Slavery and Secession 1800-1860

Slavery in the North– Though legal, slavery was largely unnecessary in the North.– By 1804, all Northern states had outlawed slavery within

their borders.

Slavery in the South

– Slavery became more and more entrenched in the South

– By 1860, slaves made up 1/3 of the population of the South

Balance of Power

– Slave states could never control the House of Representatives.

– Slave states could block anti-slavery legislation in the Senate as long as the number of slave and free states were equal.

Missouri Compromise ( 1820 )– Missouri enters as a slave state– Maine enters as a free state– Territories north of 36 30 would be free

Rise of the Abolition Movement

– The movement to outlaw slavery in the US began in the north in the early 1800’s, and gained momentum until the outset of the Civil War.

– Harriet Beecher Stowe – Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

– Frederick Douglas –Former Slave, Prominent abolitionist

Abolition Movement cont.

– Harriet Tubman – “conductor” of the Underground Railroad

– Though many women were excluded from the Abolitionist Movement, many leaders of the Women’s Movement came from the anti-slavery cause.

Compromise of 1850

– California enters as a free state

– Bans Slave Trade in Washington DC, though slavery in DC is still legal there

– Utah and New Mexico territories could enter as slave or free

– Enacted a strong fugitive slave law

The Kansas-Nebraska Act– Slavery issue in these states would be decided by popular

sovereignty.– Bleeding Kansas – violence erupted as opposing factions

clashed. – Both sides sent in people from out of state to vote– At one point, Kansas had two state capitals

• Preston Brooks vs. Charles Sumner

Dred Scott

– Slave from Missouri was taken to a free state, then returned to Missouri

– Scott sued for his freedom on the grounds that he was taken to Illinois and Minnesota, where slavery was illegal.

Dred Scott cont.– He won his initial case in

Missouri, but the Supreme Court overturned the decision.

– The Court stated that a slave, as legal property, can be taken anywhere.

– This decision overturned the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, opening up all states to popular sovereignty.

Harper’s Ferry

o Northern Abolitionist John Brown attacks a Federal Armory in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.

Harper’s Ferry cont.– Brown’s plan calls for

4500 (18 showed up) men to capture the armory, take the weapons they find and give them to slaves, starting a slave revolution in the south.

– After his plan failed, he was tried and hanged.

– Many Abolitionists saw him as a hero, which further outraged Southerners.

Election of 1860

– With the Democratic Party split, Lincoln’s Republican Party carried the election.

– Lincoln wanted to stop the expansion of slavery, but protect it where it already existed.

Election of 1860– Southerners

opposed this because Lincoln’s plan would cause them to eventually lose their power in the Senate, leaving them unprotected from anti-slavery legislation

Secession

o As a direct result of the Election of 1860, Southern states began to secede. The war that had its roots in 1619 had begun.