Chapter 18: a Divided Nation (1848-1860)

Chapter 18: A Divided Nation (1848-1860) Ch. 18.1: The Debate Over Slavery (pp. 552-557)  Wilmot Proviso (1846)-Proposal to outlaw slavery in the territory added to the U.S. through the Mexican Cession. It was never passed, but it showed the sectionalism of the country.  Sectionalism-A devotion to the interests of one geographic region rather than those of the country as a whole.  Popular sovereignty-The idea that political authority belongs to the people. Also a principle that would allow voters in a particular territory to decide whether to ban or permit slavery.  Free-soil party-Political party formed in 1848 by antislavery northerners who left other parties that did not address the slavery issue  Henry Clay-Author of the Compromise of 1850. The “Great Compromiser”  The Compromise of 1850-Henry Clay’s proposed agreement that allowed California to enter the Union as a free state and divided the rest of the Mexican Cession into two territories where slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty  Fugitive Slave Act-Law that made it a crime to help runaway slaves; allowed for the arrest of escaped slaves in areas where slavery was illegal and required their return to slaveholders.  Anthony Burns-Runaway slave from Virginia who was arrested and jailed in Boston. His case brought much attention from abolitionists, but he was sent back to slavery in Virginia.  Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)-Antislavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that showed northerners the violent reality of slavery and drew many people to the abolitionists’ cause.  Harriet Beecher Stowe-Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Ch. 18.2: Trouble in Kansas (pp. 559-563)  Franklin Pierce-He was a little-known politician from New Hampshire before he was elected as the 14th president of the U.S. in 1852.  Stephen Douglas-He was a congressman from Illinois who proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was hoping to get a railroad line from Chicago to the Pacific, but he never did.  Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)-Law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska territories to choose whether to allow slavery or not. It cancelled out the Missouri Compromise Line.  Pottawatomie Massacre-Incident in which abolitionist John Brown & seven others murdered pro-slavery Kansans.  Charles Sumner-This senator from Massachusetts was beaten by Preston Brooks until he was unconscious. His injuries led to a 3 year absence from the Senate.  Preston Brooks-He was a member of the U.S. House of Reps from South Carolina. He beat abolitionist supporter Charles Sumner with his cane until Sumner was unconscious.

Key Questions 1. How did different regions of the country react to the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

2. In what ways did people try to settle the conflict over slavery in Kansas?

3. What series of events showed growing division over slavery in the U.S.?

Chapter 18.3: Political Divisions (pp. 564-568)  Republican Party-Political party formed in the 1850s to stop the spread of slavery. Abraham Lincoln belonged to this party.  James Buchanan-He was Democrat from Pennsylvania that was elected the 15th President in 1856. He served as President from 1857-1861.  John C. Fremont-He was a Mexican war hero that ran for President as a Republican in 1856. He lost that election to James Buchanan.  Dred Scott-He was a slave from St. Louis, Missouri who had traveled and stayed in the North several times, because of this he sued for his freedom. He argued that he had become free when lived in a free territory.  Roger B. Taney-He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that made the Dred Scott decision. He was from a slaveholding family in Maryland.  Dred Scott Decision (1857)-U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not U.S. citizens, that the Missouri Compromise’s restriction on slaery was unconstitutional, and that Congress did not have the right to ban slavery in any federal territory (Slavery was now legal in all U.S. territories).  Abraham Lincoln-He was a lawyer from Illinois, he then served a term in the House of Reps. He joined the Republican party in 1856 and ran for the Senate in 1858, but lost to Stephen Douglas.  Lincoln-Douglas Debates-Series of seven debates between Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen Douglas during the 1858 U.S. Senate campaign in 1858.  Freeport Doctrine (1858)-Argument made by Stephen Douglas during the Lincoln-Douglas debates that popular sovereignty would determine whether a state or territory could permit slavery. Douglas argued that “It matters not” what the Supreme Court decides about the issue of slavery.

Chapter 18.4: Secession (pp. 569-575)  John Brown’s Raid (1859)-Incident in which abolitionist John Brown and 21 other men captured a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in hopes of starting a slave rebellion. Brown was captured, arrested, and executed.  John C. Breckinridge- He was a Southern Democrat who supported slavery. He ran for President in 1860 and lost.  Constitutional Union Party-Political party formed in 1860 by a group of northerners and southerners who supported the Union, its laws, and the Constitution.  John Bell-He ran for President for the newly formed Constitutional Union Party. He received 12% of the popular vote and lost. He was a slaveholder from Tennessee.  Secession-The act of formally withdrawing from or leaving an organization, such as a country.  John C. Crittenden-He was a Senator from Kentucky who came up with a series of compromises to satisfy the Southern states who were considering secession. One compromise was extending the line created by the Missouri Compromise to the Pacific. His plan was rejected by Congress.  Confederate States of America (CSA)-Nation formed by the seceding southern states in February of 1861, also called the Confederacy.  Jefferson Davis-He was a graduate from West Point and a Mexican War veteran. He was from Mississippi and he was elected president of the Confederacy.

The Confederate States of America Order Seceding State Date of Secession 1 South Carolina Dec. 20, 1860 2 Mississippi Jan. 9, 1861 3 Florida Jan. 10, 1861 4 Alabama Jan. 11, 1861 5 Georgia Jan. 19, 1861 6 Louisiana Jan. 26, 1861 7 Texas Feb. 1, 1861