Georgia and the American Experience

Chapter 7:The Antebellum Era,

1838-1860

Manifest Destiny

• A Northern journalist (1845) wrote that the manifest destiny of the U.S. was “to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free descendants of our yearly multiplying millions”

• The country’s leaders steadily increased territory and fought to protect its citizens across the continent

Section 1: Manifest Destiny

• What words do I need to know?-Manifest Destiny: The belief that God meant for the US to settle all lands west and “care for” those already living there–Annex: to add on

• example- states were “annexed” into the US

Section 2:Deepening Divisions

• What words do I need to know? – states’ rights– Missouri Compromise– sectionalism– Compromise of 1850– Kansas-Nebraska Act

A Country Divided

• States’ rights: Belief that the state’s interests take precedence over interests of national government

• Sectionalism: Belief that your area is more important than all the rest

• Nullification: The ability to disobey a law if it is not in your best interest.

• Slavery• Economics and Tariffs• Culture• Education

Differences: North and South• https://s3.amazonaws.com/ga_05_pdf/ch_7_2.pdf

• Figure 18…. Page 216

• Make a T-Chart that outlines the major differences between the North and South that led to the Civil War.

Slave Counts STATE 1790 WHITE SLAVE 1810 WHITE SLAVE 1860 WHITE SLAVE

GEORGIA 53,000 29,000 145,000 105,000 592,000 462,000

S. CAROLINA 140,000 107,000 214,000 196,000 291,000 402,000

VIRGINIA 442,000 293,000 552,000 393,000 1,047,000 491,000

NEW YORK 314,000 21,000 919,000 15,000 3,932,000 0

PENNSYLVANIA 317,000 4,000 787,000 795 2,849,000 0

NEW JERSEY 170,000 11,000 227,000 11,000 647,000 0

The Slave Owning South?State

TotalSlave-holders

Held 1Slave

Held 2Slaves

Held 3Slaves

Held 4Slaves

Held 5Slaves

Held 1-5Slaves

Held 100-499Slaves

Held 500+Slaves

GA 41,084 6,713 4,335 3,482 2,984 2,543 20,057

211 8

SC 26,701 3,763 2,533 1,990 1,731 1,541 11,558

441 8

VA 52,128 11,085

5,989 4,474 3,807 3,233 28,588

114-

The Abolitionists• Led the movement to do away with slavery• Many northern whites, some southern and free blacks were involved• Made speeches, wrote books and articles,

and offered their homes as safe houses for runaway slaves

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), by Harriet Beecher Stowe, portrayed slavery’s evils; the book sold more than 1 million copies

• North Star and The Abolitionist were anti-slavery newspapers

The Missouri Compromise• Approved in 1820; Maine entered the Union as a

free state, and Missouri entered as a slave state• 11 states allowed slavery and 11 states did not• Prohibited slavery north of 36°20' latitude (the

southern border of Missouri), and included Louisiana Territory lands west of Missouri

• Temporarily solved slavery controversy between the states

The Compromise of 1850• California would enter Union as a free state• New Mexico territory would not become part of Texas

or a guaranteed slave state• The District of Columbia would no longer trade slaves,

but slave owners there could keep their slaves• Runaway slaves could be returned to their owners in

slave states (Fugitive Slave Act)• Utah and New Mexico territories could decide if they

wanted to allow slaves or not– Popular Sovereignty

**Led to Georgia Platform**

The Georgia Platform• The Georgia Platform was a statement executed by a

Georgia Convention in response to the Compromise of 1850. Supported by Unionists, the document affirmed the acceptance of the Compromise as a final resolution of the sectional slavery issues while declaring that no further assaults on Southern rights by the North would be acceptable.

• The Platform was an effective antidote to secession.

• Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs fought for acceptance of the Compromise of 1850.

The Dred Scott Decision

• Supreme Court ruling in 1857• A slave filed suit after he lived in free states

with his owner but was returned to slave state• Court ruled that slaves were not citizens and

could not file lawsuits• Court also ruled that Congress could not stop

slavery in the territories• Decision further separated the North and

South

The Kansas-Nebraska Act • Created the territories of Kansas and

Nebraska• Those territories had right of popular

sovereignty • Popular sovereignty: When a territory asked

for statehood, the people could vote on slavery

Section 3: Slavery as a Way of Life • What words do I need to know?

–slave code–Underground Railroad

Slave Rebellions• 1831 - Nat Turner led bloody rebellion in

Virginia; between 57 and 85 people died; Turner was hanged

• Nat Turner’s Rebellion and other unsuccessful rebellions prompted strict laws across the South designed to curtail slave movements, meetings, and efforts to learn to read and write

• These laws applied to both slaves and freed blacks

Slave Codes• Took away nearly all rights of slaves• Slaves could not carry weapons, make

any contact with white people• People who tried to teach people of

color were punished; slaves could not work any job involving reading and writing

• Slaves had little time to talk together

John Brown• White abolitionist led a raid on federal arsenal

(arms storehouse) at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia• Brown wanted ammunition to lead a rebellion to

free the South’s slaves• He was captured and hanged for treason • The Brown raid added to fear and distrust,

especially in the South; to many Northerners, Brown became a hero

The Underground Railroad• Network of roads, houses, river crossings,

boats, wagons, woods, and streams operated by blacks and whites

• Provided a trail of flight for runaway slaves seeking freedom in Canada or the Northern states

• Safe stops along the way called stations• Ex-slave Harriet Tubman personally helped more than 300 slaves escape to

freedom

Cotton Gin’s Impact on Slavery

Cotton Production in the South, 1820–1860

The Election of 1860 (Lincoln)• After Lincoln was elected, Georgians were faced with

a decision…

• Nullification was the states refusal to enforce federal law. Southern states thought it was okay to secede from the union because they believed Lincoln would not keep their best interests in mind.

• The Southern States met to form the Confederate States of America

• Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was elected President and Alexander Stephens of Georgia was elected Vice President of the Confederacy

Georgians in Leadership• Robert Toombs named Secretary of

State of the Confederate States of American (CSA)

• Alexander H. Stephens named Vice-President

• Governor Joseph E. Brown favored secession and used his terms as governor to prepare Georgia for war