The Impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin on the Abolition of Slavery

1. FRIDAY 11/14 TOTD: The value of the slaves was “roughly 3 times greater than the total amount invested in banks,” and was “equal to about 7 times the total value of all currency in circulation in the country, 3 times the value of the entire livestock population, 12 times the value of the entire U.S. cotton crop and 48 times the total expenditure of the federal government...” What invention in 1793 was the main contributor to the increasing number of slaves in America? Agenda: • Immediate Causes p19 (online too) • Info Check p18-19 • Questions? • Happy Friday!

2. Uncle Tom’s Cabin -Harriet Beecher Stowe – wrote 1852 - opened Northerners eyes to the evils of slavery -depicted evil side of slavery to the public CHARACTERS: “Uncle Tom”-- Slave who even under the worst conditions, prays to God and finds a way to keep his faith. As the novel progresses, the cruel treatment that Tom suffers at the hands of Simon Legree threatens his belief in God, but Tom withstands his doubts and dies the death of a Christian martyr. “Simon Legree”--Tom’s ruthlessly evil master on the Louisiana plantation. A vicious, barbaric, and loathsome man, Legree fosters violence and hatred among his slaves. -1852, sold over a million copies Lincoln: “So you’re the little lady that started this great war…” Her inspiration for this book was the Fugitive Slave Laws! intended to convince a Christian audience that slavery is an evil institution and must be destroyed • bestseller in the 19th century, selling over 300,000 copies in its first year • Then over a million copies! • been translated into over 60 languages

3. Who is Stephen Douglas(1813-1861) • U.S. politician, leader of the Democratic Party • advocated the cause of popular sovereignty regarding slavery in the territories before the American Civil War • He was a re-elected senator from Illinois in 1858 after a series of eloquent debates with the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln • aka he beat Lincoln in Senate races…twice…

4. create two new territories —Kansas in the South and Nebraska in the North. • According to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, both territories would have to be free b/c they were north of the 36˚ 30' line. Kansas-Nebraska Act -1854--popular sovereigntypassed as law in 1850 (with the Compromise of 1850) compromise to determine slavery -rush to populate state with “voters” for each side -”bleeding Kansas”: slavery and abolitionist forces resort to violence -A fight in the U.S. Senate b/wPreston Brooks v.Charles Sumner: • Congressman Preston Brooks of (SC) beatSenator Charles (MA) Sumner brutally with his cane. • Brooks angry over the antislavery speech Sumner had delivered • Beating nearly killed Sumner, who was forced to leave the Senate for several years to receive medical treatment. • Brooks was hailed as a hero in the South but hated in the North.

6. Bleeding Kansas: • the period of violence during the settling of the Kansas territory. • In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraksa Act overturned the Missouri Compromise’s use of latitude as the boundary between slave and free • Used pop. sov. instead • Proslavery and free-state settlers flooded into Kansas to try to influence the decision. • Violence soon erupted as both factions fought for control.

7. Dred Scott v. Sanford --Dred Scott: slave who had lived in the free state of Illinois and free territory of Wisconsin before moving back to the slave state of Missouri --sues for freedom based on NW Ordinance and Missouri Compromise --10 years of appeals to Supreme Court in hopes of being granted his freedom. --Supreme Court (majority of southern justices) --one of the judges said because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue. --Abolitionists were angry March 1857, the United States Supreme Court declared that all blacks -- slaves & free were not and could never become citizens of the United States. The court also declared the 1820 Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, thus permitting slavery in all of the country's territories.  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html

8. Development of Republican Party -Slavery had come to dominate the differences in the parties -by 1850 the differences had peaked so that anti-slavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free-Soilersformed a new anti-slavery party called the REPUBLICAN PARTY -official REPUBLICAN party policy was to oppose the growth of slavery where it did not exist.

9. Lincoln-Douglas Debates -Senate race in 1858 Stephen Douglas (Dem), Abraham Lincoln (Rep.) “A house Divided can not stand!” -debate over slavery issues neither man wanted slavery in the area, but how to do it? -Douglas issues Freeport Doctrine Slavery needs certain laws in order to exist. Don’t pass those laws and there will be no slavery -Douglas wins the election, BUT Lincoln gains national fame

10. “If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do and how to do it. We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object and confident promise of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all the states, old as well as new, North as well as South” Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's speech, "A House Divided"

11. “The next question propounded to me by Mr. Lincoln is, can the people of a Territory in any lawful way, against the wishes of any citizen of the United States, exclude slavery from their limits prior to the formation of a State Constitution? I answer emphatically, as Mr. Lincoln has heard me answer a hundred times from every stump in Illinois, that in my opinion the people of a Territory can, by lawful means, exclude slavery from their limits prior to the formation of a State Constitution. Mr. Lincoln knew that I had answered that question over and over again. He heard me argue the Nebraska bill on that principle all over the State in 1854, in 1855, and in 1856, and he has no excuse for pretending to be in doubt as to my position on that question. It matters not what way the Supreme Court may hereafter decide as to the abstract question whether slavery may or may not go into a Territory under the Constitution, the people have the lawful means to introduce it or exclude it as they please, for the reason that slavery cannot exist a day or an hour anywhere, unless it is supported by local police regulations. Those police regulations can only be established by the local legislature, and if the people are opposed to slavery they will elect representatives to that body who will by unfriendly legislation effectually prevent the introduction of it into their midst. If, on the contrary, they are for it, their legislation will favor its extension. Hence, no matter what the decision of the Supreme Court may be on that abstract question, still the right of the people to make a slave Territory or a free Territory is perfect and complete under the Nebraska bill. I hope Mr. Lincoln deems my answer satisfactory on that point.” Excerpt from Stephen Douglas's Freeport Doctrine speech at Freeport, Illinois

12. John Brown’s Raid -October 16, 1859 -John Brown was an extreme abolitionist -captured Harper’s Ferry military installation in Virginia with intent to arm slaves -surrounded and forced to surrender -Brown found guilty at trial and then hanged--becomes a martyr for many abolitionists -Many Southerners thought Brown represented northerners who wanted to control the southern lifestyle and economy

13. Southern Secession -1860 election: Lincoln wins -slavery divided the parties -Lincoln pledges to stop spread of slavery but not to interfere with the south -Douglas got support of Northern Democrats -John Breckinridge got southern Democrats -John Bell nominated by Constitutional Union Party

16. Lincoln’s Election -Lincoln wins election with no southern electoral votes -Southern states secede in fear of gov’t where they have no voice -S.C. first to secede, 6 others follow: South Carolina (seceded December 20, 1860), Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas (Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded June 8, 1861 AFTER the Civil War began). - Confederate States of America formed before Lincoln takes office -Jefferson Davis elected Confederate President

17. Cool old pics of Abe! http://mentalfloss.com/article/31357/24-vintage-photographs-abe-lincoln