Events leading to Succession

Add to SLM Unit 7 8-4.3 Vocabulary: John C. Calhoun Missouri Compromise Nullification Crisis Force Bill Compromise of 1850 Fugitive Slave Law Kansas-Nebraska Act Brooks-Sumner Affair Dred Scott EQ #1 – What were the key issues that lead to SC leaving the Union? Add to SLM Unit 7 8-4.3

8-4.3 Analyze the key issues that led to SC’s secession from the Union, including the nullification controversy and John C. Calhoun, the extension of slavery and the compromises over westward expansion, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and the election of 1860

In 1819 Missouri applied for admission into the Union as a slave state

This would break the balance of free and slave states

After months of debate Congress reached a compromise

This Compromise Became Known as the MISSOURI COMPROMISE

The Missouri Compromise consisted of two parts:

Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state and Maine (part of Massachusetts) would enter the union as a free state

A line was drawn westward from Missouri’s Southern border at 36º/ 30 minutes north latitude

Land north of this line would be free – South of the line would be slave

The Missouri Compromise said that slavery was illegal north of the 36-30 line, but it said nothing about new territories

Protective Tariff Designed to raise import taxes on goods from foreign countries ….make them more expensive than US goods …so people will buy US “stuff” Benefited- emerging industries in the North Hurt – agricultural South by make them pay more for goods whether from the US or from GB

US Congress passed tariff in 1828 – John C Calhoun wrote “SC Exposition and Compact Theory – States are more powerful Protest” than the Federal Union that was the US Claimed (under Compact Theory) – it was a state’s right to declare a law (such as the 1828 tariff) unconstitutional and “nullify” it through a special state convention John C. Calhoun was the US Vice President This idea threatened the unity of the US and the “exclusive” right of the Supreme Court to decide whether or not an act of Congress was constitutional and was greatly debated across the country!

Theory of Nullification –John C Calhoun (1828) • it was within a state’s right to declare a law unconstitutional and “nullify” it through a special state convention if it did not “benefit” or harmed a state

South Carolinians… Split into States’ Rights Party (Nullifiers) Union Party (Unionists) In 1832, the Nullifiers won control of South Carolina’s General Assembly

Nullification Crisis of 1832 Issue: Event: Nullification Crisis of 1832 Issue: The US government issued another protective tariff to benefit northern manufactured goods. SC called a meeting to nullify, or abolish the tariff. John C. Calhoun (from SC) resigned as Vice President of the US was elected to the Senate was a strong voice against the tariff and for Nullification

Result & Significance: At the convention called to discuss the new tariff, SC decided to nullify the tariff; however, none of the other southern states supported SC Why did this matter? President Andrew Jackson condemned the flouting of federal law AND Urged Congress to pass a “Force Bill”

SC repealed its nullification of the tariff “Force Bill” authorizing the national government to send troops to collect the tariff in SC A compromise ended the crisis Congress lowered the tariff & SC repealed its nullification of the tariff

Because of this, the State’s Rights Theory continued to be debated. South Carolina then… Nullified the “Force Bill” thus asserting a state’s right to declare an act of Congress to be unconstitutional in that state. Force Bill was never put into effect Tariff controversy had been solved Confrontation was avoided Because of this, the State’s Rights Theory continued to be debated.

Allowing California to enter as a free state gave the North a majority in the Senate But…Utah and New Mexico territories were allowed slavery if they chose it. Also … Fugitive Slave Law required escaped slaves be returned to the South

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin written in protest of Fugitive Slave act and evoked sympathy for fugitive slaves. Southerners decried the “misconceptions” about slavery portrayed in the book. www.ccsd.edu/link/LMS/CivilWarDBQ/doc4.htm truckandbarter.com

Results of Kansas-Nebraska Act: Not the way the concept of popular sovereignty was supposed to work!!! In order to affect the vote – Northern abolitionists and Southern slave owners “temporarily” moved into the Kansas Territory. Fighting began anti-slavery supporters proslavery supporters between The fighting led people to call the area “Bleeding Kansas.”

Event: Dred Scott Decision (1857) An attempt by the Supreme Court to end the controversy over the role of free states in determining the status of the enslaved. Issue: Dred Scott ~ a slave whose master had taken him into free territory. With the help of Northern Abolitionists Scott sued his master for his freedom claiming “Once Free, Always Free”

Result & Significance: The Supreme Court ruled: African Americans were not citizens of the US, even if born in the US therefore, they had no right to sue in the Supreme Court In fact, they had no rights at all. Also that Scott (slave) was property the Constitution of the United States protects the owner of property from having that property taken away by the government. The Supreme Court further ruled: Congress could not pass measures such as the Missouri Compromise and Kansas-Nebraska Act limiting the expansion of slavery into territories Such acts are unconstitutional because they deny the slave owner the right to take his property anywhere that he wanted.

Result & Significance CONT: Northerners were angry – claimed: The Supreme Court would deny them the right to outlaw slavery in their states would end the idea of “Popular Sovereignty” limit democracy South Carolinians Applauded the decision Accepted the Supreme Court’s ruling as the final word on the issue.

Debates over the Dred Scott decision took place all over the country. One of the people who became well known in these debates was Abraham Lincoln (Republican) Democratic Party Split Further!

Event: John Brown and Harper’s Ferry Issue: John Brown – abolitionist who believed in the right to do away with slavery, even if violence was required. (had participated in bloody massacre of several pro-slavery people in Kansas – remember “bleeding Kansas”) Attempted to stir up slaves to join in revolt

Oct. 16, 1859 - Brown and his followers captured the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (Arsenal – storehouse of military goods ~ guns & ammunition) Result & Significance: US Army stormed the arsenal Brown and his followers were killed or captured John Brown was later tried and then hanged. The publicity surrounding the trial heightened sectionalism. Stoked fears of southern slave owners that abolitionists and freed slaves would be a danger to their lives as well as their livelihoods.