The 1850s

The 1850s:
Road to Secession
Problems of Sectional Balance in 1850

1787: The 3/5 Compromise attempted to settle issues of
slavery and representation. Congress banned slavery in the
territories north of the Ohio River.
1820: The Missouri Compromise attempted to balance the
power of North and South by admitting Maine as a free
state and Missouri as a slave state.
1845: Texas was admitted to the Union as a slave state.
1848: The war with Mexico came to an end, and Americans
asked themselves whether territories won in the war
should be open to slavery.
1849: Californias application for statehood forced the
nation to deal with the issue of the expansion of slavery.
1850: Compromise of 1850.
The Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay (preserve the Union)

proposed a compromise built around
four basic principles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
California be admitted as a free state

Utah and New Mexico would decide the
issue of slavery
Sale of slaves be banned in D.C.
Fugitive Slave Act be enforced (in
northern states)
Met with strong southern opposition

led by John C. Calhoun
Daniel Webster- did not want slavery
to extend in territories; urged
compromise from northerners on the
issue of fugitive slave enforcement after
Calhoun threaten Succession
Feared states cannot separate without a
Civil War
Secession! Peaceable
secessionThere can be no such thing
as peaceable secession
Daniel Webster, 1850
The Compromise of 1850

Clays omnibus bill was ultimately defeated
President Zachary Taylor opposed the measure
and threatened to veto (he promptly died)
Calhoun died (1850)
Clay died (1852)
Webster died (1852)
A new generation of compromisers had to
arise
Stephen A. Douglas (unity & compromise)

took the bills parts and attempted to pass
them individually
With the support of the new President
Millard Fillmore the Compromise passed
Northern Reactions to the Fugitive

Slave Act
There was already a Fugitive Slave
clause in the Constitutionso why a
new one?
Northerners didnt enforce it!
The NEW Fugitive Slave Act:

Compelled citizens to identify anyone
they knew to be a runaway slave
Empowered any citizen of the North to
act as a sheriff
Someone could be enslaved and sent to
the South if just one person swore
before a judge that the person was a
runaway!
Northern states protest by passing

personal liberty laws
Northern states refuse to permit slave
bounty hunters from using local and
state jails to hold runaways while
awaiting a hearing
Total number of fugitives assisted by

the UGR 1830-1860 was between
70,000 and 100,000
Uncle Toms Cabin, 1852

Harriet Beecher Stowe published
Uncle Toms Cabin in 1852
The novel framed slavery as both a
political and moral struggle
Northern abolitionists seized on the
public fascination with new calls to
ignore the Fugitive Slave Law
It sold 300,000 copies in 1852

2 million copies were sold in a
decade
So this is the lady who started
the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln
Compromise of 1850 Station Activity

You will be randomly assigned a station number, At
each station, read and discuss each document, analyze
the political cartoons, and answer each document set
of questions,.
In no more than 2 paragraphs write a response to
answer the following question:
Why was the country forced to compromise again over
the slavery issue? What was the main points of the
compromise? What were the lasting effects of the
Compromise of 1850?
A- use at least 2 documents to support answer. Honors
use at least 3 documents.
The Election of 1852

Franklin Pierce,
Democrat
Winfield Scott,
Whig
John Parker Hale,

Free Soil
Friday, November 18, 2016

Railroad to the Pacific
Popular Sovereignty
Objective: To trace the
(Causes)
(Effects)
development of sectional
tensions in the 1850s that led Stephen Douglas recognized Douglas needed the support
that the Nebraska Territory
of Southern leaders to push
to the Civil War.
was important in the
his railroad plans through.
Journal: Using the
expansion of the U.S. across
He knew, however, under the
information in the chart,
the continent. He envisioned Missouri Compromise, if
an organized, settled
Nebraska became a state it
identify Stephen Douglas
Nebraska crossed by a
would be a free state. By
three reasons for proposing
railroad line reaching from
supporting the formation of a
the Kansas-Nebraska Act:
Chicago to San Francisco.
free state he would lose the
One economic reason
One political reason
One personal reason
Homework: The 1850s ABCClio Notes
This would bring settlers,

businesses, and wealth to
Chicago. It would also
strengthen the political
position of the Midwest,
which could act as a balance
between Northern and
Southern factions, helping
unite the country.
support of Southern leaders.

Douglass solution was to
embrace the idea of popular
sovereignty, which held that
the voters in a territory
should decide whether they
wanted to become a free
state or a slave state.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act

Read the excerpts from the Kansas-Nebraska Act,
1854
Respond to the following questions, summarizing the
key points of the act:
1. Do Sections 1 and 19 introduce or ban slavery from the
new territories?
2. How do Sections 14 and 32 repeal the Missouri
Compromise of 1820?
3. What reasons do Sections 14 and 32 give for repealing
the Missouri Compromise of 1820?
4. What federal laws to Sections 10 and 28 apply to the two
territories? Why are the dates of these laws significant?
The Kansas-Nebraska Act

Douglas was obsessed with westward expansion and railroad
building
This would help fulfill Americas Manifest Destiny
BUT Nebraska lay north of the Missouri Compromise line

Douglas proposed popular sovereignty
Nebraska would join the union as two states one slave one
free
The Kansas-Nebraska Act passed in 1854

1.
2.
Repealed the Missouri Compromise and opened the

Kansas-Nebraska territory to popular sovereignty
voters would choose whether or not to allow slavery into
the territory
Supported strongly by southern Congressmen and
President Pierce
Douglas argued slavery could not exist in prairie states

None of the crops reliant on slavery could grow
Repealing the Missouri Compromise would cause a storm
in Congress
Stephen A.
Douglas:
Storm Chaser
Debate Over the Kansas-Nebraska Act

Stephen Douglas, the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and Abraham Lincoln had starkly
different views on the central issue of the bill popular sovereignty. Read the excerpts
from each mans speech and respond to the following questions.
Douglas:
1. What principle should regulate the domestic institutions of a people and
what policy should not govern these domestic institutions?
2. What does Douglas call the leading feature of the Compromise of 1850?
3. What did the Compromise of 1850 do to the Missouri Compromise line of
3630?
4. Regarding congressional action towards slavery in federal territories, what
does Douglas say the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act has in common with the
Compromise of 1850 measures?
5. What caused the spread of freedom in the U.S., and what did not promote the
spread of freedom?
6. Why did Douglas change his mind regarding the usefulness of the Missouri
Compromise?
Lincoln
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What reasons does Lincoln give for hating the principle of popular sovereignty,
which permits slavery wherever men can be found inclined to take it?
How does Lincolns belief in the Declaration of Independence lead him to
reject self-interest as the sole principle of political action?
Why does declared indifference equal covert real zeal for the spread of
slavery? In other words, why does Lincoln believe that congressional
neutrality towards slavery actually furthers the spread of slavery?
How does Lincoln define despotism?
Why does Lincoln believe it is wrong to enslave black people? (Hint: What
does he mean by my ancient faith and why does it prohibit slavery?)
What political principle is the sheet anchor of American republicanism?
What is the difference between slavery tolerated because of necessity and
slavery affirmed as a moral right?
Bleeding Kansas
Settlers from both North and South
flocked to the territory
Border Ruffians from Missouri (a slave
state) crossed over pushing the tide toward
pro-slavery candidates
Pro-slavery government established in
Lecompton
Anti-slavery government established in
Lawrence
May 21, 1856 pro-slavery forces

attacked Lawrence destroying printing
presses and buildings (the sack of
Lawrence)
May 24, 1856 anti-slavery zealot John
Brown and his followers hacked five
ruffians to death with broadswords
Political Upheaval
The Kansas-Nebraska Act marked the
death of the Whig Party
Alternatives?
Free-Soilers opposed expansion of
slavery and advocated for free land in
the West
The American Party (KnowNothings)
Nativist
Anti-Catholic
Anti-immigrant
The founding of the Republican Party
Northern Whigs
Northern Democrats
Free-Soilers
Know Nothings
Other opponents of the KansasNebraska Act
The Election of 1856

James Buchanan,
Democrat
John C. Fremont,
Republican
Millard Fillmore,
Whig/American
Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857

Was a slave, once taken into a free
territory, free?
Chief Justice Taney: No.
Slaves had no right to sue because they
were not citizens but property
The Missouri Compromise was
unconstitutional
Congress could not ban slavery in any
territory because the right to property
is protected by the Fifth Amendment
Read the Dred Scott Case and Answer
the Questions inside your notebook
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858

At question was the doctrine
of popular sovereignty
Lincoln: Slavery was a moral
evil that could only be
extinguished through
legislation
Douglas: Popular sovereignty
allowed people to elect
officials who would not
enforce slave property laws
(Freeport Doctrine)
This position further divided
Democrats
Douglas defeated Lincoln in the
Congressional election
John Brown: A Profile

Religious zealot
Abolitionist
Involved in the Underground
Railroad
Moved to Kansas to support
the anti-slavery cause
Responded to violence by proslavery men by organizing the
murder of 5 proslavery
settlers: Pottawatomie Creek
Massacre
John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry, 1859

Hoping to ignite an armed
slave uprising, John Brown
attacked the federal
armory at Harpers Ferry,
Virginia
No uprising occurred
Brown and his men were
captured or killed within
36 hours
Brown was tried and
executed for treason
Abraham Lincoln called Brown a

misguided fanatic.
John Browns raid
shocked and polarized
the country:
Abraham Lincoln
- In the NORTH: bells

rang; many speeches
condemned slavery;
Brown was
considered a martyr
- In the SOUTH: slave
owners horrified
that the raid almost
succeeded; more
convinced that they
cant live in the
United States
John Brown
John Brown Activity

Honors
In randomly assigned
groups, Read the document
on John Brown and answer
the guided questions in 2-3
complete sentences each.
Academic
Pick up a text book and use
page 328.
In randomly assigned
groups, examine the picture
of John Brown, read each
quote and explain how
accurately, then read the
historical background and
respond to questions 3-6
ELECTION OF 1860
With your table of cohorts, you will be given the
platform of each party in 1860. Your job is to:
- Work cooperatively
- Read and discuss the platform of each party
- Fill in the chart
- Then read the statements below the chart and
pick the correct party that the voter would have
voted for.
- YOU WILL HAVE 20 MINUTES
Northern
Democrat
Party
Major
Positions
Abide by the
decisions of the
Supreme Court
(Dred Scott)
Protect rights of
immigrants
Build a
transcontinental RR
Acquire Cuba
Enforce the Fugitive
Slave Act
Enforce laws in the
territories
Southern
Democrat
Candidate
Stephen Douglas
Where
was the
support?
(Regions/
Missouri, half of
Marylands votes
Protect
slaveholders in the
territories and
recognize territorial
governments even
if they include
slavery
Acquire Cuba from
Spain
Uphold the Fugitive
Slave Act
Protect immigrant
rights
Build a
transcontinental RR
John C.
Breckinridge
Southern States
Constitutional
Union
Recognize the
Constitution
Enforce the laws
Restore peace and
rights of the people
and states
Place the
government in
good standing with
the people
Republican
Opposed disunion
Non-extension of
slavery into the
territories
Kansas admitted as
a free state
Raise the tariff
Support of the
Homestead Act
(free lands in the
West)
Support immigrant
rights
Promote internal
trade
(transcontinental
RR)
John C. Bell
Abraham Lincoln
Some southern
states Virginia,
Kentucky,
Tennessee
Northern States;
The West
The Political Forecast
Branch of
Government
Party Control in 1860
President
Republican
House (Congress)
Republican
Senate (Congress)
Republican
Supreme Court
Democraticfor now
Secession: Why 1860?

South believed that they would no longer be
represented equally because new Republican
govt did not support their way of life (slave
system)
The only hope for its preservationis out of the
Union.
SC, AL, MI had committed to secession if Lincoln

won the election
State convention held in SC Dec. 1860 leads other
states (MI, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX) to secede
Why not all South? Division between W/E parts of
states
Secession Begins
Northern Responses
Buchanan denounced secession as unconstitutional, but said it
couldnt be stopped by force
Blamed it on Republicans refusal to compromise
Called for obedience to Fugitive Slave law, amendment to
protect slavery & annexation of Cuba
Lincoln said revolution was only a moral right when exercised for
a morally justifiable cause
Refused calls to compromise on slavery
Rejected proposals to let the seceding states leave the Union
Refused to give up federal powers over military forts in South
(which CSA needed to become a nation)
Radical Republicans preferred peaceful separation to any further
compromises
Last-Ditch Compromise Attempts

Proposed by John Crittenden
Guaranteed slavery south of 3630 and
obedience to the Fugitive Slave Act.
Lincoln would not accept, it violated the
Republican position
Fort Sumter
When the southern states seceded, they seized the federal forts
and arsenals within their borders.
Only four forts remained under Union control, the most
important was Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina
Lincolns dilemma: Should he try to resupply the fort? Or should
he let the Confederates take it?
He decided to send food to Fort Sumter, because the troops
desperately needed food, but no arms.
South Carolinians were suspicious of Lincoln's motives and
ordered the Fort Sumter troops to surrender to the
Confederacy.
The Union troops refused, so the Confederates fired on the fort.
Union troops run out of ammunition and surrender
Fort Sumter (Effects):

Northerners responded with anger. On April 15, 1861,
President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to fight
against the Confederacy.
Because of the outbreak of fighting more states seceded:
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina
War is ON!

The 1850s

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The 1850s

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The 1850s:

Problems of Sectional Balance in 1850

The Compromise of 1850

Henry Clay (preserve the Union)

California be admitted as a free state

Met with strong southern opposition

The Compromise of 1850

Stephen A. Douglas (unity & compromise)

Northern Reactions to the Fugitive

The NEW Fugitive Slave Act:

Northern states protest by passing

Total number of fugitives assisted by

Uncle Toms Cabin, 1852

It sold 300,000 copies in 1852

Compromise of 1850 Station Activity

The Election of 1852

John Parker Hale,

Friday, November 18, 2016

Homework: The 1850s ABCClio Notes

This would bring settlers,

support of Southern leaders.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

BUT Nebraska lay north of the Missouri Compromise line

The Kansas-Nebraska Act passed in 1854

Repealed the Missouri Compromise and opened the

Douglas argued slavery could not exist in prairie states

Debate Over the Kansas-Nebraska Act

May 21, 1856 pro-slavery forces

The founding of the Republican Party

The Election of 1856

Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858

John Brown: A Profile

John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry, 1859

Abraham Lincoln called Brown a

- In the NORTH: bells

John Brown Activity

The Political Forecast

Party Control in 1860

Secession: Why 1860?

SC, AL, MI had committed to secession if Lincoln

Last-Ditch Compromise Attempts

Fort Sumter (Effects):

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