Unit 8: Part 1: The Impending Crisis Flashcards
I. Looking Westward
A. Aspects of Manifest Destiny
B. Background Factors of Manifest Destiny
C. Reasons for Relocating
D. Traits of the Westward Migrants
E. Life on the Trail
F. Traits of the California Gold Rush
G. Results of the Gold Rush
A. Aspects of Manifest Destiny
- Reflected Pride of American Life
- Idealistics Vision of Social Perfection
- Altruistic: Extend America’s Liberty
- Racial Justification
- Spread a Political & Racially-defined society
- Opposition Centered on Spread of Slavery
B. Background Factors of Manifest Destiny
- Transportation Revolution
- Strengthened by Reform Spirit
- Communication Revolutions
C. Reasons for Relocating
- Quick Riches: Gold, Silver
- Cheap Land at Low Prices
- Merchants saw “built-in” markets
- Escape Noise, Disease of Eastern cities
D. Traits of the Westward Migrants
- Most came from Old Northwest
- Seeking Economic Opportunities
- Relatively young, prosperous
- Miners, Trappers, and Cowboys: Young, Single Men
- Farmers: Families
E. Life on the Trail
- Travled the great Overland trails
- Traveled in Wagon Trains led by hired guides
- Encountered Hardships
- Duration of Journey: 5-6 months
- High Mortality Rates
- Positive Relations with the Native American tribes
- Recreation of conventional American society
- Highly Collective Experience
F. Traits of the California Gold Rush
- Atmosphere charged with Greed, Excitement
- 49ers left jobs, homes, families
- Majority were men
- Mining Towns Rough, Violent
G. Results of the Gold Rush
- Labor Shortage in California
- Long-term Population Growth
- Increase in Cultural Diversity
- Annexation Pressure
- Increased Sectionalism: Spread of Slavery
IV. Increasing Sectionalism
A. Slavery and the Territories
B. The Compromise of 1850s: Henry Clay
C. Election of Franklin Pierce
D. Uneasy Truce: Opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act
E. The Railroad Issue Increases Sectionalism
A. Slavery and the Territories
- Wilmot Proviso
- Two Competing Plans for Expansion
a. Polk
b. Calhoun
- Wilmot Proviso
Prohibit Slavery in all territory acquired from Mexico
a. Polk
Extend Missouri Compromise Line thru to the Pacific
b. Calhoun
Adoption of Popular Sovereignty
B. The Compromise of 1850s: Henry Clay
- Admission of California as a free state
- No restriction on slavery in the rest of the land acquired from Mexico
- Abolition of Slave Trade (Not Slavery) in D.C
- More effective Fugitive Slave Law
C. Election of Franklin Pierce
- Election a Referendum on 1850s Compromise
- Democrats: Ignore slavery issue to maintain the union
- Pierce strongly Expansionist: sets stage for increasing controversy
- The Gadsden Purchase: (Southern Arizona and New Mexico)
a. Ended continental expansion of the U.S
D. Uneasy Truce: Opposition to the Figitive Slave Act
- Pierce avoids slavery issue to keep peace
- North angered when Southerner came North to retrieve slaves
- Northern mobs formed to prevent return of the slaves
E. The Railroad Issue Increase Sectionalism
- Broad support building for a Transcontinental Railroad
- Location of Terminus? North or South
V. Tensions Grow During the 1850s
A. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (Stephen Douglas)
B. Implicaitions of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
C. North Reacts with Fury
D. Political Results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
E. The “Free-Soil” Ideology
A. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (Stephen Douglas)
- Open up Nebraska territory to white settlement
- Proposal: Divide territory into two regions Kansas and Nebraska
- Slavery to be decided by Popular Sovereignty
B. Implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Deny Congress power to decide slave/free status of new territory
- Repeal of the Missouri Compromise
- Slavery could be admitted from the very first
C. North Reacts with Fury
- Bitter that important issues decided by first comers
- Despised voiding of the Missouri Compromise
- Began to see a “Southern Slavocracy” Conspriracy
D. Political Results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Divided, destroyed the Whigs
- Divided N. Democrats, driving many from the party
- Led to Creation of the New Republican Party
E. The “Free-Soil” Ideology
- Uphold American rights of Labor, Property, Opportunity
- Slavery threatened whites as much as blacks
- Southern system seen as opposite of Demoracy, Closed and Stagnant
- Served as Basis for Republican Party
F. “Bleeding Kansas”
- Settlers pour in from both North and South
- Pro-slavery Missourians flood in to swell ranks of legal voters
- The resulting pro-slavery legislature quickly legalizes slavery
- Angry-free-staters exclude slavery at their own state convention
- Pierce rejects anti-slavery faction’s petition for statehood
- Civil-war like “Events Tear the Region Apart”
G. Aftermath of the Kansas-Nebraska Issue
- Sack of Lawrence
- John Brown and Pottawatomie Massacre
- Resulting Guerrilla warfare
- The Summer Attack
VI. The Impending Storm
A. South Feels Need to Justify their “Peculiar Institution”
B. The Pro-Slavery Arguments
C. The Dred Scott Case
D. Justice Roger Taney’s Decision
E. The Emergence of Lincoln: The Lincoln/Douglas Debates
F. Consequences of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates
G. Lincoln’s Position on Slavery
H. John Brown’s Raid
I. Results of John Brown’s Raid
J. The Election of Abraham Lincoln
A. South Feels Need to Justify their “Peculiar Institution”
- Nat Turner Uprising of 1831
- Expansion of Cotton: Lucrative
- Reaction against Garrison’s radical Abolitionism
- Reaction to Uncle Tom’s Cabin
B. The Pro-Slavery Arguments
- Slavery a positive good, not a necessary evil
- Slaves better off than free Northern whites
- Slavery best way for the races to cohabit peacefully
- S. Economy, based on slavery, was key to national prosperity
- Southern society, based on slavery, superior to Northern society
- Biological Inferiority Argument
C. The Dred Scott Case
- Scott, A Missouri slave, taken by owner to Illinois, a free state
- Scott sued his master’s widow for freedom, as he now resided in free territory
- Circuit court judge in Missouri declared him free
- Meanwhile, Scott’s former owner’s brother claiming ownership
- An appeal by Sanford to the state supreme court reversed earlier ruling
- Scott’s appeal to federal courts got no clear answer
D. Justice Roger Taney’s Decisions
- No African-American could claim citizenship
- African-American had no rights under Constitution
- Slaves were property, protected by the Constitution
- Congress had no power to exclude slavery; up to state government
- Bottom Line: Missouri Compromise unconstitutional
E. The Emergence of Lincoln: The Lincoln/Douglas Debates
- Not well-known outside of Illinois
- Spurred into action by Kansas-Nebraska issue
- Entered Senate race; 1858; opposing the spread of slavery
F. Consequences of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates
- Douglas wins re-election, suffer in reputation
- Lincoln elevated to national attention
- Lincoln becames the Republican front-runner
G. Lincoln’s Position on Slavery
- Feared precedent of denying rights
- Disliked both slavery and abolitionists
- Believed blacks to be inferior
- Slavery built into, protected by Constitution
- Opposed spread of slavery into territories
- Did not challenge slavery where it existed
- Thought slavery would die of own accord
H. John Brown’s Raid
- Seized control of Harper’s Ferry
- Hoped to foment slave uprising
- Quickly besieged by militia, Lee
- Hung after surrendering
I. Results of John Brown’s Raid
- Crystallized emotions, North and South
- South gave more credence to the “fire-eaters” and Secession
- Growth of Southern Nationalism
J. The Election of Abraham Lincoln
- Democrat Divided: South want Slave Endorsement, North and West wanted Popular Sovereignty
- Republicans: Broadened Political Base
- Lincoln’s slavery views alienated the least
- Active, positive image, campaign
- Won by strategic distribution of Votes
- Election sent the South into secession
- Democrat Divided:
South want Slave Endorsement, North and West wanted Popular Sovereignty
- Republicans:
Broadened Political Base
