Name: ______Pd: ______
12.4/12.5 CHALLENGES TO SLAVERY & THE SOUTH SECEDES
PEOPLE
John C. Fremont---1st Republican Party candidate for President—1856 election
James Buchanan—Democrat who won the 1856 presidential election—only Pres. from Pennsylvania
Dred Scott—African-American slave who sued for his freedom, case went to Supreme Court in 1857
Roger B. Taney—Supreme Court Chief Justice who ruled on the Dred Scott case
John Brown—abolitionist who failed a raid on Harper’s Ferry, Va. convicted of murder & treason, hung
Stephen Douglas—Democratic Senator from Il, debated Lincoln for Sen. seat in 1858, lost 1860 election
Abraham Lincoln—Republican from Il. Debated Douglas for Sen. seat in 1858, won 1860 election
John Crittenden—proposed a series of Constitutional Amendments
Jefferson Davis—elected president of the Confederacy
John Breckenridge-Democratic candidate for President in the 1860 election
VOCABULARY
Arsenal—a storage place for weapons and ammunition; Harper’s Ferry was an arsenal
Martyr—a person who dies for a cause; John Brown can be considered a martyr
Border States-states between the North and the South, slave states
Secession—to leave or break away, voted on and approved by South Carolina in 1860
States’ Rights—the idea that states had voluntarily chosen to enter the union since the constitution was a contract among independent states; the South felt the Federal Gov’t violated that contract which justified secession
Election of 1856
The _Kansas Nebraska_ Act of 1854 split the _Democratic__ party along sectional lines. The __Republican__ party was formed from Free-Soilers joining with anti-slavery _Whigs_ and Democrats. In _1856_ the Republican Party ran _Fremont_ against Democrat _Buchanan__ who supported _popular sovereignty_ or allowing people to vote. _Buchanan_ won the election but the presidential vote was divided along _sectional__ lines with the _Republican__ Party not winning a vote below the Mason-Dixon line.
Dred Scott Decision
The Supreme Court and Chief Justice __Roger Taney__ announced a decision on the Dred Scott case in _1857_. Dred Scott was suing Sanford for his _freedom__. The court ruled Dred Scott was __property__ and that he was not a _citizen__. This meant that the Supreme Court, in interpreting the _Constitution__, protected the institution of _slavery__. Justice Taney also said that the _Missouri__ Compromise was _unconstitutional__. This meant that nothing legally could prevent the spread of _slavery_, which the _Republican__ Party was working to restrict.
John Brown’s Raid
In _1859_ John brown led 18 men (whites and African Americans) on a raid on _Harper’s Ferry__, Virginia. The target was an _arsenal_, a storage place for weapons. Brown had already killed people in 1856 in _Kansas_ and was now planning an armed slave _rebellion_. He was financed by a group of _abolitionists__. Brown was defeated and convicted of _murder_& _treason_ and sentenced to _hang_. The transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson, called brown a _martyr_, a person who dies for a cause.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
In 1858 the race for the Illinois _Senate___ was the center of attention. Current Senator Stephen Douglas who was a _Democrat__ ran against _Republican__ challenger Abraham Lincoln. Douglas favored resolving the issue of slavery in the west through _popular sovereignty_. Lincoln said that the _Republican__ Party thinks slavery is _wrong_. Douglas’s _Freeport_ Doctrine in which he said that people could _exclude_ slavery by refusing to pass laws protecting _slaveholders_ rights lost him support in the _South_. The election was close but won by _Douglas___.
The Election of 1860
Stephen Douglas / Northern Democrats / Popular Sovereignty / 30% popular vote
John Breckenridge / Southern Democrats / Supported Supreme Court’s decision / Won the South
John Bell / Constitutional Union / No Position / Won Border States
Abraham Lincoln / Republican / Excluded from West / Won the North-Election
Republicans argued that _secession__ was a scare tactic aimed at frightening voters from casting their ballot for _Lincoln__. The vote in this 1860 election was along _sectional__ lines. The states located between the North and South called _border_ states were divided over whether to stay in the Union or join the _Confederacy__. In this election the more populous _North_ outvoted the South. On Dec. 16, 1860 Senator _Crittendon_ proposed a series of Constitutional amendments to protect _slavery_ in the South including in the _western territories_. The leaders in the South and the _Republican_ Party rejected this plan, ending hopes of a last-minute _compromise__. On Dec. 20, _1860_ a special convention was held by _South Carolina__ who voted to secede.