THE COMING OF THE CIVIL WAR

1850: The Decade of Crisis

Out of ManyChapter 15

America in the 1850s

• Changes from the market revolution:– Geographic expansion– Population increase– Economic development

• Nat’l identity in economics, culture, & politics

Expansion & Growth

• Grew thanks to war & diplomacy• Tripled in size• 31 states by

1850• Nation moved

out of the“developing”category

Politics, Culture, & National Identity• National Identity founded on– the principle of Manifest Destiny– Pride in democracy– New middle class values

• “American Renaissance”– Short stories– Unrhymed verse– Social critics

• Famous novels– The Scarlet Letter– The House of Seven Gables– Moby Dick– Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass– Uncle Tom’s Cabin

UNCLE TOM’S CABIN• Harriett Beecher Stowe,

author• 1852• sold 300,000 copies in first

year• All-time best seller• S criticizes – exaggerated

account by woman from ME; not typical

• N convinced slavery would be ruin of US

• “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!”

Nation Divided

• Whether or not slavery should be extended to new territories sparked the nation’s biggest political debate

• Prior to the 1840s, the nat’l party system had forced both Whigs & Democrats to forge inter-sectional coalitions

• By 1848, sectional splits in religious & other organizations had begun to divide the country

NORTHERN CRITICISMS OF SLAVERY

• Violates the principles of the United States & Christian religion (equality of all men) .

• Primarily the belief that all humans – slave or free – had the right to choose their own destiny & follow God’s laws.

• BUT, most did NOT believe that blacks and whites were equals & did not want blacks to have equal political rights.

SOUTHERN DEFENSE OF

SLAVERY:

• Necessary to provide an adequate labor supply

• “Positive Good” since all basic needs of slaves were met

• Better than the unemployment, poverty & crime in the North

• Religion – slavery existed in Bible• Science – blacks are racially inferior

ELECTION OF 1848• SLAVERY is most

controversial issue• Democrats run Lewis Cass –

“Father of Popular Sovereignty”

• Free Soil Party runs Martin Van Buren – Abolition of slavery

• Whigs choose Zachary Taylor – totally avoids issue of slavery & focuses on military accomplishments in Mexican War

• Taylor wins

CALIFORNIA

• GOLD discovered 1848• GOLD RUSH – 95,000 “Forty-

niners” there to mine it by 1849• Impact of Gold Rush:–Hundreds of thousands of people

migrate to CA, many immigrants– San Francisco major commercial

center–Mining towns / ghost towns

Rising Debate in Congress• John C. Calhoun– Laid out the states’ rights defense– Claimed that the territories were the

common property of all the states– Congress could not discriminate

against slave-owners by preventing them from moving their“property” (a.k.a. slaves) to theterritories

– Believed he was invokingConstitutional protections of minorities(a.k.a. slave owners)

• Calhoun’s arguments were taken up as dogma by Southern politicians

• South started threatening secession if their rights were not protected

Rising Debate in Congress• Daniel Webster & Henry Clay

both urged compromise• Problem…– Northerners had come to view

Southern insistence on slave-holding rights as a conspiracy to maintain control over the gov’t

– North became increasingly hostile to “slave power”

• Because all three men were getting older, they left figuring out a solution to younger congressmen, like Stephen Douglas

Henry Clay

Daniel Webster

COMPROMISE OF 1850• Actually passed in 5 separate bills• Popular belief that a crisis had been adverted, but

in reality it had only been postponed• Provisions favoring the North:–California admitted as a

free state• Free states outnumber

slave states–All future slave TRADING

prohibited in Washington, D.C.

Provisions Favoring the South:• Slave ownership still allowed in

D.C.• Stronger Fugitive Slave Law– Designed to suppress the

Underground RR– Slave owners didn’t have to

prove ownership to get slaves returned

– Slaves had no right to testify in their own behalf

– North totally opposed & passed “personal liberty laws” which forbade the capture & return of runaway slaves

The Fugitive Slave Act

• The issue of runaway slaves further divided the nation. • The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 put the full force of the

federal government behind slave catchers. • States had previously passed acts against aiding slave

catchers. • Mobs of northerners unsuccessfully tried to prevent

the law from being carried out.• Black fugitives described their experiences as slaves,

helping to raise Northerners’ consciousness.

Provision that could benefit either the North or the South:

• Mexican cession would be divided into 2 territories: UT & NM

• Slavery would be decided in these 2 territories by popular sovereignty

• Stephen Douglas responsible for passage of Compromise of 1850

• P Taylor opposed the Compromise – but he died; P Fillmore signs bill into law

• Whig• VP – None• Competent & level-headed• Personally opposed slavery– Issue not worth civil war

• Apprenticeship– 14 year old– Carding & clothing– Chopped wood

• Joined library @ 18• Country schoolteacher• Lawyer

Election of 1852Whigs

• Unofficial head = William Seward– Doesn’t like pro-

Southern Fillmore

• Nominates General Winfield Scott

• Alienates the southern portion of their party

• Will be the last time they nominate a presidential candidate

Democrats• Lewis Cass, Stephen

Douglas, & James Buchanan all vying for nomination

• Party turns to Franklin Pierce (NH)– Thought to have southern

sympathies

• “Faithful execution”

• Democrat• VP – William King– Died after 1 year

• People pleaser• Studied law• Was elected to the

Senate at 33• Mexican War veteran– Served under General

Scott• “Doughface Democrat”

“Young America”: The Politics of Expansion

• “Young America” began with a group of writers & politicians– Believed in Manifest Destiny– Looked southward at Cuba &

Central America• “Filibusters” invaded– Purpose?– William Walker

• Led 3 invasions of Nicaragua• Became ruler, but later overthrown• Tried again to regain control• Captured & executed in Honduras

Obtaining Cuba• Pierce administration deeply involved• Slave revolts, 1843-44– Slave owners seeking annexation

• Pierce sent minister to Spain to negotiate a deal– Met in Ostend, Belgium– Offered $130 million

• Ostend Manifesto– “one people with

one destiny”– “wrest” Cuba if

necessary– Suppose to be

secret…– Pierce will be forced

to repudiate it

Japanese Trading

• Commodore Matthew Perry

• Dispatched to open up trading ports with Japan– Brought steam powered

ships– “Giant dragons puffing

smoke”• Would take several

months before agreement is reached

• 2 ports opened in Japan

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT

• 1854, introduced by STEPHEN DOUGLAS

• ACT PROVIDES FOR 2 NEW TERRITORIES FROM REST OF LA PURCHASE: KS & NE

• SLAVERY DECIDED BY POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY

• REPEALED PORTION OF MO COMPROMISE BANNING SLAVERY N OF 36’30’ LINE

• N PROTESTS! - But Act passed anyway