13IDs

=Chapter 13: Impending Crisis=

**Main Ideas:**
> >
 * 1) The influence of Manifest Destiny on Americans during the period, and how it shaped American policy in Texas, Oregon, California, and the Southwest.
 * 2) The many events concerning the expansion of slavery into the western territories that deepened divisions between the North and the South and led to the Civil War.
 * 3) The effect of the dispute over slavery in reshaping the American political-party system, bringing an end to the Whigs and birthing the Republicans.

**Text Resources:**
Loewen's //Lies My Teacher Told Me,// Chapter 6 - The invisibility of racism in American History Textbooks

**Handouts/Homework:**
Kyle Ward, History in the Making - An absorbing look at how American History Has Changed in the Telling Over the Last 200 Years, The New Press, 2006. ISBN: 987-1-59558-044-3 - Chapter 20: The Alamo - Chapter 21: The Start of the Mexican-American War - Chapter 23: Abraham Lincoln's Character - Chapter 24: John Brown at Harper's Ferry
 * Further Reading:**

Madaras & SoRelle, Taking Sides; Clashing Views in United States History, Vol. 1, McGraw-Hill, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-07-352723-9 - Issue 14: Was the Mexican War an Exercise in American Imperialism? Professor of history Ramon Eduardo Ruiz argues that for the purpose of conquering Mexico’s northern territories, the United States waged an aggressive war against Mexico from which Mexico never recovered. Professor of diplomatic history Norman A. Graebner argues that President James Polk pursued an aggressive policy that he believed would force Mexico to sell New Mexico and California to the United States and to recognize the annexation of Texas without starting a war.

- Issue 15: Were the Abolitionists "Unrestrained Fanatics?" C. Vann Woodward depicts John Brown as a fanatic who committed wholesale murder in Kansas in 1856 and whose ill-fated assaults on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859, while admired by his fellow abolitionists and many northern intellectuals, was an irrational act of treason against the United States. Donald G. Mathews describes abolitionists as uncompromising agitators, not unprincipled fanatics, who employed flamboyant rhetoric but who crafted a balanced and thoughtful critique of the institution of slavery as a social evil that violated the nation’s basic values.

"To what extent did manifest destiny and territorial expansion unite or divide the United States from 1830 to 1860?" Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1830-1860 to construct your response. (AP Amsco p235). -see FRQ help page or Amsco p239 for an organziational chart for this DBQ
 * DBQs:**

__Territorial Growth__

 * After a period of national growth, US moved to obtain new lands in Texas the Southwest, California, and Oregon
 * Questions over whether or not states would be free or slaves tore country apart by 1850’s

__Racial Justification__

 * Americans were decedents of a superior European race, and people of these regions had only to benefit from annexation
 * Americans more civilized, spread republican ideals

__Opposition to Further Expansion__

 * Lead by Henry Clayà believed that slavery will emerge as an issue in the new territories
 * Felt a threat to the Union

__Stephen Austin__
===__San Jacinto-__ Disclaimer: If you hate Houston, you shouldn’t read this section. They won a battle, which means they probably cheated, or their opponent was just really unlucky and had some defensive meltdowns. The American Revolution was like 80 katrillion times cooler because we fought the best in the world, not a new Mexican republic and we had awesome players too. VIVA LA REVOLUTION===
 * American intermediaries were given land to distribute by Mexican government to recruit settlers from America
 * Austin developed first legal US settlement (1822)
 * Austin in other intermediaries created strong communities to the point where the Americans of the region (Texas) greatly outnumbered the Mexicans, and created opposition to the government 7,000 (2 x more than Mexicans)
 * 1826- Americans attempted to make Texas its own country (not successful)
 * 4 years later Mexicans ban Americans from immigrating to Texas
 * Dropped in 1833 when there was too much illegal immigration
 * 1835- 30,000 Americans in Texas
 * Tension grew between Mexicans & Tejanos—passage of slavery, and cultural and economic ties to US
 * Santa Anna inserts a controlling centralized government, Texans believe they are being targeted, Austin imprisoned for “encouraging rebellion”
 * 1835- Texans declared independence from Mexico, Santa Anna attacks Alamo to but down rebellion, Texans couldn’t agree on government or leaders, they fell easily
 * Small army kept together by Sam HOUSTON >:-0
 * Defeated Mexicans at Battle of San Jacinto April 23, 1836
 * Santa Anna was taken prisoner, signed treaty for Texan independence
 * Mexicans did not accept treaty, but did not fight it.
 * Haha and an easy way to remember the dates on this one is that the original name for the Houston Dynamo was going to be Houston 1836, like a lot of European Clubs, but the Mexicans were offended.

__Opposition to Annexation__

 * Texas hoped to be annexed into US
 * Houston sent a delegation to DC to offer to join
 * Northerners did not want more slave states and more represented in congress
 * Jackson opposed annexation- possible sectionalizing of the country, war with Mexico
 * Van Buren and Harrison also rejected
 * Accepted as a republic in 1836
 * __Disputed Claims__**
 * Oregon territory included Oregon Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia
 * US and Britain both had claims to the land, US- Robert Gray, GB- George Vancouver
 * “Joint occupation”- allowed citizens of each country equal access to the territory.

===

=== ===Dan: Conflicts between Settlers and Indians o many white Americans begin migrating to Oregon o by the 1840s they outnumbered the British settlers there o These Americans devastated the Indian population, in part through a measles epidemic in the Cayuse tribe o The Cayuse blamed the Whitman mission for the plague and attacked it in 1847 o They killed 13 whites, including Marcus and Narcissa o This did not stem white immigration to the area o The new settlers urged the US government to take possession of the Oregon territory Oregon Trail===
 * Best game ever
 * About 300,000 people migrated west between 1840 and 1860
 * Most traveled over land
 * They generally gathered in one of several major spots in Iowa and Missouri
 * There, they joined a wagon train led by hired guides and set off with their wagons
 * The major route was the Oregon Trail (2,000 mi)
 * Trail started in Independence and crossed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains and ended on the west coast
 * Other trails included the California trail which started at the end of the Oregon trail and led south, and the Santa Fe trail which began in Independence and went southwest into New Mexico


 * Life on the Trail**
 * Society of the trail re-created many of the patterns of conventional American society
 * Tasks were divided along gender lines, with the men and driving and repairing wagons and hunting and the women cooking, washing clothes and watching children
 * Almost everyone, male and female walked to lighten the load
 * Although the traditional image is of a rugged individual journey, this was not the case
 * Most journeys were a highly collective experience
 * Many expeditions had large groups of friends, neighbors and relatives in them
 * There were many fights among the groups that would head west. These were almost always solved as to split up meant death


 * James K. Polk**
 * In the election of 1844, the leading candidates were Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren
 * They tried to avoid taking a stand on the issue of the annexation of Texas
 * Clay had no difficulty securing the Whig nomination despite his noncommittal position on expansion
 * The Democrats passed over Van Buren in support of the previously unheralded Polk
 * Polk had represented Tennessee in the House of Representatives for fourteen years, four of them as speaker and had also served as governor
 * In 1844 he had been out of public office for 3 years
 * What made his victory possible was his support for the position expressed in the Democratic Platform, “that the re-occupation of Oregon and the re-annexation of Texas at the earliest practicable period are great American measure.”
 * Polk carried the election by 170 electoral votes to 105


 * Compromise over** **Oregon**
 * The British minister in Washington rejected the compromise that would establish the United States Canadian border at the 49th parallel
 * Polk asserted the American claim to all of Oregon
 * There was loose talk of war on both sides of the Atlantic
 * The Americans wanted the border at the 54th parallel and the British wanted it at the 42nd parallel
 * Neither country wanted war
 * On June 15, 1846 the Senate approved a treaty that fixed the boundary at the 49th parallel


 * Texas** **Boundary in Dispute**
 * New tensions were emerging in the southwest that eventually led to a war with Mexico
 * When Texas became a state in 1845, the Mexican government broke diplomatic relations with Washington
 * Then, a dispute developed over the Texas/Mexico border
 * Texans claimed the Rio Grande as their western and southern border
 * Mexico said that the border had always been the Nueces River, to the north of the Rio Grande
 * Polk accepted the Texas claim and in the summer of 1845 he sent a small army under General Zachary Taylor to protect Texas


 * American Interests in** **California**
 * Americans were increasing their interest in another Mexican possession: California
 * In this region there lived members of several western Indian tribes and perhaps 7,000 Mexicans
 * Gradually, White Americans began to arrive
 * First came maritime traders and captains of Pacific whaling ships
 * Then merchants who established stores, imported merchandise and developed profitable trade with the Indians and Mexicans
 * Finally pioneering farmers who entered from the easy and settled in the Sacramento valley


 * Rachel:**
 * Failure of the** **Slidell** **Mission**
 * John Slidell was a special minister dispatched by James K. Polk to try to buy off the Mexicans by purchasing New Mexico and California
 * Mexican leaders rejected Slidell’s offer
 * January 13, 1846: Polk received news of the failure of their plan, and ordered Taylor’s army in Texas to move across the Nueces River to the Rio Grande
 * Mexican forces refused to fight for several months
 * Disputed accounts reported that finally, some Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and attack a unit of American soldiers, and Polk announced to Congress that “War exists by the act of Mexico herself.”
 * May 13, 1846: Congress officially declared war – votes in favor drastically outweighed those opposed


 * Opposition to the War**
 * Whigs were largely critical of the war from the beginning, claiming that Polk had deliberately maneuvered the country into conflict and had staged the border incident that led him to proclaim war
 * Many argued that the war was draining resources and taking attention away from the important issue of territory in the Pacific Northwest (is there any other Northwest in the US?? Must we call it the Pacific??)
 * Opposition intensified as the war continued because the public became more aware of the casualties and expense of the conflict


 * Bear Flag Revolution**
 * Polk ordered offenses against both California and New Mexico
 * Summer of 1846: a small army under Colonel Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe with no opposition
 * Kearny proceeded to California and joined a conflict already in progress – led by a small group of well-armed settlers led by John C. Frémont in cooperation with the American navy – Called the Bear Flag Revolution
 * Kearny brought the two forces under his command – by autumn of 1846 he had completed the conquest of California


 * Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo**
 * Polk’s public image declined as his motives for the war became questionable – concerned about the upcoming election, Polk wanted a quick end to the war, so he sent Nicholas Trist to negotiate a settlement with Mexico
 * February 2, 1848: reached an agreement with Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
 * Mexican gov’t agreed to cede California and New Mexico to the United States and acknowledge the Rio Grande as the boundary of Texas
 * US promised to assume any financial claims its new citizens had against Mexico and to pay Mexico $15 million
 * Trist was unsuccessful in gaining more territory for the US in Mexico, and Polk was angry and said that Trist violated his instructions, but eventually accepted it and signed the treaty


 * Wilmot Proviso**
 * August 1846: Polk asked Congress to appropriate $2 million for purchasing peace with Mexico
 * Democratic Rep. David Wilmot of PA introduced an amendment to the bill prohibiting slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico – passed in the House but failed in the Senate; called up, debated, and voted on repeatedly for several years
 * Meanwhile, southern militants allowed citizens of the new territories to have slaves


 * Competing Plans**
 * As the debate over the bill intensified, Polk supported a proposal to extend the Missouri Compromise line through the new territories to the Pacific coast, banning slavery north of the line and permitting it south of the line
 * Others supported a plan, originally known as “squatter sovereignty” and later called “popular sovereignty,” which would allow the people of each territory, through their legislature, to determine the status of slavery there
 * Debate over the two proposals continued for many months and remained unresolved when Polk left office in 1849


 * Free Soil Party**
 * Election of 1848: General Zachary Taylor, hero of the Mexican war but had absolutely no political experience, was nominated by the Whigs and defeated Lewis Cass, who had replaced Polk as the Democratic candidate when he fell into poor health
 * Opponents of slavery found the choice of candidates to be unsatisfying, and thus emerged the Free-Soil Party which drew ideas from the Liberty Party and supported the Wilmot Proviso – their candidate was Martin Van Buren
 * Van Buren failed to carry a single state, but he won an impressive 10% of the popular vote and the Free-Soilers elected 10 members to Congress
 * Emergence of Free-Soil Party demonstrated the inability of the existing parties to contain the political passions slavery was creating – would lead to the collapse of the second party system in the 1850s

__**Forty-niners**__ 1848- James Marshall finds traces of gold in the Sierra Nevadas. attempts to suppress news- gold rush would destroy own substantial empire in the region. May- word of the discovery reaches San Francisco. late summer= east coast. millions flock to California. crazed with excitement and greed. California migrants- "forty-niners" leave farms and homes behind. Throw caution to the wind. 95%= men. Fluid and voltile society. Gold Rush attracted Chinese to the western U.S. Great excitement in China over the discoveries which spread across the world. Impoverished Chinese move to the United States in hopes of creating a better life for themselves. Emigration brokers loan money many migrants money for passage to California. Chinese in California- free laborers and merchants- looking for gold or hoping to make a profit from other economic opportunities the gold boom was creating. serious labor shortage- many men flocking for gold. opportunities for people who needed work such as the Chinese. __**Indian Slavery**__ Overt exploitation of Native Americans in the region. White vigilantes were calling themselves "Indian hunters"- hunting down and killing thousands of Indians (contributing to the process by which the Native American population of California declined from 150,000 to 30,000 between the 1850s-1870. State law permitted the arrest of "loitering" or orphaned Indians and their assignment to a term of "indentured" labor. gold rush= critical importance to the growth of California but not for the reasons most of the migrants hoped. Substantial gold in the hills of the Sierra Nevada which many people became rich from- BUT only a tiny fraction of the forty-niners actually found gold or were able to stake claim of land to search for it. Some returned home while others joined the agricultural and urban populations.
 * Julie:**

Heterogeneous- Europeans, Chinese, South Americans, Mexicans, free blacks and slaves accompanying southern migrants.

Racial and ethnic tension and conflicts over gold= unusually turbulent. Pressure grew to create a more stable and effective government. More U.S. pressure to resolve slavery /status of territories.

__**Sectional Conflict over Slavery in the Territories**__ Zachary Taylor- statehood= solution to the issue of slavery in the territories. federal government was responsible for whether or not slavery was allowed in them as long as they remained territories. becoming states= state government decides. Taylor's urging= California adopts constitution prohibiting slavery. effort of antislavery forces to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia- movement bitterly resisted by Southerners. Emergence of personal liberty laws in northern states- barred courts and police officers from helping to return fugitive slaves to their owners. biggest obstacle of presidents program= 2 new free states would be added to the northern majority- white south's fear. 1849= fifteen slave and fifteen free. California upset the balance and the possibility of New Mexico, Oregon and Utah= upset further. South= minority in Senate and House if this happened.

__**Clay's Proposed Solution**__ 1849-1850= moderates and unionists try to frame a great compromise. Henry Clay- believed compromise would not last unless it settled all the issues in the dispute between sections Clay's proposed solution presented to Senate on January 29, 1850. Among bill's provisions were the admission of California as a free state, the formation of territorial governments in the rest of the lands acquired from Mexico (without restrictions on slavery), the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and a new and more effective fugitive slave law. Calhoun (68 years old)- insisted that the North grant the South equal rights in the territories, that it agree to observe the laws concerning fugitive slaves and that the North and the South have dual presidents. Radical demands that had no chance of passage. Offering what he considered a comprehensive and permanent solution to the sectional problem that would, he believed, save the union. Congress defeats Clay proposal and issue moves into its second phase. __**New Leadership**__ Younger group emerges. William H. Seaward- wily political operator opposed the proposed compromise- ideals of union less important than eliminating slavery. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi- 42 years old- representative of the new cotton south. Stephen A Douglas- 37 yr old. Democratic senator from Illinois. Westerner from a rapidly growing state and the spokesman for the economic needs of his section ( railroads)Sectional gain and personal self-promotion. __**Temporary Compromise**__ Millard Fillmore of New York. Omnibus bill broken up- introduced a series of separate measures to be voted on one by one. . Representatives could support elements of the compromise they liked and oppose those they did not. Douglas also gained support with complicated backroom deals linking the compromise to such matters like the sale of government bonds & railroad construction. mid-September= all components of compromise signed and ennacted.
 * Compromise of 1850- victory of self interest.**

__**Opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act**__ Northern opposition to the Fugitive slave act intensified quickly after 1850.- southerners appeared occasionally in northern states to pursue people they claimed were fugitives. Mobs formed in some Northern areas to prevent the enforcement of the laws. several northern states pass their own laws over the fugitive slave act to prevent fugitives from being taken or southerners making claims. Element of the Compromise of 1850 became meaningless as a result of northern defiance. Franklin Pierce ( Democrats) Winifield Scott ( Whig) Pierce wins in 1852.


 * Nikki:**

//Ostend Manifesto// Ø Franklin Pierce hoped to dampen sectional controversy by supporting the Democratic Party known as “Young America” Ø A way to divert attention from slavery Ø Efforts to expand the nation’s domain impossible without confronting sectional crisis Ø Pierce tried to buy Cuba from Spain Ø In 1854 a group of envoys sent him a document from Ostend Belgium making the case to seize Cuba by force Ø Became known as the Ostend Manifesto Ø This enraged antislavery northerners who believed administration was conspiring to bring a new slave state into the Union Ø Spain opposed all efforts to acquire new territory not supporting slavery Ø Hawaii agreed to join the US in 1854 but the treaty died in the Senate because there was a clause to prohibit slavery in the islands //Transcontinental Railroad and Slavery// Ø Problem of communication between older states and areas west of the Miss. River became more critical Ø Support for the transcontinental railroad grew Ø Northerners wanted to place it in Chicago and Southerners wanted to place it in St. Louis, Memphis or New Orleans Ø Became part of the struggle between the North and South //Gadsden Purchase// Ø Jefferson Davis was the secretary of war from Miss who removed an obstacle of the southern route Ø Did this by sending James Gadsden to Mexico where he persuaded the Mexican government to accept $10 million in exchange for a strip of land which is currently New Mexico and Arizona Ø Gadsden Purchase of 1853 accentuated the sectional rivalry //Kansas-Nebraska Act// Ø Stephen A. Douglas knew the South would oppose his bill proposed in January 1854 to organize a huge new territory of Nebraska because it would prepare a way for a new free state Ø The land in question was closed to slavery Ø He inserted a provision that the status of slavery would be determined by territorial legislature or popular sovereignty Ø The South persuaded Douglas to add a clause to explicitly repeal the Missouri Compromise and to divide the area into two territories-Kansas and Nebraska Ø Pierce supported the bill and it became law in May 1854 Ø Many immediate consequences //Birth of the Republican Party// Ø Divided and destroyed Whig Party Ø Divided northern Democrats Ø Drove many people away from the party and created a new party Ø People in both parties that opposed Douglas’s bill called themselves Anti-Nebraska Democrats or Whigs Ø Formed a new organization called the Republican party Ø Major force in American politics //Pottawatomie Massacre// Ø John Brown, a fierce abolitionist, considered himself an instrument of God’s will to destroy slavery Ø After moving to Kansas he gathered six followers and in one night murdered five pro-slavery settlers. Ø Became known as the Pottawatomie Massacres Ø Led to more civil strife in Kansas such as guerrilla warfare Ø Illustrated the aggressive designs of the other section Ø “Bleeding Kansas” a symbol of the sectional controversy //Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner// Ø In May 1856 Charles Sumner of Mass rose to give a speech entitled “The Crime Against Kansas” Ø Sexual references to Andrew P. Butler angered his nephew Preston Brooks of the House of Representatives from South Carolina Ø Several days later Brooks approached Sumner during recess and beat him with a heavy cane Ø Sumner collapsed unconscious and his injuries were so severe he couldn’t return to the Senate for four years Ø Sumner became a hero in North and Brooks a hero in the South Ø Brooks resigned

"Free Soil" Ideology "Slave Power Conspiracy" The Pro-Slavery Argument Election of 1856 Taney's Sweeping Opinion Patterns of Popular Culture: Lyceums
 * Jess:**

-Majority in Kansas opposed slavery -Buchanan pressured Congress to admit Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution -The Democrats and Stephen Douglas rejected it initially -in 1858 Congress approved a compromise. They decided to let Kansas vote on the Lecompton Constitution a second time, and if it passed, great, if not, they would delay statehood -The voters rejected it -In 1861 Kansas entered the Union as a free state without a hassle, as some states had already begun seceding
 * Lecompton Constitution Rejected:**

-Lincoln had been involved in politics prior to election, but he was not a well-known national figure like Douglas -To gain exposure, Lincoln engaged Douglas in debates, which attracted huge crowds -Lincoln was very eloquent and passionate, and so was able to gain prominence -Debates dealt largely with slavery; Lincoln argued it would be bad for white laborers in Western states
 * Lincoln-Douglas Debates:**

-Morally against slavery -Not an abolitionist -Didn’t see a clear alternative to slavery in areas where it existed -Didn’t think blacks could live on equal terms with whites -Wanted to stop spread of slavery, but not immediately do away with it where it already existed -Lincoln gained an even larger following as a result of these views
 * Lincoln’s Position:**

-Wished to seize mountain fortress at U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia -Would use weapons to arm slaves and start revolt -Received funding from Eastern abolitionists -U.S. troops under Robert E. Lee took back arsenal, killing ten of Brown’s men in the process -Brown was executed
 * John Brown’s Raid:**

-Debate between Westerners and Southerners -Westerners wished to have popular sovereignty determine the slavery status of new states -Southerners wished to have new states enter guaranteed slavery to ensure their representation -As a result, there was difficulty in determining a presidential candidate -Douglas was chosen by West, while Calhoun was chosen by South -this helped Lincoln win election with only 2/5 of the popular vote
 * Divided Democrats:**

-With Lincoln’s election, many white Southerners lost hope -Disunion began within weeks of Lincoln’s election -This disunion and secession was the lead-in to the Civil War 
 * Disunion:**

 Manifest Destiny || · Americans are destined by God to expand their boundaries. - Not selfish, spread liberty and American ideals (democracy/capitalism) to the rest of the world · Reflects American nationalism and pride. · John O’Sullivan (democratic editor) credited with name · Americans now a “racially defined” society hoping to absorb others || Texas || · Americans one had claimed Texas · Until 1830 was a part of Mexico · Mexican government encourage American immigration to Texas - Though immigration would help Mexican economy - Many Americans took advantage of this welcome · Rich soil, good for growing cotton · 1826 a revolt established Texas as an independent nation - Revolt crushed by Mexican, no longer allowed American immigrants || Relations with Mexico (war) || · Dispute over Texas leads to tension between Mexican and American government · Slavery had been made illegal in Mexico (and Texas), soon came attempts to legalize slavery · Instability in Mexico, dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna came to power · Sporadic fighting begins in 1835 between Mexicans and Americans · 1836 = battle of San Jacinto (near present day Houston - Santa Anna taken prisoner - Texas then gained independence · Texas then annexed in 1844 after much debate || Westward movement || · Promise of a better life west on the “new frontier” caused many Americans to travel west - 1840-1860 thousand of whites and blacks travel to Texas and Oregon - Most journeys lasted 6 months - High death rate (cholera) · Trails across the country - Oregon Trail · Interest in California rises because of the Gold Rush - Forty-niners = Californian immigrants - Many Chinese immigrants attracted as well - Native Americans were hunted down and killed; many enslaved || Sectionalism rising ||  · Polk tried to have his policies transcend sectionalism as it becomes even more of a difficult task · Slavery and boundaries between slave states play a major part in dividing the country - Democrats are generally against slavery (includes Polk) · 1850 election, Whig party member Zachary Tayor elected, anti-slayer supporter unsatisfied · When California becomes a free state, the balance was upset - New Mexico and Utah could upset it further leaving the South a minority in the Senate || Compromise of 1850s || · Proposition made by Henry Clay - 73 at the time · Becomes an impassioned political debate that lasts 6 months · President Taylor dies suddenly - Was a major obstacle in passing the compromise · Dived into many sections than voted on || railroads || · Communication is increased when railroads are built around the country · The transcontinental railroad only divided the country further - The east end was argued over: The South wanted it to be in St Louis, and the North favored Chicago · Gadsden purchase from Mexico also increases north and south rivalry || The Dred Scott decision || · Dred Scott = a Missouri Slave · Was taken to Illinois and Wisconson where slavery was illegal · When his master dies he sued his widow for his rights to freedom · This leads to one of most controversial cases of the era : //Dred Scott vs. Sanford// · Later Scotts master’s brother claimed Scott · Supreme court was stumped and could not reach a decision - Chief justice Roger Taney ruled that slaves were property and under the 5th amendment prohibited Congress from taking property without “due process of law” || Kansas and Nebraska || · Nebraska becomes a huge new territory - South opposed the bill because it made way for a new free state - Instead according to “popular sovereignty” the territory could choose · Was then divided into two territories; Kansas and Nebraska - This divided and destroyed the Whig party by 1856 - Many appalled by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise - New Organization called the Republican Party came to power and was allowed to organized the House of Representives || John browns raid || · John Brown = antislavery - Funded by rich abolitionist - Forms a plan to take a mountain fortress, from which he believed he could foment a slave insurrection in the South · Famous raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, Brown and 18 followers attacked and seized an United States Arsenal · Quickly overcome by Local forces (Robert E Lee) - Surrenders after 10 of his men are killed - Tried in Virginia, he and four of his men were hanged · Southerners now believe they can no longer live safely in the Union || Election of Lincoln || · Election of 1860 = one of the most complex in American history · Abraham Lincoln chosen to represent the Republican party - Moderate opinion on slavery is appealing · Lincoln runs against a divided Democrat Party · Lincoln does not win the majority of Electoral votes, but only won ~ 2/5 of the popular vote · This election was one of the final events that convinced southerners they had no say in the union - By the time Lincoln took office, the South had begun to secede from the Union ||