Honors U.S. History 2009/2010Name:
PRP2, Week 13
Mr. IrwinPeriod:
Lecture 12
Slave or Free – Congressional Debates Over New States
Slavery or Abolition:
By the 1820s, abolition, the movement to free American slaves had taken hold. More than 100 anti-slavery societies cropped up. Some proposed that the U.S. “re-settle” the African Americans back to Africa. Other abolitionists demanded that the African American slaves remain in the U.S. and be set free.
Two Well Known Abolitionists:
William Lloyd Garrison:
One of the most radical white abolitionists, a young editor, and active in religious reform in Massachusetts.
- Was the editor of an antislavery paper in 1828.
- Three years later, he started his own paper, the Liberator, to deliver a more hard line demand for the immediate emancipation of slaves.
- Garrison’s radical beliefs included the philosophy that any means necessary should be used to abolish slavery.
Frederick Douglass:
An African American who escaped from slavery and became an abolitionist.
- He was known to be an eloquent speaker. William Lloyd Garrison once heard Douglass, as the result he began sponsoring Douglass to appear and speak at various antislavery rallies.
- Like Dr. Martin Luther King, who would come to prominence during the Civil Rights movement 150 years later, Douglass hoped that abolition could come about without violence.
Plantation Life:
In most instances, slavery was characterized by hard work and harsh conditions, although there were exceptions. Even though there were households that treated their slaves pretty well, slaves were considered chattel, or property, and under slavery, they would never be able to attain a status of respect or equality.
Common Slave Jobs:
House servants, cooks, farm hands or field workers, livery workers.
Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion:
One of the most well known of the many slave “rebellions.” In August 1831, Turner and more than 50 followers attacked four plantations and killed about 60 whites. Eventually, Turner along with many of his group were captured and hanged.
This incident caught the attention of much of the nation. It both frightened and outraged slave owners. American reaction was split. As the result of the Turner Revolt, abolitionists began to step up their efforts of advocacy of abolition, while many slave owners became harsher with their slaves. Various states passed new more strict laws concerning runaway slaves.
Underground Railroad:
Women had a societal role that excluded them from many business environments. They had their “place” in what at this time was a male dominant society. Women had no voting rights. Women got involved in a variety of activities, such as social & religious groups and clubs. As the result, many women became advocates of change relating to a variety of issues, including women’s rights and the abolition of slavery.
Harriet Beecher Stowe:
Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Manifest Destiny:
A 19th century belief that it was part of God’s plan that the United States would inevitably expand westward to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican and Native American territory, in the process (some recently published textbooks are describing manifest destiny, minus the reference to God).
1823 – 1846 The War With Mexico:
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The Republic of Texas:
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Congressional Debates Over Slavery:
A series of agreements passed by Congress in 1820 – 1821 were designed to maintain the balance of power between slave states and free states.
California Statehood:
California became a state in large part, as the result of the California Gold Rush. The newly acquired California territory had grown quickly, and by 1849, California had applied for statehood.
The subject of California statehood caused much debate in Congress. At a time when Congress was going to great lengths to keep the balance between the number of slave and the number of free states equal, California represented a dilemma because half of it was in the North while the other half of it was in the South.
Most Northerners wanted California to enter the U.S. as a free state. Southerners, on the other hand, wanted the Compromise of 1820 to apply to California. If the Southerners were to get their way, California would enter the U.S. as a slave state.
When California wrote its state Constitution, it stated that slavery was forbidden within state boundaries.
Compromise of 1850:
Senator Henry Clay, of Kentucky proposed this compromise which had five elements to it:
- Congress would admit California into the U.S. as a free state.
- The people of New Mexico and Utah would decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery in their states (this would be termed ”Popular Sovereignty”).
- Congress would abolish the sale of slaves in Washington D.C.
- Even though the sale of slaves would be abolished in Washington D.C., slavery itself would still remain legal.
- A Fugitive Slave Act would order all citizens of the U.S. to assist in the return of escaped slaves.
Popular Sovereignty:
A system in which the residents vote to decide an issue.
Kansas-Nebraska Act:
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“Bloody Kansas”
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Dred Scot Decision
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The Mormon Trek
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