Political Turmoil Before the Civil War Unit 1, Part 1: Political Turmoil Before the Civil War

Over the centuries, the North and South had developed into two very different cultural and economic regions. However, it was the Southern dependence on the institution of slavery that eventually brought them into conflict. The South had a plantation economy and had come to rely on enslaved labor, while the North was economically centered on industry. Opposition to slavery grew in the North, and with the addition of new states and territories… this led to issues between the regions on whether slavery would expand into these new lands.

Issues centered on slavery: Missouri Compromise: With the addition on new western lands, Congress compromised in 1820 to set a line at 36’30 where slavery could only exist south of that line and above would be free. Compromise of 1850: When the gold rush caused CA to quickly become a state, Congress had to address the issue again seeing as though the state itself crosses the border set by the Missouri Compromise. The South threatened to secede from the Union on the issue. Henry Clay worked out a compromise, to please the North CA would be a free state, and to please the South a new and more effective fugitive slave law was enacted. To please both sides, a provision allowed popular sovereignty (the right to vote for or against slavery) for New Mexico and Utah territories.

Issues centered on slavery: Kansas Nebraska Act: Senator Stephen Douglas believed the popular sovereignty was a good way to decide if slavery would be allowed in the Nebraska territory, but the problem was the Nebraska was above the 36’30’ line set by the Missouri Compromise. He proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and to repeal the Missouri Compromise, while establishing pop. sovereignty in both territories.

Dred Scott Decision: The argument of states’ rights (whether states had power to govern themselves without federal interference) was heated between the North and South, and much of it had to do with slavery. One such situation was when Dred Scott, a slave whose owner took him from the slave state of Missouri to free territory in Illinois and Wisconsin, then back to Missouri. He argued and appealed to the Supreme Court that living in those states made him a free man. The case was in court for years, and finally the court ruled against Scott, saying that he was not a citizen but property, and seeing as though the Constitution protected property it was unlawful for territories to deprive slaveholders of their property.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates: Months after the Dred Scott decision, Senator Stephen Douglas debated challenger Abraham Lincoln for the Senate seat of Illinois. Lincoln challenged Douglas to debate on the topic of slavery, and he accepted. It was one of the most celebrated debate in U.S. history. Their views were both simple and consistent, neither wanted slavery in the territories, but they differed on how they would keep it out. Douglass believed deeply in popular sovereignty and Lincoln believed the practice of slavery was immoral. However, he didn’t believe that individuals would give it up without Congress abolishing it with an amendment.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates: In their second debate, Lincoln argued that pop. sov. Was an empty phrase because the Dred Scott decision solidified that territories could not exclude slavery even if they wanted to. Stephen A. Douglas formulated the “ Freeport Doctrine,” in which he argued that a territory had the right to exclude slavery despite contrary U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Douglas ended up winning the Senate seat, but Lincoln showed himself to be a rising star for the Republicans.