Caning of Senator Sumner & Manifest Destiny (1850s)

# Caning of Senator Sumner - The violence in Kansas spilled into Congress. In 1856, Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner gave a passionate speech, “The Crime Against Kansas" which included personal remarks against a SC senator, Andrew Butler. - Butler's nephew, a congressman, attacked Sumner with...

# Caning of Senator Sumner - The violence in Kansas spilled into Congress. In 1856, Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner gave a passionate speech, “The Crime Against Kansas" which included personal remarks against a SC senator, Andrew Butler. - Butler's nephew, a congressman, attacked Sumner with a cane. Northerners were appalled, Southerners applauded the action. # Manifest Destiny - The idea that the United States had a mission to extend its power and civilization across the continent. - The phrase was created by John O'Sullivan - It was driven by a number of forces: - New technologies - Population increase - Nationalism - Reform Ideals # Conflicts Over Texas, Maine, and Oregon - The United States wanted to extend its borders south in Texas and west into the Oregon Territory. - Remember the Alamo! - Annexation denied: Sam Houston applied for statehood but was denied over the issue of slavery. # Boundary Disputes - Dispute over the boundary of Maine. - Solved by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. - Peaceful coexistence from Boundary dispute in the Oregon Territory. - Britain's claim came from the fur trade with native Americans. - American claim came from exploration of Lewis and Clark and others. - Oregon Fever! # Election of 1844 - James K. Polk vs. Henry Clay - Polk supported Manifest Destiny and annexation of Texas. - Clay attempted to straddle the issue of annexation. - Fifty-Four Forty or Fight! - Campaign slogan of the Democratic Party - Supporters wanted ALL of Oregon. - Polk wins! # Annexing Texas and Dividing Oregon - Outgoing president John Tyler took the election of Polk as a signal to finally annex Texas. - Passed through a joint resolution of Congress. - Oregon was divided at the 49th parallel. # California - The discovery of gold in California in 1848 set off the first of many migrations to the mineral-rich mountains of the west. - 49ers - Thousands made their way to California where the population exploded from 14,000-380,000 in 1860. - Other gold and silver rushes occurred in Colorado, Nevada, the Dakotas, and other western states. # Conflict With Mexico - John Slidell was sent to Mexico City in 1845 to persuade the Mexican government to: 1. Sell California and New Mexico to the United States 2. Settle the disputed Texas-Mexico border. - Mission fails. # The War With Mexico - April 26, 1846, a Mexican army crossed the Rio Grande, killing 11 American soldiers. “American blood shed on American soil” - Polk used the incident to justify going to war with Mexico though some such as Abraham Lincoln question this. - Most of the war was fought in Mexican territory - General Zachary Taylor drove the Mexican army from Texas, crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico and won a victory at Buena Vista - General Winfield Scott invaded central Mexico, captured Veracruz and captured Mexico City in September 1847. # Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) - Negotiated by Nicholas Trist - Terms were favorable to the US. - Texas border with Mexico was along the Rio Grande. - US gains New Mexico and California (Mexican Cession) paying $15 million. # Wilmot Proviso - Treaty was not popular in the Senate. - Whigs: war was an effort to expand slavery. - Democrats: war did not expand to include enough new territory. - Wilmot Proviso - A proposed amendment to prohibit slavery into lands acquired from Mexico. - Failed to pass in the Senate. # Agriculture and King Cotton - Agriculture was the foundation of Southern society with tobacco, rice, and sugarcane being essential cash crops. However, the most important cash crop was cotton. - There was some manufacturing in the south by the 1850s. - The cotton gin (Eli Whitney) made production of cotton cloth affordable all over the world. - Growing cotton began in South Carolina and Georgia but demand for profits and land to grow cotton expanded. Cotton depletes the soil quickly, contributing to the demand for land. - “Cotton is King” - By the 1850s, cotton provided two-thirds of all US exports, linking the US and Britain. # The “Peculiar Institution” - Wealth in the south was measured by land and number of enslaved people. - Some southerners referred to slavery as “that peculiar institution”. - Enslaved population increase - The cotton boom was responsible for an increase in the number of enslaved people in the US. 1 mil. In 1800-4 mil. In 1860. - Enslaved people made up as much as 75% in parts of the deep south. # The “Peculiar Institution" - Economics - Most were field hands although some worked in the house, in factories, or as skilled artisans. - Some in the Upper south sold their slaves into the deep south to work in cotton. - Value of an enslaved field hand had risen to about $2,000 in 1860. - Southern planters invested in slavery, leading to less capital for other types of business. # Southern White Society - Southern Society was made up of: - Planter Elite: owned at least 100 slaves and 1000 acres. - Farmers: owned about 20 slaves and farmed several hundred acres. - Poor Whites/yeoman farners: three-fourths of white households. Did not own slaves. - Mountain People: Isolated, and did not like slavery. - Cities: The south had very few cities, with the largest being New Orleans. # Southern White Society - Culturally: - Code of Chivalry: southern gentleman had a strict code of honor, defense of women, and paternalistic attitudes towards anyone deemed “inferior”. - Education: Upper class valued a college education, lower classes tended to have a very basic education. - Religion: Slavery affected churches as many saw declining memberships or splits between northern and southern branches. - Social Reforms: The social reforms had little impact on the south who valued tradition and viewed these reforms as a threat to their daily lives. # African Americans in the Early Republic - Many people hoped that slavery would disappear at the beginning of the 19th century. - The growth of the cotton industry and expansion of slavery into new states such as Mississippi and Alabama ended those hopes. # Free African Americans - In 1860, there were approx. 500,000 living in the US. - The North: about 1% of the population, but 50% of all free blacks living in the US. - Many could have families and own land but faced economic and political inequality keeping them from certain jobs and voting. - The South: the other half of the free population. - Many were emancipated following the Revolutionary War. - Most lived in cities and faced the same inequalities as those in the north. # Resistance and Rebellion - Conditions always varied from one plantation to another but all suffered from being deprived from freedom. - Families separated. - Women faced sexual exploitation. - Strong sense of family and faith. # Resistance and Rebellion - Enslaved people challenged their status in a variety of ways: - Restrained resistance: work slowdowns and destroying equipment. - Runaway: escape. - Rebellion: There were few large uprisings but those uprisings had a significant impact on southern society. Example of a past Uprisings: Stono Rebellion in South Carolina. # Rebellions Failed - Gabriel's Rebellion: - An uprising in 1800 near Richmond, VA. - Rebellion was put down before it happened and Gabriel Prosser and his followers, executed. - Denmark Vesey (South Carolina): - Inspired by the Haitian Revolution, they forged a plan to size ships in the harbor. - Plan never works out--informants. # Nat Turner's Rebellion - Nat Turner's Rebellion, 1831. - Southampton County, Virginia. - Nat Turner was a self proclaimed preacher who believed he was told by God to free his people. - Killed over 50 white men, women, and children. - Put down by militia. - Participants were executed. - Results: Slave Codes were tightened. # The Anti-Slavery Movement - The Second Great Awakening changed the way some Americans felt towards slavery as people began to view slavery as a sin. - American feelings towards slavery ranged from: - Those who believed in gradual abolition. - Those' who believed in immediate abolition. # American Colonization Society, 1817 - Some Americans had the idea of transporting newly freed slaves to Liberia in Africa. - Some white supported the idea who wanted to remove blacks from the country. - The idea appealed to those who opposed slavery. - It wasn't practical. # American Antislavery Society, 1833 - The radical arm of abolition was marked with the publican of William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper, *The Liberator*, in 1831. - Garrison believed in immediate abolition with compensating slave owners. - The formation of the American Antislavery Society was formed in 1833. # Black Abolitionists - Former slaves who escaped and could speak out against slavery from first hand experience. - Frederick Douglass: advocated for both political and direct ending of slavery. Started his own antislavery journal *The North Star*. - Harriet Tubman: Underground Railroad. - Sojourner Truth: abolitionist and Women’s rights activist. - William Still and David Ruggles. # Three Conflicting Positions on Slavery Expansion - Most Americans in the 1840s held the following positions on the expansion of slavery: 1. The Free Soil Movement: - White northerners who wanted to keep the west open for white opportunities, keeping slaves out. - Free Soil Party formed. 2. Southern Positions - Supported the expansion of slavery or extend the line of the Missouri Compromise to the Pacific. 3. Popular Sovereignty - Lewis Cass proposed the idea that individual western states and territories could decide whether or not they wanted slavery. # The Election of 1848 - Expansion of slavery was a major issue. - Democrats nominated Lewis Cass on a platform of popular sovereignty. - Whigs nominate Mexican War General Zachary Taylor. - Free Soil nominated Martin van Buren. - Zachary Taylor wins. # The Compromise of 1850 - President Zachary Taylor supported California's admission to the US, angering the south and sparking talk of secession (known as “fire-eaters”). - Senator Henry Clay (KY) proposed a new compromise: 1. Admit California as a free state. 2. Divide the rest of the Mexican Cession into the territories of Utah and New Mexico. 3. Solve Texas boundary dispute. 4. Ban the slave trade in Washington DC but allow white to continue to own slaves. 5. Adopt a New Fugitive Slave Law. # The Fugitive Slave Law - Required all runaway slaves to be returned to their owners, even if caught in a free state. All citizens of free states must assist in the recapture of escaped slaves. - It significantly increased tensions between north and south. - It denied escaped slaves the right to a jury trial. - Increased abolitionist resistance and traffic on the Underground Railroad. # Debate Over the Compromise - The debates over the Compromise of 1850 mainly focused on the the issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories after the Mexican-American War. - Key Points: - Should California enter as a free state? - A stricter fugitive slave law. - The status of slavery in new territories like Utah and New Mexico. - Caused more tension between the north and south. - Key Figures: - Henry Clay (KY): represented the west. - Daniel Webster (Mass.): represented the north. - John C. Calhoun (SC): represented the south. # The Impact of the Compromise of 1850 - The compromise was intended to lessen the tension between the north and the south. - Buys time for the Union. - It does not solve the problem: the issue of slavery and the growing divide between the north and south. # Immigration Controversy - During the mid 1800s, a large number of immigrants arrived from Europe and faced opposition. - The Irish - Most of the immigrants were from Ireland and were Roman Catholic. - The Potato Famine in Ireland pushed people to the US in search of better opportunities and competed with African Americans for jobs. - Tammany Hall. # Immigration Controversy - Failed democratic revolutions in 1848 and economic hardships caused a large number of German immigrants to emigrate to the United States. - Many worked as farmers and artisans and moved west in search of farmland. - Nativism: - As more immigrants arrived, some Americans were alarmed, believing their way of life and jobs were in danger. - A secret society was formed, the *Order of the Star-Spangled Banner*, which later became the “Know Nothings” supporting topics such increasing time that immigrants had to wait in order to become citizens. - Gained some traction in the wake of the disintegration of the Whigs party but never enough to hold much power. # The Expanding Economy - Economic Growth between the 1840-1857. - New inventions such as the sewing machine, telegraph, amd railroads. - Railroads - Expansion of rail lines, 1840s-1850s. - Becomes the largest industry of the US. - Linked farmers in many parts of the country. - Panic of 1857. - Fall of agriculture prices and unemployment in the North and Midwest led the South to believe their plantation economy was superior. # Agitation Over Slavery - Fugitive Slave Law, 1850. - Purpose was to help slave holders track down escaped slaves. - Fugitive Slave Cases were handled by the federal government rather than the states. - Anyone who helped escaped slaves was subject to heavy penalties. - The Underground Railroad - Loose network of activists who helped lead escaped slaves to freedom. - Most of the conductors were escaped slaves and white abolitionists. - Most famous “conductor” was Harriet Tubman. # Literature on Slavery - *Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Harriet Beecher Stowe. - A powerful antislavery novel that depicted the horrors of slavery in the south, fueling the abolitionist movement. - Further divided the nation. - *Impending Crisis of the South*, Hinton R. Helper. - Attacked slavery through the use of statistics to demonstrate the idea that slavery weakened the south. # Southern Reaction - While the north condemned slavery, proslavery southerners argued that it was good for both master and enslaved. - Used the Bible to justify slavery. - Argued that the Constitution allowed slavery. - The Fugitive Slave Law and books like *Uncle Tom's Cabin* continued to drive a wedge between the north and south. # Election of 1852 - Candidates: - Democrat Candidate: Franklin Pierce - Whig Candidate: General Winfield Scott - Free Soil Candidate: John Hale (no electoral votes) - Victor: Franklin Pierce. # The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) - Introduced by Senator Stephen Douglas (Illinois) who wanted to establish a trans-continental railroad, with a major terminus in Chicago. - In order to win southern support, Douglas introduced a bill to divide the Nebraska territory into to parts, Kansas and Nebraska. - Essentially, the Kansas-Nebraska Act does the following: 1. Repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 as both Nebraska and Kansas were north of the 36'30 line. 2. Introduced the concept of popular sovereignty, which allowed each new state/territory to decide whether they wanted to allow slavery. 3. Act led to violence. # “Bleeding Kansas” - “Bleeding Kansas” refers to the violence that occured between 1855-1861. - "Border Ruffians” crossed the boarder to create an pro-slavery legislature in Lecompton, Kansas. - Antislavery settlers refused to accept this government and created their own legislature in Topeka. - At Pottawatomie Creek, abolitionist John Brown and his sons killed 5 pro slavery men. # Caning of Senator Sumner - The violence in Kansas spilled into Congress. In 1856, Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner gave a passionate speech, “The Crime Against Kansas” which included personal remarks against a SC senator, Andrew Butler. - Butler’s nephew, a congressman, attacked Sumner with a cane. Northerners were appalled, Southerners applauded the action. # The Birth of the Republican Party - The Republican party was formed in the mid-1850s by former Whigs who were against the expansion of slavery along with antislavery Democrats and Free-Soilers. - Founded in reaction to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, wanting to repeal both the act and the Fugitive Slave Law. - It was a sectional party with its successes threatened the south. # Election of 1856 - Candidates: - Democrat: James Buchanan (PA) - Republican: John C. Fremont - Know-Nothings: Millard Fillmore - Victor: James Buchanan, who won both the popular and the electoral vote. - Republicans made a strong showing and attacked Buchanan as a weak president. First major challenge as president was over the Lecompton Constitution in Kansas. # The Dred Scott Case - The Supreme Court worsened the crisis when it angered many northerners with a controversial decision over the Dred Scott case. - Scott was an enslaved man who had been held in Missouri and taken to Wisconsin, a free state, where he lived for 2 years. - Scott sued for his freedom in Missouri in 1846. # The Dred Scott Case - The case reached the Supreme Court and a decision was made in 1857. - Chief Justice Roger Taney and the rest of the court ruled against Scott. - Ruling: 1. Scott had no right to sue in a federal court because he was African American and not a citizen. 2. Congress did not have the authority to deprive any person of their property without due process. 3. Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional because it excluded slavery in northern states. # Aftermath - Decision angered Northerners, and applauded by Southerners. - Intensifies tensions between the north and south and the case was a major catalyst for the Civil War. - Court's decision basically opened all western states and territories to be open to slavery. # Lincoln-Douglas Debates - The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of debates where Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln debated over issues such as the Lecompton Constitution, popular sovereignty, and the Dred Scott decision. - Lincoln’s position on the issues helped him to win the election of 1860 despite his loss in the debates. # The Raid at Harpers Ferry - Radical abolitionist John Brown tried to start an uprising of enslaved people in Virginia in 1859. - In October 1859, Brown, his sons and some formerly enslaved men tried to attack the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. - Brown and six others were captured after a two day standoff with Federal troops led by Robert E. Lee. - His raid split northerners, with some regarding him as a martyr. # The Election of 1860 - Democratic Party split, holding two conventions. Ultimately: - Northern Democrats: supported Stephen Douglas. - Southern Democrats: supported John Breckinridge. - Republican Party: Abraham Lincoln. - Fourth Party: John Bell of TN # The Election of 1860 - Lincoln won the election, winning all of the free states, 59% of the electoral college. - However, Lincoln only won 39.8% of the popular vote. - Lincoln’s victory threatened the south and solidified fears that the north would dominate the federal government and would threaten slavery. - Breckinridge won the deep south. - Douglas and Bell won in the border states. # Secession of the Deep South - Republicans did not control the Senate nor the Supreme Court, but the election of Lincoln was all the south needed to secede from the union to protect slavery. - South Carolina was the first state to secede in December of 1860. - By February 1861, the deep southern states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas all seceded. # The Border States - Four slaveholding states remained part of the union: - Kentucky - Missouri - Maryland - Delaware - There was strong pro-Union sentiment there but some pro-secessionist feelings as well. - Keeping the border states in the Union was a key goal for Lincoln. # The Confederate States of America - The Southern States formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America with a Constitution based on the US Constitution. - President: Jefferson Davis, Mississippi. - Vice President: Alexander Stephens. - The Confederacy had money issues--and it tried a variety of ways to generate income but soon dealt with inflation and struggled to build industry. The Confederacy had to figure out how to make money and resources last throughout the war. # Confederate Advantages - Confederate Advantages - Fighting a Defensive War. - Move men and supplies short distances. - Coastline was hard to blockade. - High moral among troops. - Strong leadership. - Also known as rebs or rebels. - The South needed outside help to be successful and hoped demand for cotton would be enough. - Fighting for independence--- and states rights* - (states rights: right to own slaves) # Union Advantages - Union (North) Advantages - Much larger population (22 mil. Vs. 5.5) - Emancipation would bring 180,000 African Americans to fight along with 800,000 immigrants. - Dominated the economy controlling banks and capital. Most of the nation's factories, railroads, and farmland was located in the north. - Also known as: Yankees. - Fighting to preserve the union* (at least until Jan. 1st 1863) # Union Strategy - General Winfield Scott devised a three part strategy for winning a long war: 1. Use the navy to block southern ports (Anaconda Plan) to cut off supply. 2. Take control of the Mississippi River which would split the Confederacy in two. 3. Raise and train an army 500,000 strong to conquer Richmond. # Early Battles - First Bull Run (July 1861). - 30,000 Union troops marched from DC to attack Confederate forces at Bull Run Creek (Manassas). - Defeated by Confederate forces under the command of Stonewall Jackson. - War does not go well for the Union at first. - Antietam (September 1862). - Robert E. Lee led his troops to Maryland, hoping that a victory would encourage Britain to join. - Bloodiest single day of the war. - Lee retreated, but Union General George McClellan did not pursue him. - Battle was a draw, but the partial triumph was enough for Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. # The Emancipation Proclamation - On January 1st, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order declaring that all enslaved people living in the “states in rebellion" were free, thus changing the purpose of the Union army from simply "preserving the union” to one where they sought to free the slaves. - Internationally, Lincoln hoped that this would end any foreign power from joining the south. - Allowed African Americans to fight in the union army. - Limitations: It did not free enslaved people living in the border states, and only those Confederate states not under Union control. # Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy - The Confederacy needed the help of other countries if it were to achieve independence. - The Confederacy hoped that King Cotton would be enough to generate support for the cause. - The Confederacy would never get help from European powers. - King Cotton wasn't enough---the British were able to get cotton elsewhere. - No clear Confederate victory---the British did not want to risk recognizing the Confederacy. - Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation appealed to the British working class as many in Great Britain were antislavery. # Turning Points - Vicksburg (Spring-July 1863). - Union forces controlled New Orleans as well as most of the Mississippi. - Union artillery bombed the city for 7 weeks before they surrendered on July 4th. - The Union army now controlled the Mississippi. - Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863). - Lee tried to invade the north again. - Bloodiest Battle of the war. - Union victory and shifted momentum to favor the north. - Inspired Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. - Lee never tried to go north again. # The Gettysburg Address - Lincoln delivered his address in November 1863. - He used his speech to honor the fallen and reemphasize the idea that the Civil War was not just struggle for the Union but also a struggle for freedom and equality. # Grant Takes Command - Lincoln needed a general who would fight and found it in Ulysses S. Grant. - Previous victories included the Battle of Shiloh. - He was brought east and was made commander of ALL Union forces. - Grant’s strategy: war of attrition. - His army would suffer great casualties but cut down Lee’s army each battle. - His strategy included a modern “total war” strategy which would have a heavy civilian impact. # Sherman's March to the Sea - William Tecumseh Sherman led a force of 100,000 men from Chattanooga, Tennessee to South Carolina. - Burned homes, crops, farms, anything the south could use. - Took Atlanta in 1864. - Finished his campaign in February of 1865 when his men destroyed Columbia, SC. # Surrender at Appomattox - Grant pursued Lee until the southern army collapsed around Petersburg, VA including the capture of Richmond, Virginia. - By April of 1865, the Confederate government was ready for peace. - Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865. # The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln - Just about a month before his assassination, Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address where believing that the south should be treated fairly. - On April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. The President died the following morning. # African Americans During the War - Confiscation Acts: - Passed in August 1861, the law gave the Union army to seize enemy property, used to wage war against the United States. - *The president could use freed people to serve in the Union Army.* - Law passed in 1862 freed people enslaved by any individual in rebellion against the United States. - Many served in the Union army in all black units such as the 54th Massachusetts. # Impact on Civilian Life - Political Changes - Secession of the south left Republican majorities in both houses. - Most Democrats supported the war, but criticized Lincoln’s conduct of it. - Other Democrats who opposed the war were called copperheads. - Civil Liberties - Lincoln focused more on the war rather than protecting civil liberties. - Suspended the right to habeas corpus in states with strong pro-Confederate feelings. - The Draft - Conscription Act passed made all men between 20-45 eligible for potential military service. - Draft riots in 1863 turned into a riot against NYC’s African American population. # The Election of 1864 - Democrats nominate the popular General George McClellan. - Republicans nominate Abraham Lincoln for reelection. - His running mate was Andrew Johnson from Tennessee. - Lincoln won again. # Economic Changes During the War - Greenbacks: paper currency not backed by gold which added to inflation. - Probusiness Whig Program passed by the Republicans: - Morrill Tariff Act, 1861: raised tariff rate to increase revenue and protect American manufacturers. - Homestead Act, 1862: promoted settlement of the Great Plains by offering 160 acres of land for those families to farmed it for 5 years. - Morrill Land Grant Act, 1862: encouraged states to sell federal land grants to found and maintain agricultural and technical colleges. - Pacific Railway Act, 1862: authorized building a railroad over a northern route to connect California and the west with the east.