidate
-The Freeport Doctrine
-It doesn't matter what Court says
-Angers S.Dem.

#10: Raid at Harper's Ferry (1859)

-John Brown, an abolitionist, leads an attack on the fed. arsenal at Harper's Ferry, VA to give weapons to slaves so they could rebel
-Brown and his followers are captured by Robert E. Lee and killed
-All North. & Rep. are seen as fanatical as Brown

#11: Election of 1860

-Candidates: Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, Bell
-2 elections:N&S
-Victor: Lincoln
-SC happy b/c they now had an excuse to secede

Description of Missouri Compromise of 1820

-MO would be admitted as a slave state
-Maine would be free state
-Lands beyond the 36 30' would be free of slavery

How did the MO Comp. of 1820 create tension betw. the N&S?

-The admis. of these states would upset balance
-phys boundary

Categorize the MO Comp. of 1820

Political

Description of the Tariffs of 1828, 1832, 1833

-Created to protect N.industry
-Harmed the South
-Foreigners couldn't buy S.goods easily
-Southerns paid more

How did the Tariffs of 1828, 1832, 1833 create tension betw. the N&S?

-Issue of nullif.
-SC Exposition & Force Bill
-Fed. pwr questioned
-Threat of secession

Categorize the Tariffs of 1828, 1832, 1833

Economic, Political

Description of Wilmot Proviso of 1846

-Stated that no lands acquired from MX should have slavery

How did the Wilmot Proviso of 1846 create tension betw. the N&S?

-N.Dem. supported it
-FS Party wanted to prevent the extension of slavery
-Debate over pop. slavery

Categorize the Wilmot Proviso of 1846

Political

Description of Abolitionism

-Created to promote the emancipation of slaves and to aid fugitive slaves
-Inspired by the 2nd GA

How did Abolitionism create tension betw. the N&S?

-Separated the N&S
-Increase in fears, jailing, whippings
-Turner's Rebellion
-Liberator: William Lloyd Garrison
-South dep. on slavery

Categorize Abolitionism

Social

Description of Compromise of 1850

-By Henry Clay
1. Admit CA as a free state
2. The rest of the MX Cess. would be left to pop. sov.
3. Uphold slavery in Dist. of Columbia
4. Abolish slave trade across its boundaries
5. Adopt a more effective fug. slave law

How did the Compromise of 1850 create tension betw. the N&S?

-North angered by fug. slave law
-North had the better deal: pop. sov., CA as a free state
-Free states out#ered slave states
-Fug. Slave Act not enforced

Categorize the Compromise of 1850

Political, Social

Description of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

-Harriet Beecher Stowe
-Novel about a slave and his owner
-Mission: slavery should be abolished

How did Uncle Tom's Cabin create tension betw. the N&S?

-Influenced the North to think that all slaveowners are monstrous

Categorize Uncle Tom's Cabin

Social

Description of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

-Stephen A Douglas
-Div. NE into 2 terr.
-Pop. sov. decided slavery
-Repealed the MO Comp. & 36 30' line

How did the Kansas-NE Act of 1854 create tension betw. the N&S?

1. The Rep. Party is formed
-Becomes 2nd leading party
2. Violence in KA
-mini civil war
-estab. a pro and anti slav. legis.
-Lecompton V Topeka
3. Violence in Congress
-Sumner-Brooks Incident

Categorize the Kansas-NE Act of 1854

Political, social

Description of Dred Scott V Sandford (1857)

-Scott lived in IL and WN for some time
-Argued that his presence in a free terr. should make him free
-CJ Roger Taney declared that slaves are prop. and that Cong. couldn't ban slavery

How did Dred Scott V Sandford create tension betw. the N&S?

-Cong. declares pop. sov. unconst.
-36 30' parallel unconst.
-All W.lands open to slavery
-South happy, north angry
-Rep. called it a crime

Categorize Dred Scott V Sandford

Political, social, economic

Description of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

-Lincoln wanted to stop the expansion of slavery
-Asked Douglas how the KA-NE Act could coexist with pop. sov.
-Freeport Doctrine:it doesn't matter what Court says

How did the Lincoln-Douglas Debates create tension betw. the N&S?

-Angered S.Dem.
-Doug. ended his own career
-Lincoln backed Doug. into a corner, makes him able to run for pres. and led the Rep. Party

Categorize the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Political, social

Description of Raid at Harper's Ferry (1859)

-John Brown leads an attack on the fed. arsenal at HF,VA so he could give slaves weapons
-Captured by Robert E. Lee and killed

How did the Raid at Harper's Ferry create tension betw. the N&S?

-All Northerners & Rep. seen as fanatical as John Brown

Categorize the Raid at Harper's Ferry

Social

Description of the Election of 1860

-Candidates: Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, Bell

How did the Election of 1860 create tension betw. the N&S?

-SC happy w/Lincoln's victory
-Had an excuse to secede

Categorize the Election of 1860

Political