1. The Causes and Course of the Civil War
APUSH

2. 1a. What did the USA look like in the antebellum period?

3. North (Northeast and Northwest)
More industrial
250,000 blacks (all free, but not equal)
Northwest
More agricultural
Tied to Northeast through Indian wars and transport
Immigrants in both areas
Irish (2 million)
Germans (1 million)
Nativism developed

4. The South Agricultural economy based on COTTON
Few large cities (only New Orleans)
4 million slaves
White society was hierarchical
Few plantation owners (more than 100 slaves)
Some small farmers (less than 100 slaves, usually less than 20)
Poor whites (yeomen farmers) 75% of the population

5. 1b. What caused the Civil War?

6. Sectionalism…
refers to the growing division between the North and the South from the founding of the nation until the Civil War

7. 2. What caused the sectionalism that eventually led to the Civil War?

8. Slavery…

9. 3. Where did the issue of slavery divide the North and South in the 1840s and 1850s?

10. the admittance of new territories into the Union
the enforcement of slave laws
Literature
extremist movements
politics

11. 4. Who sparked the crisis that led to the Compromise of 1850?

12. California… Wrote a state constitution that banned slavery in 1849
President Taylor supports it and the addition of New Mexico as free states
Radical southerners (fire-eaters) talk about secession

13. 5. What were the 3 positions on slavery with regards to its spread into the newly acquired territories?

14. #1. Free Soil Movement Northern-Democrats and Whigs
All blacks – free and slave – should be excluded from the Mexican Cession
Did NOT want the end of slavery – just none in the west so whites would not have to compete with them for jobs

15. #2. Southern Position
Moderate: favored Missouri Compromise line and extension of slavery south of it
Radical: slaves were property, should be allowed to be taken anywhere

16. #3. Popular Sovereignty
Lewis Cass (Democrat from Michigan): let the people who settled a territory decide by voting

17. 6. What compromise was proposed to end the dispute over California as a free state?

18. Compromise of 1850 Proposed by Henry Clay 5 points…
California admitted as a free state
Divide remainder of Mexican Cession into Utah and New Mexico and allow popular sovereignty
Disputed territory between Texas and New Mexico goes to New Mexico and federal government will pay $10 million of Texas debt
Ban the slave TRADE in Washington, DC
Adopt the Fugitive Slave Law
The blunder of the Fugitive Slave Law…
Some say northerners might have left slavery alone if they didn’t have a daily reminder of it
The law provided a rallying point for abolitionists
Popular opinion and personal liberty laws made it unenforceable

19. There was wide opposition in both the North and the South; the Compromise of 1850 did little to settle the escalating dispute over slavery

20. 7. Who supported, and who opposed, the Compromise of 1850?

21. Supported the Compromise of 1850
Daniel Webster (Massachusetts)
Stephen Douglas (Illinois)
Millard Fillmore
Became President upon Taylor’s death in 1850
Signed Compromise into law

22. Opposed the Compromise of 1850
John C. Calhoun
Wanted slavery in the territories
William Seward (New York)
Wanted no compromise and no slavery in territories

23. Check Point: Get Your Clickers Ready

25. further expansion of slavery might break up the union
The Free Soil party of 1848 harbored many northerners who stood squarely against slavery in the territories primarily on the grounds that
further expansion of slavery might break up the union
it destroyed the chances of free white workers to rise up form wage-earning dependence
slavery was a moral evil contrary to American principles
slave labor would be unproductive in the West
the southern fire-eaters were already planning further expansion into Central America
Correct Answer B

26. the most popular national leaders
According to the principle of popular sovereignty, the question of slavery in the territories would be determined by
the most popular national leaders
a national referendum by the Electoral College
congressional legislation
a Supreme Court decision
the people in any given territory
Correct Answer E

27. passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
The event that threatened to destroy the longstanding equality of free slave states in the United States Senate was the
passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
potential admission of Oregon as a free state
attempt to acquire Cuba as a slave state
proposed building of a southern transcontinental RR
discovery of gold in California
Correct Answer E

28. protected by federal law to be decided by popular sovereignty
In the Compromise of 1850, Congress determined that slavery in the New Mexico and Utah territories was
to be banned
protected by federal law
to be decided by popular sovereignty
to be ignored until either territory applied for admission to statehood
to be decided by the Supreme Court
Correct Answer C

29. The Southern economy before the Civil War increasingly
diversified, with more industry and more mechanized agriculture
produced more cotton and other crops but did not develop much industry
depended on immigrant labor
produced tobacco and sugar rather than cotton
depended on the North for raw materials
Correct Answer B

30. slavery in the District of Columbia
The most alarming aspect of the Compromise of 1850 to northerners was the decision concerning
slavery in the District of Columbia
slavery in the New Mexico and Utah territories
the new Fugitive Slave Law
settlement of the Texas-New Mexico boundary dispute
continuation of the interstate slave trade
Correct Answer C

31. measure’s endorsement of popular sovereignty
The most controversial and divisive component of the Compromise of 1850 was the
measure’s endorsement of popular sovereignty
admittance of Missouri as a slave state
passage of a tougher national fugitive slave act
admittance of Texas as a slave state
legislation permitted the surveying of a southern transcontinental railway line
Correct Answer C

32. most white families owned slaves
Support for slavery in the Southern states was based on all of the following reasons EXCEPT
most white families owned slaves
slaveholders believed that slaves were inferior and required white guardianship
slavery was condoned in the Bible
white plantation owners feared abolition would destroy the South’s economy
poor white farmers feared the economic competition of four million freed persons
Correct Answer A

33. they were active supporters of complete abolition
Which of the following best describes the position on slavery of most northerners during the sectional crises of the 1850s?
they were willing to accept slavery where it existed but opposed further expansion to the territories
they were active supporters of complete abolition
they favored continued importation of slaves from Africa
they advocated expansion of the slave system to provide cheap labor for northern factories
they advocated complete social and political equality for all races in the United States
Correct Answer A

34. The first attempt to apply the doctrine of popular sovereignty in determining the status of slavery occurred in
Texas
California
Kansas
Missouri
Oregon
Correct Answer C

35. 8. Besides California and the Mexican Cession, what other disputes erupted over slavery in the territories?

36. Kansas-Nebraska Act
Stephen Douglas (Illinois) proposes building railroad from Chicago to west across Nebraska territory
Needs southern approval in Senate, so…
Proposed Nebraska be divided into Kansas and Nebraska
Popular sovereignty be applied in each territory
Passed in 1854; President Pierce signs it
The Missouri Compromise was voided
The hope was that Nebraska would become free and Kansas would be a slave state

38. 9. Why did northerners hate the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

39. Northerners HATE the Kansas-Nebraska Act
It essentially nullified the Missouri Compromise Line of 1820
Allowed southerners to expand slavery north of 36 degrees, 30 minutes

40. 10. What slave law enhanced sectionalism the most?

41. Fugitive Slave Law Part of the Compromise of 1850
Persuaded southerners to allow California as a free state
Stated escaped slaves who made it to the North would be captured and returned to owners in the South
Denied trial to any black who was captured in the North and said he was a free black
The law was NOT enforced well in the North

42. 11. What system did some abolitionists develop to aid runaway slaves?

43. Underground Railroad
Aided runaway slaves getting to the North and Canada
Run primarily by free blacks
Harriet Tubman: escaped slave who helped in the Underground Railroad (she was a conductor)

45. The Monkey Wrench pattern, on the left, alerted escapees to gather up tools and prepare to flee; the Drunkard Path design, on the right, warned escapees not to follow a straight line

46. 12. How did the Supreme Court increase sectionalism in the 1850s?

47. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the South
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri
Scott was taken to Wisconsin (free) territory for two years
Scott sued for freedom – he said his 2 years on free soil made him a free man
Majority (led by Chief Justice Roger Taney) ruled against Scott
Scott couldn’t sue; Constitution said blacks were not citizens
Slaves were property, and the government could not deprive any person of property without due process of law (going to Wisconsin was not due process)
Missouri Compromise line was unconstitutional (because it deprived people of property – slaves – if they went there)
March 6, 1857: two days after President Buchanan’s inauguration he asked the public to abide by the decision (he already knew the decision)

48. Dred Scott

49. 13. What anti-slavery books increased the feeling of sectionalism in the 1850s?

50. Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852 Appealed to whites’ emotions
Harriet Beecher Stowe (author)
Used stereotypes
All slave owners horribly cruel (Simon Legree)
Black slaves as willing to please white slave owner (Tom – hence modern term “Uncle Tom”)
Light-skinned mulatto as sex object
Harriet Beecher Stowe: northern writer who moved a generation of northerners as well as many Europeans to regard all slave owners as evil and inhumane
Uncle Tom’s Cabin heightened northern support for abolition and it escalated the sectional conflict

52. Impending Crisis in the South
1857
Appealed to whites’ self interest
Hinton Helper (author)
Attacked slavery from economic standpoint
Said slavery impeded industrialization and development of the South

54. 14. What pro-slavery books increased the feeling of sectionalism in the 1850s?

55. Cannibals All!!! 1857 George Fitzhugh (author)
Slavery was good for blacks and protected them from being “wage slaves” like whites were in northern factories
Slave owners were paternalistic

57. 15. How did extremism express itself in Kansas (Bleeding Kansas)?
1854

58. Bleeding Kansas
In the violence between anti-slavery forces and pro- slavery forces (who fought for control before the vote on slavery)
Pro-slavery forces: minority
Slaveholders from neighboring Missouri
Called “Border Ruffians”
Attacked “Free Soil” town of Lawrence in 1856 (killing 2)
Anti-slavery forces: majority
Free-soil Kansas farmers
New England Emigrant Aid Company (paid for transport of anti- slavery settlers to Kansas)
Attacked Pottawatomie Creek (response to Lawrence) led by John Brown (killing 5)
Congress failed to see the depth of feeling about the issue of slavery
There was a failure to realize how intensely moral the issue of slavery had become
New England Emigrant Aid Company – by 1855 there were 1200 New England families that had moved to Kansas

61. 16. Besides the constant violence, what heightened the tension between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces?

62. Constitutional Controversy
5,000 pro-slavery people from Missouri voted illegally in state legislature elections to tip election for pro-slavery group
Wrote the Lecompton Constitution: legalized slavery or death for anyone who aided escaped slave
President Pierce (Democrat) and Senate recognized
Free-soilers elected own legislature because they considered the existing one “bogus”
Wrote Constitution of Topeka: slavery illegal
House of Representatives (Republican) recognized

63. 17. What prolonged the Lecompton controversy?

64. Lecompton Controversy
President Buchanan promised Kansans that its constitution would be submitted to them for approval (referendum)
But Kansas was really dominated by anti-slavery settlers
Unacceptable Solution: the convention allowed voters to choose between 1 of 2 constitutions
One with slavery
One with “no slavery” but that protected slave owners’ right to property and that did nothing to prevent/punish smuggling of slaves from Missouri

65. 18. How did the constitutional controversy in Kansas end?

66. Boycott of Referendum
Anti-slavery forces boycotted referendum, so “with slavery” constitution won…
BUT: anti-slavery forces soon gained control of Kansas legislature
In second referendum, voters chose NEITHER constitution
Kansas now had 2 Constitutions that had passed by referendum
Which did US Congress recognize in Kansas’ application for statehood?
Congress resubmitted Lecompton Constitution to voters of Kansas, who voted it down
Thus, Kansas did NOT become a state (not until 1861 – as a free state)

67. 19. What was “caning of Senator Sumner?”

68. Charles Sumner (R- Mass) Preston Brooks (D- South Carolina) 1856
Charles Sumner makes a speech to the Senate called “The Crime Against Kansas”
1. attacks pro-slavery forces as the “drunken spew and vomit of an
uneasy civilization
2. attacks Andrew Butler and Stephen Douglas
3. Douglas shrugs this off – “that damned fool will get himself killed
by some other damned fool”
4. Preston Brooks saw it as a matter of southern honor – he chose
caning rather than a duel
5. Brooks attacks Sumner as he sits at his desk on the Senate floor
6. Sumner badly injured and unable to return to the Senate until 1859
7. Brooks “I gave him about thirty first rate stripes. Toward the last
he bellowed like a calf. I wore my cane completely out
8. Brooks becomes a hero in the South – has canes sent to him, he’s
even reelected even after he was expelled from the House
9. Sumner seen as a martyr for the North
10. This battle demonstrates the emotional nature of slavery
Charles Sumner
(R- Mass)
Preston Brooks
(D- South Carolina)

69. Charles Sumner vs. Preston Brooks
1856: Charles Sumner (MA) attacks Democrats and Senator Andrew Butler (SC) in speech in the Senate
Preston Brooks (Congressman, SC; Butler’s nephew) canes Sumner on Senate floor
Hose CENSURERS Brooks; North outraged
Southerners sent Brooks new canes to replace the one he broke on Sumner’s head

70. 20. What happened at Harper’s Ferry (Virginia) in 1859?

71. Harper’s Ferry
John Brown (again) raided the federal arsenal, tried to arm the slaves, and start slave revolt
Robert E. Lee captures him; hanged
Moderate Northerners condemn his fanaticism
Southerners were terrified and said these were true Northern intentions
Abolitionists called him a martyr
Significance:
1. South views this as an aggressive northern conspiracy rather than
an isolated event
2. abolitionists view Brown as a martyr

74. 21. How did slavery impact the election of 1848?

75. Election of 1848 Democrats: Lewis Cass (popular sovereignty)
Whigs: Zachary Taylor (ignored it)
Free Soil Party: Martin van Buren (no expansion)
“conscience” Whigs and anti-slavery Democrats (opposed)

77. 22. How did slavery impact the election of 1852?

78. Election of 1852
Because the Whig Party chose to ignore the issue of slavery, it started to rapidly decline
Whigs: Winfield Scott (ignored it)
Democrats: Franklin Pierce (contain it in South, but enforce the Fugitive Slave Law)
The demise of the Whig Party…
1. Northern Whigs liked the candidate but not the platform
2. Southern Whigs liked the platform but distrusted the candidate

80. 23. What eventually killed the Whig Party for good?

81. Creation of the “Know-Nothing” Party
Formed by “nativists” (old Protestants who hated immigrant Germans and Irish who competed for jobs in large northern cities)
When asked about politics, members said “I Know Nothing”
Took votes from Whigs in the North

82. Creation of the Republican Party
Ripon, Wisconsin (1854)
Direct reaction to Kansas-Nebraska Act (because it threatened to spread slavery north of the Missouri Compromise Line in Kansas)
Free Soilers, anti-slavery Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, some radical abolitionists
Immediately emerged as a second major party rather than a third party

83. 24. How did most people in the Republican Party feel about slavery?

84. Republican Party Reaction to Slavery
MOST were NOT abolitionists
Wanted slavery confined to South, but said it was unconstitutional to kill slavery
MOST believed in FREE LABOR IDEOLOGY
Slaves worked inefficiently because they were forced to work (no motivation)
No upward mobility meant no reason to work hard
Free laborers worked efficiently because they were motivated to work by desire for profit and economic gain
Promise of upward mobility meant people would work hard

85. 25. What was the significance of the election of 1856?

86. Election of 1856
It showed that the Republican Party was a force to be reckoned with even though it lost and it was a sectional party (only North)
James Buchanan (Democrat)
John C. Fremont (Republican)
Millard Fillmore (American)
Republicans make an impressive showing for a two year old party

88. Check Point: Get Your Clickers Ready

89. In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision that
slavery was inconsistent with the constitution and must be abolished
protection of slavery was guaranteed in all the territories of the West
slavery would be constitutional only in those areas that were already slave territories
abolition of slavery would be done only in those areas in which it is already abolished
slavery was constitutional, but the slave trade was unconstitutional
Correct Answer B

90. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
intended to show the cruelty of slavery
was prompted by passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
comprised the recollections of a long-time personal witness to the evils of slavery
received little notice at the time it was published but became widely read during the Civil War
portrayed blacks as militant resisters to slavery
Correct Answer A

91. Hinton R. Helper’s book, The Impending Crisis of the South, argued that those who suffered most from slave labor were
African Americans
southern planters
northern Republican abolitionists
western farmers
non-slaveholding southern whites

92. the federal government should abolish slavery
The Republican Party of the 1850s took which of the following positions on slavery?
residents of territories could decide on the basis of popular sovereignty whether to have slavery
slavery could remain where it existed but should not be extended into territories or new states
the federal government should abolish slavery
the federal government should purchase slaves from their masters and relocate them to the west coast of Africa
slavery was a state issue, and the federal government should play no role in its regulation
Correct Answer B

93. enforcement of a new fugitive slave law
All of the following contributed to Northern fear of a slave power conspiracy in the 1840s and 1850s EXCEPT the
enforcement of a new fugitive slave law
decision of the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case
imposition of a gag rule in the House of Representatives
proposal of the Ostend Manifesto
passage of the Wilmot Proviso
Correct Answer E

94. The clash between Preston S. Brooks and Charles Sumner revealed
the seriousness of political divisions in the North
the importance of honor to northerners
despite divisions over slavery, the House of Representatives would unite to expel a member for bad conduct
passions over slavery were becoming dangerously inflamed in both North and South
the division between the House and the Senate over slavery
Correct Answer D

95. The real significance of the election of 1856 was that it
showed that the Democrats still remained the majority party in the country
demonstrated the importance of charismatic leadership in the presidency
foreshadowed an ominous sectional clash over slavery in the election of 1860
marked the end of Senator Stephen Douglas’s presidential hopes
signaled the demise of the Know-Nothing party
Correct Answer C

96. In his raid on Harpers Ferry, John Brown intended to
call upon the slaves to rise and established a black free state
arouse the South to secede from the Union
stir West Virginia to break away from Virginia as a free state
demonstrate that blacks could fight for their freedom
seize weapons to start a guerrilla war against the federal government
Correct Answer A

97. After John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, the South concluded that
the raid was an isolated incident
the US army could not protect slavery
Brown should be put in an insane asylum
Brown had been attempting to defend his right to own slaves
the North was dominated by “Brown-loving” Republicans
Correct Answer E

98. 26. What event triggered the secession of the South?

99. The Election of Abraham Lincoln
Possible because of division within the Democratic Party
Stephen Douglas: popular sovereignty and enforce Fugitive Slave Act
John C. Breckinridge: extension of slavery into territories and annexation of Cuba
Abraham Lincoln: wanted to preserve the Union
With Democrats split, Lincoln carried the North and won
Election outcome…
- Lincoln 1.8 million (40%) 180 electoral votes
- Douglas 1.3 million (29%) 12 electoral votes
- Breckenridge 800,000 (18%) 72 electoral votes
- Bell 600,000 (13%) 39 electoral votes

101. 27. Between Lincoln’s election and his inauguration, 7 states seceded from the Union, who was the FIRST?

102. South Carolina

103. Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861