Causes of the Civil War Flashcards
1819 Free State Slave State Balance
22 states
Free 11
Slavce 11
Missouri Compromise
1820
Debates in Parliament as it would upset the free state slave state balance
Missouri allowed to join as a slave state if Maine also joined as a free state
35’30 Parallel created
There could be no slavery north of it
Racism
North - more racist than the south because slavery damaged their economy, a s a result they despised black people
South - slaves were essential, it was a way of life, some maintained long generational relations between slave and master families
Economic causes of Sectionalism
Sectionalism was the belief that the other side was inferior
Tariffs introduced in 1879 as the main source of federal revenue
- North wanted high tariffs to protect their industries from cheap foreign imports
- South - agricultural economy, wanted low tariffs so they could buy cheap foreign goods - protested against 25% tariffs
Whigs supported Tariffs
Democrats didn’t
1850 - Tariffs reduced to 15%
Religious and Ideological causes of Sectionalism
Slavery
1833 Anti-Slavery movement linked to religious revival - joined with women’s rights groups - temperance in umbrella organization called the FRiends of Universal Reform 1840
Underground Railroad Quakers helped slaves escape to Canada
Fugitive Slave Law
Curse of Ham
Genesis ch 9
Noah got drunk and fell asleep
- his son Ham covered him
- he was angry and condemned them both to be servants which was later interpreted as the creation of black people and their condition of servitude to whites
USA and Texas
1820 - problematic as it belonged to Mexico but had Americans living in it, causing tension due to slavery
1830 Mexico banned American immigration into Texas
1835 - 35,000 Americans in Texas and only 5000 mexicans
1835 - Texas declared itself independent - leading to war between Mexicans and Texans, - many southerners fought on the Texan side
1836 April - Texas gained Independence and many hoped it would join the USA
- problem because Texas is a slave state
1846 - Texas was admitted as a state
Mexican American War
may 1846 - 1848
Cause - incident on the border
US better equipped
Settlers in California declared independence
There was little resistance to US troops
1847 - mexico called for an end to the war
North didn’t want to annex California, but the South did - issue due to slavery
1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo - gave the USA California and various other territories
- for $15 million
David Wilmot and Mexican War territories
Democrat - founder of the Republic Party
- proposed all territories gained in the war should be free
- North saw the expansion of slavery as the expansion of southern power
S Agenda
- The south wanted to expand as the were worried about how dense the slave population was getting in some areas
N Agenda
- slave labour in new territories would make northern investment impossible
1848 Election
Polk was unpopular by 1848, as many felt he had betrayed both sides - didn’t stand for re-election
Whigs - Taylor won the election for the whigs
Free soil Party - 10% of the vote - showed that people were displeased with the options
Taylor win - encouraged California and New Mexico to apply for stateship
David Wilmot important actions by 1850
1844 Elected to Congress as a democrat
- supported war against new mexico
- 1846 Wilmot Proviso - would exclude slavery in new territories if passed
- Founded the Republican party
Henry Clay Important actions by 1850
- From a slave owning family
- founded WHIGS
- opposed the annexation of Texas did not want sectionalism
Stephen Douglas Important actions by 1850
Democrat
- Interested in westward expansion
- 1854 introduced Kansas Nebraska Act
- disapproved pro-s;avery tactics
1850 COMPROMISE
- had to be split into 5 acts to be passed - demonstrating sectionalism issues
- attempt to prevent conflict after the Mexican War
- created by Clay and Douglas
- California to enter union as a free state
- Utah and New Mexico given popular sovereignty (slavery)
- Border dispute between Texas and New Mexico, settled in favour of New Mexico
- Washington DC slave trade ended
- stronger Fugitive slave act (old one from 1793)
South - saw the ending of slavery in the capital as a threat
North - unhappy with New FS act as it meant slaves had to be recognised as property even in anti-slavery states
Kansas and Nebraska Act
May 1854 - Passed
- 90% of southerners voted in favour
- Divided the Democrats weakening them
- North felt betrayed, by the allowance of popular sovereignty
Historian Ashworth saw the saw the overwhelming southern support for the Bill as a sign for the weakness of slavery
Actions Taken by the North and South In Kansas and Nebraska Before the Bill
April - Massachusetts Emigrant Aid society began sending free traders into Kansa to ensure that it would be free state
Missouri responded by sending pro-slavery groups into kansas
Kansas became a hub for extremists and violence broke out
Bleeding Kansas indicated the fraud and violence experienced there
Dred Scott case
1857
- slave belonging to Emerson
- Before Emerson died he took Scott to many free states
- His death passed Scott onto his wife
- Scott sued Emerson’s wife claiming that he had lived in free states and thus was unlawfully held in bondage
- freed for a time, until Emerson’s wife appealed in court
Ruling - scott was not a US citizen and therefore could not sue in the US court
- lawyers argued no free state could free slaves as they property
John Brown’s Raid
October 1859
Cause - outrage at Dred Scott ruling
John Brown - anti-slavery, previously killed settlers in Kansas
Actions
- Brown raided federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia - to get weapons
- 1858 July, brown arrived in Virginia
- 1859 October, Raid - suppressed by US militia and Us forces
- Brown tried and hanged in Virginia, even though there was no evidence he was involved
IMPACT - made it harder for the south to accept the election of Lincoln and for Republicans to compromise
-🤬 This was the act that made civil war inevitable
Bleeding Sumner
May 22 1856
Sumner, free soil democrat - abolitionist
preston Brooks - pro-slavery
Brooks beat sumner ot the floor of the senate with a cane
- Sumner survived but suffered ptsd for the rest of his life
Brooks wasn’t arrested and was re-elected in the south
IMPORTANCE - shows how tense the political atmosphere was
Lincoln Douglas Debates
1858
Either slavery must expand or it must end, as a divided house cannot stand
- Lincoln didn’t support black CR
- Lincoln lost the election but established himself as a Political Figure of strength
Lincoln as the Candidate for 1860 Election
- prospect for the first anti-slavery president, against slavery’s expansion
Run up to 1860 Election
DEMOCRATS - divided by the election
- Douglas (quiet on slavery issues) elected as Northern as candidate
- Breckenridge (pro-slavery) elected as Southern Democrat candidate
REPUBLICANS
- Lincoln nominated as candidate
CONSTITUTIONAL UNION Party
- John Bell
1860 Election Results
Douglas - 2 states, 1.38 million people
Breckenridge - whole south bar Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky
Lincoln - whole north - 1.86 million
Bell - 3 states
Slavery votes - 840,000
Non- slavery votes - 3.6 million votes
Initial fear of Secession 1860
fears that south carolina would lead the south in secession from the union
John Crittenden Compromise Proposal
1860 -62
CC
- missouri comp parallel restored
- slaves could not be kept on federal property
- Compensation would be paid to slave owners if slaves ran away
- Personal Liberty laws in the north would be repealed
- s;avery introduced into the constitution as an amendment
REPUBLICAN RESPONSE - rejected
Northern Beliefs about secession and the first secession
north did not believe south would secede from the union
10 December 1860, South Carolina seceded from the union
Southern actions leading up to the civil war
SOUTH
Seceded - Alabama, florida, georgia, louisiana, Mississippi, Texas
- south though there wouldn’t be a war because north were so dependant on their cotton
- IN the case of war south thought they would win because slaves would maintain production of food and goods
Northern actions leading up to the civil war
Federal Government unprepared to fight, not enough soldiers and officers who would fight the south
many thought war seemed to be a fight on the behalf of slaves
- would disrupt economy
- destroy mutually useful trade
Lincoln’s secretary of state offered to take over from him and start a war with England to unify America
Confederate Actions post secession
ordered seizure of federal property in the south
- post offices, New Orleans Mint, customs houses and Arsenals
Union Response to Federal Seizures
Some southern forts held out
- Fort Sumter
Fort sumter held out under Major Anderson - without arrival of provisions
Lincoln came to power
Anxious to keep the border states - didn’t take back federal property taken by the confederates
- careful to only Provision Anderson’s men and not to reinforce them
- As provision were on their way, south made the decision to fire on Sumter
What started the civil war
- South’s decision to fire of Fort sumter
- 12th April 1861 - South made the decision to fire on Sumter
- firing the first shots of the first shots of the civil war
Northern Reaction to first shots
North deployed troops in al the Border States
- Kentucky maryland missouri west virginia
Views
The south hated and was terrified of Lincoln
BOth sides came to the view that conflict was inevitable
Second wave of Secession Virginia
Virginia was the key state because it had the same economy as all other states combined
1861 - 88 to 55 vote to join the south, led west virginia to split from the East
West joined Union - more resources
East joined Confederate
Virginia was the first state to secede from the North. Virginia was home to the South’s largest iron manufacturer. Virginia had the largest, most established state militia.
Tennessee - same thing happened
