History 2 - How and why did sectional divisions widen between 1850 and 1856?

Question 1

Problems arising from the implementation of the 1850 Compromise and the application of the Fugitive Slave Act

Answer 1

Many northerns saw the act as a price the had to after gaining so much.The fugitive slave act was resented in the north especially by abolitionist majorly due to its outrageous claims. Firstly the federal government’s marshals could appoint a posse / hunters form the north refusal to comply meant that you would be fined 1000 dollars. Similarly the act didn’t only target slaves that where ru aways it also targeted people that had escaped decades ago. Nine northern states in 1851 implement personal liberty laws such as that fugitive slaves could not be place in state jails this angered the south.

Question 2

The impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Answer 2

Written and published by Harriet Beecher into anti slavery newspapers in 1851 the storyboard of Uncle Tom become more popular. Atfter publishing the book in 1852 300,000 copies had been sold and within the next ten years 2 million copies where sold. Even those northerns that hadn’t read the book knew the theme since it was adapted into songs and plays. This book on its own helped slaves to get sympathy from most northerners. Harriet when writing didn’t know much on slavery therefore most of her work was founded from abolitionist literature that described the brutality of slavery.

Question 3

The 1852 presidential election

Answer 3

The democrats where confident that they would win this election since they Irish and German support from the immigrants. Their candidate was franklin Pierce who was previously a senator. He was not known by many however he held southern sympathies. There platform was the 1850 compromise and the popular sovereignty.

As for whigs the party was very separated at the time with including with which candidate they would nominate the northerns wanted winfield Scott will southerns wanted Millard Fillmore the former president. In the 53 ballot they decided that winfield Scott would be there candidate however they couldn’t decide on what there platform was. Therefore they had no platform.

Pierce won the election with 1.601,274 votes with 27 states (254 electoral votes) while Scott had 1,304,7 with 4 states and 42 electoral votes. As for the free soilers they had john hale who won 159,000 votes with no states

Question 4

President Pierce (1853–57)

Answer 4

His victory was imminent since the democrats had majority in congress and the whigs were to divide that they could go against him. Similarly the whigs had lost two of there most valued leaders Henry clay and Daniel Webster they both died in 1852. Pierce hoped that the expansion of American into Central America or Cuba would help unit the country. Southerns thought that this expansion would mean an expansion of slavery to this new territories.

Question 5

The Gadsden Purchase

Answer 5

President Pierce appointed James Gadsden an entrepreneur and explorer to purchase 250,000 square miles from mexico. He was only able to get 54,000 square miles. Southerns where happy with this purchase not because of the potential to expand slavery but for the prospect that there may be a southern railway that connected to the pacific which was advantageous to southern economy. However northern amendment slashed 9000 squar miles of this land during the passing of this bill.

Question 6

Cuba

Answer 6

President Pierce always had his eye on Cuba. At the time Cuba was owned by Spain. He appointed Pierre soule the American ambassador to Spain to organise the details for purchasing cube for up to 130 million dollars. The prospect of acquiring Cuba could potentially enrage sectional tensions considering that the north would see it as the souths way to spread their peculiar institution of slavery. The south however was ecstatic. In 1854 the us British, french and Spanish ministers met in Belgium to discuss the issue on the Ostend Manifesto which stated that the us could potentially take Cuba by force if Spain refused. When the details of this manifesto was liked many northerns where outraged and Pierce had to say he wasn’t involved with the manifesto soule also resigned after this incident.

Question 7

The problem of Kansas–Nebraska

Answer 7

Nebraska at the time was part of the Louisiana purchase. In the 1850s congress tried really hard to organise the place into a territory. At the time of Nebraska was to become a state it had to join as a free state this was mainly because of the Missouri compromise and Nebraska lie above the 36 30 parallel line.

Question 8

Douglas’ motives

Answer 8

Senator Stephen Douglas who had a lot of energy and Presidential agreement had been working on the Kansas Nebraska cat since 1844. He knew in order to pass this act he required help form the southern states. He was able to acquire that including the senator of Missouri Atchison. According to the act Kansas and Nebraska would be split into two and popular sovereignty would be used to decide on whether each state would become a slave or free state. For Nebraska it was evident that it would become a free state since the climate wasn’t conducive to grow crops like cotton.

As for Kansas it was likely to become a slave state due to it’s climate.

By passing this act Douglas thought he would gain popularity in America and in Illinois where a transcontinental rail way road from Chicago to the west would benefit them including himself.

Question 9

A ‘hell of a storm’

Answer 9

When the act was introduced in congress their was a divide between the north and the south as described by Douglas himself it was ‘hell of a storm’. Many northerners criticised Douglas for coming up with the Kansas Nebraska act. This criticism brought on a southern counter attack as they believed their honour was being questioned. This made the southern democrats and whigs join and the northern democrats and whigs to join on a fight against each other. The act was able to pass in congress by may 1854. And once it was passed Douglas realised he had just destroyed his party and raised sectional tensions surely the was no chance for him to ever be president

Question 10

Changes in the party-political system: the decline of the Whigs and the rise of the Republican Party

Answer 10

Before Americans political system was not as divided. No party at the time was targeting a section of the country instead they where targeting loyal members from every part of the country. However from 1854 this was not the case.

Question 11

The 1854 mid-term elections

Answer 11

During this time the Democratic Party was heavily divided majorly due to the Kansas Nebraska act this made not her democrats feel betrayed by the southern counterparts. Before 1854 the whig party would have typically benefited from this however by 1854 the Whig party was no more mainly due to the issue with immigration

Question 12

Catholic immigrants

Answer 12

During the 1850s there where a lot of catholic immigrants coming into the country some of them where from German however most where from Ireland, this angered many northerns since American where deeply en rooted to hate the catholics mainly due to issues to do with the Catholic Church taking over democracy in America. During this time the number of Catholic Churches, bishops and priests doubled. This angered many northerns as they saw it as a threat to democracy considering that many catholics would vote for who their priests told them to votes for.

Similarly the Irish population was also making the wage level to immensely decreased hence making the labour market to competitive for natives

Question 13

The Know Nothings

Answer 13

This came up as a party that addressed the issue of nativism and Catholics. They vowed to vote only for Native American protestants. Most of their supporters where expected to be ex whigs in fact when the party was starting many democrats thought it was an extension of the Whig party. However they soon realized that people from the Democratic Party were also joining the party since they where against the democratic parties conformation of the Kansas Nebraska act.

At the time many people thought the know nothings would soon come to replace the Whig party. They won enormous support mainly form ex wigs from the south. They later renamed the party to the American party.

Question 14

The Republican Party

Answer 14

This party was exclusively made up of northern people. This was because of their stance on anti slavery and the slave power conspiracy. The Republican Party was whole just about anti-immigration and anti slavery the only thing that set them apart from the American party is that it the American party had supporter from both the south and the north.

Essential the every Republican was a know nothing and vice verse.

Question 15

The issue of Kansas 1854–56

Answer 15

To most settlers in Kansas and Nebraska their concerns was to do with land and water rights . However for politicians the stakes where much higher since this would determine who had majority in the senate. At the time the north incentivized many northerns to move to Kansas ie the Massachusetts emigration aid sponsored over 1500 Americans when they moved to Kansas. Similarly the south such as Missouri their senator atchison made up a platte organization that encourage many people to move into Kansas

Question 16

Elections in Kansas

Answer 16

In may 1855 many Missourian men come to Kansas to vote then leave in order to influence the vote to be pro-slavery. They voted and intimidated free state settlers then went back home. Once it came to the making of the constitution in lecompton the verdict / constitution was pro slavery. Many free soilers ignore this constitution and they refused to agree on it’s validity. They then made their own constitution/ government in Topeka.

Question 17

‘Bleeding Kansas’

Answer 17

In may 1856 some pro-slavery poses entered the free state administration town of Lawrence, they sacked and burned down some buildings. This enraged many northerns as it was captured in many northerns media outlets ie newspapers after the incident. Strong abolitionist john brown was so enraged that he and his sons together with three associates killed five people in the town of pottawatomie. This later led to a series of killings in the south known as the bleeding Kansas. It was so bad that northern journalists described this issue as civil war.in order to resolve conflicts Pierce appoint a new governor john Geary. He was able to calm conflicts on both side hence stopping bleeding Kansas. This made john brown a northern hero as many northerns saw him as a defender of justice in terms of the slave power conspiracy.

Question 18

American Party problems

Answer 18

During the 1866-1858 election time the know nothing party was having problems. Before many northerns identify with them however they where also able attract some southern supporters. However this didn’t last long this is majorly because they removed the Kansas Nebraska act from their platform therefore making many northerns leave the party.

Other reasons include

1. Immigration was on the low during the 1850s therefore it wasn’t as big of a problem
2. The American party was seen as doing nothing since they had no power in congress as opposed to republicans who had gotten a speaker of the house who was an ex know nothing and now a republicans. Many people so that the party did nothing.

Question 19

Republican policies

Answer 19

Republicans at the time believed completely on the dangerous power of slave power however whether this power cam from all southerns or slave owner etc wasn’t clear it was simply and article of faith. Many members of the Republican Party just wanted to stop the spread of slavery however there where some few abolitionist but not enough for them to put a platform of abolition of slavery.

Question 20

‘Bleeding Sumner’

Answer 20

In may 1856 when senators sumner gave a speech in congress that insulted senator butler. The congressman Preston brooks met sumner sitting in his chair where he beat him severely with his cane until it broke this was in defense of his owner since he was related to senator butler. This enraged northerns and it also crated more proof of slave power for republicans and northerns. In the north sumner was seen as a martyr while in the south brooks was seen as a hero. Som much so many southerns would send him canes in order to replace the one he broke while beating sumner.

Brooks later on resign however he run again later for office and was elected.

Question 21

The 1856 presidential election

Answer 21

On the American party side their candidate was Millard Fillmore an ex Whig who had been Zachary Taylor’s Vice President and the 13th president of America. He had southern sympathies hence making him not endearing to the north. Their platform was centered on returned power to whites, the reappeal of the Nebraska act and the anti catholic stance.

The democrats candidate was James Buchanan who had workers in the public service for several years. He was a northern but was also born in Pennsylvania which was a crucial state to acquire. He was the democrats strongest candidate. Their platform was popular sovereignty.

The republicans candidate was fermot he was an explorer of the west and was instrumental in the seizing of California. He was well known in the country and had served as the democrat senator of California for 12 days. Their platform was decreasing the expansion of slavery and the Kansas Nebraska act.

James Buchanan won the election he was able to acquire all southern states and apart from Illinois ,Pennsylvania, California and New Mexico. However the republicans where also close to winning the election if they won over Illinois and Pennsylvania they would have won the election this meant that they could be the next winners in the 1860 election.

The alarming votes for the republicans alarmed many southern states as they feared that a republican may win presidential elections in 1860. This may mean secession form the union.

Question 22

The significance of states’ rights

Answer 22

The south was big no states rights very southern believe that state rights should be superior to federal rights. This was majorly due to the fact that many believed that the ten amendment in the constitution gave them the right similarly many southerners also related with Calhouns nullification laws.

However on right that southerners where keen on was the institution of slavery. They believed that many northern were out to abolish slavery especially if the republicans are gaining popularity. Even though there where some radical abolitionist who were ready to burn the constitution in order to abolish slavery many northerns just wanted to stop it’s expansion not ban it.

Similarly if republicans had majority in congress it would be difficult to change the constitution since it required 2/3 agreement in both houses which would be very hard to achieve.