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Increasing political battles over slavery in mid 1800s | US History | Khan Academy

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On December 20, 1860, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. By February 1861, six more states followed, coming together to form the Confederate States of America.Dilemmas of Compromise, Friday February 1, 1861, tulane.edu

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14. Abraham Lincoln is Elected as President

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14. Abraham Lincoln is Elected as President

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In the 1860 presidential election, the democratic party was weakened by the fact that it had split into northern and southern democrats. This made it easy for Lincoln to win, even though all of his votes came from northern states. His victory scared Southerners, as it was clear that the South had become a minority, with less political power than the North.

Abraham Lincoln Wins the 1860 Election... a 1st report..., rarenewspapers.com

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John Brown, an extreme abolitionist, led his men to seize the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in order to arm slaves for a rebellion. His plan failed and he was sentenced to death for treason, but left white Southerners fearful of the possibility of other slave rebellions.

John Brown's Raid, nps.gov

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While running for Senate, Abraham Lincoln challenged his opponent, Stephen Douglas, to a debate over the issue of slavery. He believed that slavery was a moral issue that couldn't be ended with compromises. Douglas argued that the issue was already settled by the Dred Scott decision. Lincoln lost the election, but did bring to light the moral issues of slavery.

Lincoln Douglas Debates, american-historama.org

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Dred Scott was a slave who had traveled with his owner to Wisconsin, and went to court to argue that he should be free because slavery was banned in Wisconsin by the Missouri Compromise. The court ruled that since he was African American, he couldn't ever be a citizen, and therefore had no right to sue in a federal court. It also declared that his argument wouldn't work because the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional - it took property from slaveholders who wanted to bring slaves into free territories. The decision caused slavery to be allowed in all of the territories.

Dred Scott's Fight for Freedom, pbs.org

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Senator Charles Sumner voiced his anger over the raid in Kansas in his speech, "The Crime Against Kansas," and blamed Douglas for corrupting Kansas with slavery. His accusations offended many Southerners, including Senator Andrew Butler. Butler's nephew, Preston Brooks, attacked Sumner with a cane until it broke in half."The symbol of the North is the pen; the symbol of the South is the bludgeon." - Henry Beecher
Argument of the chivalry, Library of Congress

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Since the Nebraska-Kansas Act made settlers in the new territories able to vote over whether they would allow slavery, many people traveled in support of either slavery or abolition to try and affect the result of the voting. Border ruffians from Missouri raided Lawrence, Kansas, an antislavery city, angering the North.Liberty, the fair maid of Kansas--in the hands of the "border ruffians", Library of Congress

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Senator Stephen Douglas wanted to have a railroad built to California, and knew he had to get the Great Plains organized into territories open to settling to make the job easier. Southerners in Congress agreed to support him if he let the new territories of Nebraska and Kansas be open to slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act, History.com

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The fugitive slave act made it a crime to help escaped slaves in any way. Many Northerners refused to help enforce the act, and even opposed it by harassing slave hunters in large groups. Southerners were angry that it was still very difficult to recapture lost slaves.Posse pursuing a runaway slave, Library of Congress

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Henry Clay devised a compromise that would admit California as a free state while allowing the New Mexico and Utah territories to decide on whether they would allow slavery. It also ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and presented a fugitive slave law to please southern slave owners.  The compromise was meant to please everyone, but instead was harshly debated for several months. Frustrated Southerners began thinking of simply leaving the Union.Henry Clay describes the compromise to the Senate.
The United States Senate, A.D. 1850, Library of Congress

https://youtu.be/09YsW2U-7kw
Increasing political battles over slavery in mid 1800s, Khan Academy

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In 1849, California applied to be added as a free state. Unfortunately, adding California would disrupt the balance of free and slave states, so Congress couldn't decide whether to accept California's request.The U.S. needed to decide how to organize the territory from the Mexican Cession.
The Nation Expands, learner.org

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Pennsylvania representative David Wilmot proposed that slavery in the territory won from the Mexican-American War should prohibit slavery. Known as the Wilmot Proviso, Wilmot's idea was rejected.The Wilmot Proviso was unable to be voted in due to the perfect balance of free and slave states.
Congressional Scales. A True Balance, Library of Congress

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Many slaves tried to escape to the North to gain freedom, and were often helped by Northerners. Slaveholders demanded a fugitive slave law that would help them hunt and recapture slaves in the North. No such law was added yet.Runaway Slave, Library of Congress

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The Missouri Compromise could only keep the balance for so long, and the Second Great Awakening in the 1820s to 1830s caused many Americans to petition for abolition.  Congress voted on a "gag rule," which tabled antislavery petitions and prevented debate over slavery within Congress.A satirical comic on Congress' "gag rule."
Abolition Frowned Down, Library of Congress

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Missouri was added as a slave state and Maine was added as a free state to keep the balance of slave and free states. Also, a line was drawn at latitude 36°30', and north of the line would be free and south of the line would be slaveholding.

Missouri Compromise, History.com