Reaction to the Kansas Nebraska Act
Birth of Republican Party
- Formed out of the demise of the Whigs due to their loss in the election
- Had inability to do anything about the kansas nebraska act
- Say that slavery should not spread to the west
Kansas Vote
- People emigrate into Kansas just to vote on the issue of slavery
- This causes more votes than settlers to be cast
- Slavery side ends up winning and apply to congress with a constitution that protects slavery
- Anti cries foul and forms their own govt and apply for their own statehood
- 2 constitutions and applications and they start killing eahc other
Bleeding Kansas
- Caused a lot of property damage
- John Brown shows up to potowatame and kills some pro slavery guys
- Charles Summer is caned on the Senate floor
- Slavery is always followed by violence (essay idea)
James Buchanan’s Presidency
- Wins because of 3rd party interference
- Largely called the worst president and doesn’t do anything to stop the divides in the country
- Says things about abolitionists
- In favor of dredd scott, wants Kansas as a slave state.
Dredd Scott vs Sandford
- Dredd Scott was a slave
- Moves into a free state and lives there, should have been free
- Goes to supreme court
- Was rejected because “Slaves were not allowed to sue in courts”
- Due process is needed to take away property as there was no crime
- Ban of slavery is now right to property
Rise of Abraham Lincoln
- His election causes Civil War
- Launches campaign with House Divided Speech
- Debated Douglas in the Lincoln-Douglas debates where they went back and forth
- Attracted national attention
- Says slavery should be halted but not banned yet
- Douglas says Lincoln is actually an abolitionist
- Lincoln says racist things trying to win the election
John Brown’s Raid
- Fire eaters promoted secession and southerners relied on constitutional protections for slavery
- John Brown plans to attack a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry Virginia in an attempt to seize weapons and slaves
- Captured by Robert E Lee, found guilty of treason and killed
- Abolitionists called him a martyr, southerners saw it as proof that their demise was being plotted on
- Southerners began to question whether the Democrats would protect their interests
- Democrat party is split over slavery and nominates 2 candidates
The Election of Abraham Lincoln
- Beats Breckenridge, Bell, and Douglas
- Lincoln wins every single free state except new jersey
- Won the presidency without a single electoral vote from the south and less than 1% of the popular vote
- South Carolina immediately secedes from the union