Drifting Toward Disunion

1. Drifting Toward Disunion Chapter 19

2. Stowe and Helper: Literacy Incendiaries. • In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published, Uncle Tom’s Cabin the popular book that awakened the North to the actuality of slavery. • As a result of reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin, many northerners refused to have anything to do with enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law. • The book sold millions. Even overseas it charmed the British audiences. • The South cried out saying that Stowe had completely portrayed slavery as evil, wrong, and unfair. • The book strongly influenced the British to stay out of the war on behalf of the South, as they had long before officially denounced slavery.

4. “The Impending Crisis of the South” • Written by Hinton R. Helper, a non-aristocratic, white North Carolinian. • Hinton Helper tried to prove, by using a wide array of statistics, that the white non-slaveholding southerners were really the ones most hurt by slave labor. • Published only in the North, both of these books had been banned in the South and drove the North-South wedge deeper.

5. The North-South Contest for Kansas • In a surprise to the South, Northerners began to pour into Kansas. • Southerners were outraged because the only reason they had supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the first place was because they thought that Kansas would become a slave state. • So, on election day in 1855, Southerners (or “border ruffians” from neighboring Missouri, as Northerners called them) rushed to the polls and elected Kansas to be a slave state. • Free-soilers refused to accept this and set up their own government in nearby Topeka. • Now a very confused Kansas had to decide between two governments, one illegal in Topeka or a fraudulent one set up by southerners.

7. In 1856, the breaking point over slavery in Kansas came with an attack on the free-soil town of Lawrence by a gang of pro-slavery raiders, thereby beginning the violence that would soon grow out of control.

8. Bleeding Kansas • Abolitionist (and all around crazy dude) John Brown led a band of followers to Pottawatomie Creek in May of 1856 and literally hacked to death 5 pro-slavery-ites. • This vicious and brutal attack surprised even the most ardent abolitionists and brought harsh retaliation from more pro-slavery-ites. • And thus brought on the name of “Bleeding Kansas”

10. Kansas In Convulsion • By 1857, Kansas had enough people to apply for statehood. Those for slavery devised the Lecompton Constitution, which stated that the people of Kansas were only allowed to vote for the constitution “with” or “without slavery.” • However, with the way the document was worded, even if the Lecompton Constitution was NOT passed, existing slaveholders in the state would still be protected. So, either way, slavery would still be in the state. • Angry free-soilers boycotted the polls and Kansas approved the Lecompton Constitution - WITH slavery. • In Washington, James Buchanan had succeeded Franklin Pierce, but like the former president, JB was conciliatory to the South and firmly supported the Lecompton Constitution. • Senator Stephen Douglas, refusing to accept such a fraudulent vote, threw away any of his remaining support in the South by demanding a fair re-vote. • His actions thus divided the Democrats, the last political party for years to come (now that the Whigs were dead and the Republicans were a sectional party).

11. Bully Brooks and his Bludgeon • The situation in Kansas clearly indicated the impracticality of popular sovereignty in the territories. • “Bleeding” Kansas became such a divisive issue that it even spilled into Congress • Senator Charles Sumner (Abolitionist) and his blistering speeches had become notorious for viciously condemning all supporters of slavery. • Congressman Preston S. Brooks decided that since Sumner was not a gentleman and undeserving of a “man’s” duel, he would instead simply beat him down like a dog with his cane (which he proceeded to do in the Senate chambers until it nearly broke)!

13. Incredibly, the other Senators did nothing to intervene, and Brooks was cheered on by some Southern Senators. However, the incident touched off fireworks, as Sumner’s speech “The Crime Against Kansas” was reprinted by the thousands, and casted the South in an uncivilized light. The clash between Brooks and Sumner revealed passions over slavery were becoming dangerously inflamed in both North and South.

14. “Old Buck” versus “The Pathfinder” • In 1856, the Democrats chose the much-experienced James Buchanan (mostly because he was untainted by the Kansas-Nebraska Act) as their nominee for the presidency. • The new Republican party selected John C. Fremont, a hero of the Mexican-American war. • Another party, the American party, (known unofficially as the “Know Nothing Party” because of its secrecy) nominated former President Millard Fillmore. • The party was organized by “nativists”, old stock protestants who were anti-Catholic and anti-foreign in general; also included many old Whigs.

15. The 1856 Campaign

16. James Buchanan is a noob

17. The campaign was full of mudslinging, which included allegations of scandals and conspiracy. • And even as late as 1856, many northerners were still willing to vote Democratic instead of Republican because many did not want to risk losing their profitable business connections with the South that would surely come with a split between the two sections. • Ultimately, Fremont was hurt by various rumors, most notably that he was Roman Catholic (and a bit mentally unstable), and Buchanan pulled out the victory.