Drifting Toward Disunion 1854-61

1. Drifting Toward Disunion1854-61 Stowe & Helper Kansas Bully Brooks Old Buck vs. The Pathfinder 1856 Dred Scott Panic of 1857 Lincoln vs. Douglas John Brown 1860

2. Stowe & Helper • 1852: Harriet Beecher Stow published “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” • Tiny mother of 6- never south of KY, lived in OH, saw mostly Undergrd RR • Book: political force that shook the North • South: ‘unfair indictment’ • Influenced millions in North & abroad prevented London from considering aid to South • 1857: Hinton Helper wrote “The Impending Crisis”- • Non-slave owning NC-ian tried to prove how slavery hurt non-slave owners • Pub’d in N, banned, w/ Cabin in S • Widely read

3. Purpose of KS-NE bill & outcome • Douglas wanted to advance a RR w/ E. terminus @ Chi • Invested heavily • To get S support, needed to open possibility that land would be open (maybe) to slavery • Proposed organizing terr w/ all Qs of slavery left to the people • Bundled in repeal of MO comp • Damaged his presidential chances • Failed to see depth of anti slavery feeling in N • 6 indep congressmen print: “Appeal of Independ. Dems” calling bill atrocious plot to extend slavery • Pierce supptd Douglas & so did Ss except Houston (TX) who denounced violation of promises to confirm terr. To Indians forever

4. Impact of bill • Violations of fugitive slave law • Anthony Burns incident • Boston: herded to ship through streets lined w/ angry mob • Yelling ‘kidnappers!’ • Bldgs draped in black, church bells ringing • Force of soldiers, marines put him on ship • Soon purchased by black community of Boston, given freedom • S Whigs abstain from voting; N Whigs go to other parties: Know-Nothings, Repubs • 1st: Fusions, Anti-NE Party, People’s Party • Bleeding KS

5. Contest for KS • Ss had supported Comp 1850 in part under belief KS wd bcm slave • Angered when Ns pour in • Immigrant’s Aid Society (NE), w/ Beecher’s Bibles • Crates of bibles & guns (Lymon Beecher) • 1855, election day: floods of Ss from MO crash polls & vote KS to be a slave state (border ruffians) & draft drastic slave code • Capital offense to aid fugitive slave; felony to question legality of slavery • Free Soilers set up sep Govt in Topeka- excluding slavery & free blacks • KSs had to chose btwn 2 govts-1 illegal (Topeka) & 1 fraudulent (Shawnee)

6. Sack of Lawrence • 1856, proslave raiders shot up, burned Lawrence, KS • May 56: newspaper presses, Governor’s home, • 5 cannon before Free State Hotel: demolished it • 1 casualty

7. Bleeding KS • John Brown led followers to Pottawatomie Creek, May 56 • Hacked 5 proslavers to death before screaming families for revense • Surprised even ardent abolitionists • Swift retaliation followed • By 1857, over 60k in KS • Pro slavers apply for statehood w/ Lecompton Constitution • Proviso: voters must approve const. w/ or w/o slavery • Therefore: if they voted it w/o, slave-holders already there: protected • Free Soilers boycotted polls; KS approved const w/ slavery

8. KS 2 • Old Buck Buchanan (after Pierce): pro S, supported Lecompton Const. • Sen. S. Douglas, threw away his S support by fighting for fair election • Result: L. Const voted on as a whole • Dem party hopelessly divided (ends last remaining national party) • Whigs- dead; Repubs- sectional

9. Bully Brooks • Bleeding KS issue spills into Congress • Sen Charles Sumner, anti-slaveryite • Speech ref’d: “Crime against KS” • Called SC senator Benj. Butler a misled ‘knight’ who had chosen for a mistress the harlot slavery • Called pro-slaveryites in KS ‘hirelings picked from drunken spew & vomit of an uneasy civilization’ • Congressman Preston Brooks, SC protected honor of SC & cousin Butler by attacking Sen Sumner (not worthy of duel) w/ cane in Senate while other senators watched • Sumner, beaten badly, needed 3 ½ yrs treatment abroad to recover • Butler resigned, was reelected & sent canes from S admirers • Sumner’s speech reprinted by thousands, incited N, angered S • Butler’s act: vilified in N, widely admired in S

10. ‘Old Buck’ Buchanan vs. ‘The Pathfinder’ Fremont • Dems 1856 back Buchanan, ‘untainted’ by KS-NE act • Repubs back Fremont, fighter in Mx-Am war • Know-Nothings nominated Millard Fillmore • Anti-Catholic, Anti- foreign, included old Whigs • Spread false rumor that Fremont was Rcath • Buchanan won due to doubts abo Fremont’s honesty, judgment • PA Jacksonian Dem, 20 yrs in congress, expansionist • Southern fire-eaters claim that Rep victory wd force them to secede • Many Ns forced to vote for Buck to protect Union & business connections w/ S

11. Dred Scot • Mar. 57: Sup Ct decision • DS, slave whose master free N terr • After master’s death, DS sued for freedom from new master on grounds: lived in Free territory • MO court freed him • New master appealed  Sup Ct: over-ruled • Taney: no slave cd be a citizen; cd not bring suit • No case • Opinion of majority: since slave- property, under 5th amend: can be taken anywhere in US • And MO comp which banned slavery N of 36*30’ had been repealed by KS-NE Act; and had been unconst. Anyway as cong lacked power to ban slavery in territories • Case inflamed abolitionists, others in N- increased tension w/ S

12. Panic 1857 • Worst of 19th C, psychologically • Cause: inflation, over production of grain; no markets • N hard hit; S had no real problem: Cotton is King • 1860, proposed Homestead Act wd have granted 160 acres, cheaply (for less fortunate) vetoed by Buck • S saw it as a way to fill territories w/ more Free Soilers • Panic brought calls for higher tariff (lowered to 20% recently)

13. Lincoln-Douglas Debates • Lincoln, Rep, challenged Douglas in IL senate race 58 • Good debater, challenged Douglas (best orator in nation) to series of 7 debates • Sen accepted; Lincoln held his own • Freeport, IL, Lincoln asked ‘Freeport Q’ • If a people in Territory voted down slavery, wd they be right despite Sup Ct saying they couldn’t do so? • Douglas’ answer (Freeport Doctrine): no matter how the Sup Ct ruled, if people voted it down, it wd stay down as People had more power. • Douglas won, but answer angered S (cost him 1860 election)

14. Brown’s plan: invade S, seize its arms, free slaves Encourage slaves to rise up & revolt Take over S & free all slaves Harper’s Ferry, VA: no slaves rose up Captured by Rbt E Lee Tried, convicted of treason, hung Insane, not stupid Portrayed self as martyr to cause When hung: instant martyr for abolitionists John Brown; murderer or martyr?

15. Election 1860 • Dems failed to nominate candidate in SC. • Split: Northern Dems  Baltimore: nominate Stephen Douglas • S Dems chose John C. Breckinridge • Know Nothings chose John Bell, TN • Republicans chose Abraham Lincoln, less political baggage than Wm Seward (higher law) • Platform: no extension of slavery, • Higher protective tariff • Internal improvements pd by fed gov • Free homesteads • S threatens that Lincoln’s election would cause secession • Not an abolitionist, favored cash compensation for freed slaves • Not on ballot in S; still won

16. 1860 • Lincoln won w/ 40% of pop vote • Repubs did not control either house • S still has 5:4 majority in Sup Ct • South still secedes • Threatened to do it if Lincoln elected • Dec 1860: SC • Next 6 weeks: AL, MS, FL, GA. LA, TX • Met Montgomery, AL, Feb 61 • Created Confederate States of America • Jefferson Davis: Pres

17. 1861 • Buchanan did nothing to force the confederacy back into the union • Troops needed in W • North – apathetic toward secession: good, let ‘em go

18. Crittendon Compromise • James H Crittendon, KY, proposed amendments to ban slavery N of 36*30’ • Leave issue in territories S of line up to people • Where it existed, slavery wd be protected • Lincoln opposed bcs Rep party opposed all extension of slavery

19. Farewell to Union • Seceding states left bcs they feared rights as slaveholding minority were threatened • Were alarmed at growing power of Reb party • Believed they would be unopposed • Hoped to develop banking, shipping & prosper • Southern War for Independence