From Compromise to Conflict

From Compromise to Conflict America in 1819 • 7 new states were added: OH, IN, IL, KY, TN, LA, MS • 2 more applied for statehood: AL and MO • Should MO be free or slave? • Tallmadge Amendment – MO could become a state if no more slaves were brought in & all children of slaves were freed at age 25 • Northerners liked the amendment, Southerners were afraid it would lead to the abolition of slavery anywhere Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise • 1820-Maine asked Congress for statehood as a free state • The Compromise – Missouri would join as a slave state – Maine entered as a free state – North of the 36’30” line would be banned, except in Missouri The Anti-Slavery Movement • In the 1820s a religious revival inspired abolitionists to push Congress to get rid of slavery • When told that Congress had no power to get rid of slavery in the states, abolitionists asked for the ban of slavery in Washington D.C. • Congress voted in 1836 to stop acting on all anti-slavery petitions • Abolitionists were inspired to attack slavery in books, newspapers, and in public meetings The Nat Turner Rebellion • August 13, 1831 – Nat Turner enlisted 6 slaves to assist him in an attempt to kill as many whites as possible • In 2 days, Turner and the 6 slaves killed 60 men, women, and children using axes • The reaction – Slave meetings outlawed – Slaves required to have a pass – Abolitionist writings were outlawed Runaway Slaves • Runaway slaves faced the constant threat of being caught • Runaways were helped by many, the most famous was Harriet Tubman • Tubman helped more than 300 slaves to freedom, $40,000 was offered as a reward for her capture • The Underground Railroad-a network of free blacks and abolitionists that helped slaves escape to freedom in Canada America in 1848 • The gag rule on slavery expired and anti- slavery petitions poured into Washington D.C. • The number of slave and free states was balanced at 15 each • Congress had to decide whether or not to allow slavery in the territory won in the Mexican War • California applied for statehood – Northerners agreed, Southerners did not The Compromise of 1850 • Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster worked together to come up with a compromise • The Compromise – CA would be admitted as a free state – NM and UT would be territories open to slavery – The slave trade, not slavery, was banned in Washington, D.C. – A stronger Fugitive Slave Law • After 9 months, Congress fully accepted Clay’s compromise Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 • Under this law, fugitives would be jailed without bail or a jury trial • Any person helping a slave escape, could be jailed or fined • In the north, slave hunters were harassed • Northerners refused to enforce this law and few fugitive were returned to the South America in 1854 • Senator Stephen Douglas of IL proposed that the NE territory be organized so that a railroad could be built from IL to CA • Southerners suggested 2 changes: – KS and NE territories were both created – The question of slavery would be settled by “popular sovereignty” (the people would vote on the issue) • Northerners objected strongly to the bill Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas • After the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, settlers flooded into Kansas (most were farmers) • Most came to make Kansas either slave or free • Kansas soon had two competing governments: – Lawrence – anti-slavery capital – Pottawatomie – pro-slavery capital The Beating of Charles Sumner by Preston Brooks The Beating of Charles Sumner • Senator Sumner gave a speech entitled “The Crime Against Kansas” and insulted Sen. Andrew Butler • The next day Butler’s nephew, Rep. Preston Brooks, confronted Sumner and then beat Sumner with his cane Dred Scott Decision • African Americans are not citizens • Scott remains a slave under Missouri law • Congress cannot ban slavery in any territory • The Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas • Anti-slavery activists formed the Republican party • In 1858, Republicans in Illinois nominated Abraham Lincoln to run for the Senate – Insisted that the United States could not last half slave and half free • Lincoln’s opponent for Sen. Stephen Douglas – Douglas insisted that the Dred Scott decision had ended the slavery debate • Lincoln lost the election John Brown Election of 1860 The Election of 1860 • Republicans ran Abraham Lincoln for President & Democrats chose Stephen Douglas • Democrats split when Douglas did not firmly support slavery • Southern Democrats – John C. Breckinridge (KY) • Constitution Union Party – John Bell (TN) • Lincoln wins, and Southern states considered secession The Bombardment of Fort Sumter Fort Sumter • December 20, 1860 – Lincoln stated that he would allow the extension of slavery – Delegates at a state convention in South Carolina voted to secede • March 4, 1861 – Lincoln is sworn in as President • April 12, 1861 – Fort Sumter, a federal fort in Charleston Harbor, surrenders to the South Carolina state militia .

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