Road the Civil War Study Guide

Unit 4: Road the Civil War Study Guide 

Day 1: Compromises & Balance

Sectional Disputes & Nationalism

• Expansion of states after the Louisiana Purchase and the War with Mexico.

• Tensions rose over slavery and its expansion, leading to a decline in nationalism.

Missouri’s Application (1819)

• Issue: Balance of free and slave states.

• 11 free states, 11 slave states at the time; tensions over Missouri becoming a slave state.

The Missouri Compromise (1820)

• Maine became a free state, Missouri became a slave state.

• Henry Clay (The Great Compromiser) proposed the compromise.

• Jesse Thomas’s Amendment: Banned slavery north of Missouri’s southern border (36°30’).

• Result: Preserved Senate balance.

Tallmadge Amendment (1819)

• Proposed by James Tallmadge Jr. (NY):

  • No new enslaved people in Missouri.

  • Enslaved children freed at age 25.

• Outcome: Passed in the House, rejected in the Senate.

Missouri’s State Constitution Controversy

• Banned free African Americans from entering Missouri, which nearly derailed statehood.

The Wilmot Proviso (1846)

• Proposed by David Wilmot: No slavery in territories gained from Mexico.

• Southern Reaction: Outrage over perceived threat to slavery.

The Calhoun Resolutions (1847)

• Proposed by John C. Calhoun:

  • Slavery as property.

  • State sovereignty.

  • Threat of secession.

• Outcome: Resolutions failed, but deepened North-South divide.

Popular Sovereignty

• Proposed by Lewis Cass: Let people in new territories decide whether to allow slavery.

• Northerners hoped territories would be settled by free states.

The Free-Soil Party (1848)

• Founded by Northern Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, and abolitionists.

• Opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.

• 1848 Election: Zachary Taylor (Whig) elected president, opposed by Free-Soil Party.

Summary

• Missouri Compromise and Wilmot Proviso contributed to the sectional divide over slavery.

• Free-Soil Party and popular sovereignty further complicated the debate.

Day 2: Abolitionists

Early Antislavery Movements

• Gradualism: Ending slavery slowly, allowing the Southern economy to adjust.

• Colonization: Sending freed African Americans to Liberia (American Colonization Society founded in 1816).

Radical Shift to Abolition (1830s)

• David Walker: Advocated violence to end slavery.

• William Lloyd Garrison: Led movement with his newspaper, The Liberator.

• American Anti-Slavery Society: Founded by Garrison, with over 250,000 members by 1838.

Women in Abolition

• Sarah & Angelina Grimké: Early speakers for both abolition and women's rights.

• Sojourner Truth: Former enslaved woman advocating for abolition and women's rights.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

• Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

• Focused on Uncle Tom, a Black man enslaved in the South, whose suffering ignited national debates over slavery.

Frederick Douglass

• Escaped slavery in 1838, became an influential abolitionist and writer.

• Founded The North Star newspaper.

Split in the Abolitionist Movement

• Disagreement between radicals like Garrison and moderate abolitionists.

• American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society formed by moderate abolitionists.

Violence Against Abolitionists

• Elijah P. Lovejoy: Murdered for publishing anti-slavery materials in 1837.

• Southern states fought to suppress abolitionist literature.

Compromise of 1850

• Aimed to resolve North-South tensions over slavery.

  • California admitted as a free state.

  • Fugitive Slave Act strengthened.

  • Popular sovereignty for Utah and New Mexico territories.

  • Slave trade abolished in Washington, D.C.

  • Texas gave up land for financial aid.

Day 3: Responses to Abolitionism

Violence Against Abolitionists

• Northern mobs attacked abolitionists.

• Southern backlash included censorship and violence against abolitionist materials.

Personal Liberty Laws

• Passed by Northern states to protect free African Americans from being captured under the Fugitive Slave Act.

Reaction in the South

• Slavery as a foundation of the Southern economy and society.

• Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831): Led by Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher, killed 50 white people, causing panic in the South.

• Southern defenses of slavery argued it was a "necessary evil" and a "positive good" for the economy.

Gag Rule in Congress

• A rule that silenced petitions and discussions about slavery, infuriating abolitionists.

Mobs and Violence Against Abolitionists

• Abolitionist leaders regularly faced physical attacks and censorship.

Impact of Abolition

• Abolitionism deepened tensions, leading to violence and suppression, eventually contributing to the Civil War.

Day 4: Nat Turner

Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)

• Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher, led a revolt in Virginia, killing over 50 white people.

• Significance: Caused panic in the South, leading to harsh retaliation against African Americans.

Day 5: Political Parties

Early Parties

• Federalist Party (1790s-1820s): Led by Alexander Hamilton, favored a strong central government, industry, and pro-British policies.

• Democratic-Republican Party (1792-1834): Led by Thomas Jefferson, supported limited government, agrarian society, and pro-French policies.

Jacksonian Democrats (Democratic Party)

• Andrew Jackson founded the party in 1828.

• Focused on populism, states' rights, and opposing federal economic intervention (e.g., Bank of the United States).

• Support base: Southern and Western farmers, urban immigrants.

Whig Party (1833-1854)

• Henry Clay, Daniel Webster: Favored strong federal government and internal improvements.

• Disbanded over slavery issues and many joined the Republican Party.

Know-Nothing Party (1850s)

• Focused on nativism and anti-immigration, particularly anti-Catholic sentiment.

The Free-Soil Party (1848-1854)

• Opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories.

• Motto: "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, Free Men."

• Set the stage for the Republican Party.

Southern and Northern Divisions

• Southern Democrats: Pro-slavery, focused on states’ rights and defense of Southern interests.

• Northern Democrats: Focused on popular sovereignty but believed in compromise.

• Conscience Whigs: Anti-slavery faction of the Whig Party.

Republican Party (Founded 1854)

• Formed by anti-slavery Whigs and Northern Democrats.

• Ideology: Anti-slavery, free labor, internal improvements.

• Key Event: Abraham Lincoln elected in 1860, triggering secession.

Day 6: Demographics

Enslaved African Americans

• Forced labor, feared separation, no rights.

• Ideology: Resistance, hope for liberation.

Freed African Americans

• Legal freedom, but widespread discrimination.

• Ideology: Abolition, equality, civil rights.

White Southern Plantation Owners

• Wealth from enslaved labor; focused on agriculture.

• Ideology: Slavery as a “positive good.”

Native Americans

• Forced westward, land loss, displacement.

• Ideology: Sovereignty, resistance.

White Abolitionists

• Advocated for immediate abolition.

• Ideology: Equality, civil rights.

Immigrants

• Focused on economic opportunities in the North, wary of slavery.

American Industrialists

• Economic growth in the North, opposed slavery due to competition with free labor.

Southern and Northern Women

• Southern women supported slavery, focused on domestic roles.

• Northern women engaged in abolitionism and women's rights.

Day 7: Compromise of 1850

Key Constitutional Principles:

1. Federalism: Division of power between federal government and states.

2. Separation of Powers: Three branches of government: Legislative, Executive, Judicial.

3. Popular Sovereignty: The people hold the power to decide on issues like slavery in new territories.

Key Quotes:

1. Fugitive Slave Clause (Article IV, Section 2):

   • "No Person held to Service or Labor in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall... be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labor may be due."

   • Importance: Required the return of runaway slaves even in free states. Strengthened by the Fugitive Slave Act in the Compromise of 1850, it caused tension between North and South, especially in Northern states that resisted enforcement.

2. The Tenth Amendment:

   • "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

   • Importance: Supports state rights over federal control. Key in debates over popular sovereignty in new territories—Southern states argued they had the right to allow slavery, while the North wanted federal restrictions.

Key Concepts:

• Popular Sovereignty: Allowed territories to vote on whether to allow slavery, used as a compromise to avoid federal intervention.

Causes of the Compromise of 1850:

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Officially ended the Mexican-American War, resulting in the acquisition of new territories and creating new conflicts over whether they should allow slavery.

• California's Admission as a Free State: California's population growth due to the Gold Rush led to its desire to become a state, but the question arose of whether it would be free or slaveholding.

The Compromise of 1850:

A series of laws designed to ease tensions between the North and South over slavery and territorial expansion. It was crafted by Henry Clay to maintain the Union.

Key Provisions:

• California was admitted as a free state.

• The Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened.

• Popular sovereignty applied to the territories of Utah and New Mexico.

• The slave trade was abolished in Washington, D.C.

• Texas gave up land in exchange for financial aid.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850:

• Definition: The law required runaway slaves to be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state.

• Purpose: To protect the property rights of slave owners and ensure the return of runaway slaves.

• Enforcement: This was done by federal agents and local law enforcement, and violators faced penalties.

• Public Reaction: Highly controversial, it led to civil disobedience and the passage of "personal liberty laws" in the North to protect runaway slaves.

Impact of the Fugitive Slave Clause vs. Fugitive Slave Act of 1850:

• Both documents aimed to return escaped slaves to their owners.

• The Fugitive Slave Clause (Article IV, Section 2) lacked enforcement mechanisms, while the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 created detailed procedures and federal enforcement, causing widespread tension, particularly in the North.

Day 8: Bleeding Kansas

Key Figures:

• Stephen A. Douglas: Illinois senator who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), supporting popular sovereignty, which allowed settlers to vote on slavery in new territories. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise.

• Franklin Pierce: 14th President, supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty, but failed to act decisively during the violence in Kansas, which worsened sectional tensions.

• John Brown: Radical abolitionist who believed in using violence to end slavery. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre (1856), killing five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas.

• Charles Sumner: Anti-slavery senator who delivered the "Crime Against Kansas" speech, criticizing pro-slavery forces. He was beaten by Preston Brooks on the Senate floor.

• Preston Brooks: A South Carolina congressman who physically attacked Sumner on the Senate floor, symbolizing the violent defense of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854):

• Proposed by Stephen A. Douglas, it created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing settlers to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. The Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which had previously banned slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel.

Responses to Bleeding Kansas:

• Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society: A Northern group that funded anti-slavery settlers to move to Kansas.

• Border Ruffians: Pro-slavery Missourians who illegally voted in Kansas to influence the decision on slavery.

The Violence of Bleeding Kansas:

• The Sack of Lawrence (1856): Pro-slavery forces attacked the town of Lawrence, burning buildings and looting.

• The Pottawatomie Massacre (1856): John Brown and his followers killed five pro-slavery men in retaliation for the violence in Kansas.

• The Battle of Osawatomie (1856): John Brown's forces were defeated, but the battle solidified his image as a radical abolitionist.

Impact of Bleeding Kansas:

• Political Realignment: The violence contributed to the formation of the Republican Party in 1854, which was anti-slavery.

• Sectional Tensions: The violence of Bleeding Kansas acted as a precursor to the Civil War, deepening the divide between North and South.

Day 10: Election of 1856

Candidates:

• Republicans: Ran John C. Fremont, advocating for the containment of slavery.

• Democrats: Ran James Buchanan, who had been largely uninvolved in the Kansas-Nebraska Act and was sympathetic to the South.

• Know-Nothing Party: Had no clear stance on slavery but sought to limit immigration.

Election Results:

• James Buchanan won the presidency, but his failure to address the growing violence in Kansas led to further sectional tensions.

• The Republican Party emerged as a major political force in the North.

Day 11: Dred Scott Decision (1857)

The Case Background:

• Dred Scott: An enslaved man who sued for his freedom after being taken to free territories by his owner.

Supreme Court's Ruling:

• Dred Scott was ruled not a U.S. citizen and therefore couldn't sue.

• The Court also ruled that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Impact:

• Deepened divisions between North and South, invalidating the concept of popular sovereignty and increasing tensions over slavery.

Day 12: Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

Key Issues:

• Douglas: Supported popular sovereignty, where territories decided the issue of slavery.

• Lincoln: Opposed the expansion of slavery, viewing it as a moral issue that should not be allowed to spread into new territories.

The Freeport Doctrine:

• Douglas' Response: Argued that despite the Dred Scott decision, slavery could still be excluded from territories through local laws.

• Lincoln: Rejected popular sovereignty, arguing that it couldn't maintain national unity.

Outcomes:

• Douglas won the Senate seat, but Lincoln gained national attention, emerging as a key anti-slavery leader.

Day 13: Election of 1860

Key Candidates:

• Abraham Lincoln (Republican): Opposed the expansion of slavery.

• Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat): Supported popular sovereignty.

• John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democrat): Supported the expansion of slavery.

• John Bell (Constitutional Union): Wanted to preserve the Union without a clear stance on slavery.

Election Results:

• Lincoln won the presidency with 180 electoral votes, but only 40% of the popular vote. His victory led to Southern states seceding from the Union, starting with South Carolina in December 1860.

Secession & the Confederacy:

• Southern states formed the Confederacy, with Jefferson Davis as president, signaling the start of the Civil War.