Ch 10 The Union in Peril

1. Ch 10The Union in Peril Section 4 (A) Notes Slavery and Secession

2. A Personal Voice • “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” • Abraham Lincoln 1858

3. Dred Scott • Scott, a slave, claimed that he had become a free man because he had lived in free territory for several years. • The Supreme Court ruled that slaves did not have the rights of citizens. Therefore, Scott had no claim to freedom. • The court ruled that Congress had no right to forbid slavery.

4. The Lecompton Constitution • In 1857 a pro-slavery proposed that Kansas be admitted to the Union as a slave state. • The anti-slavery majority rejected the proposed constitution. • President Buchanan, who was supported by the South, endorsed the constitution. • Stephen Douglas arranged for another vote and the constitution was rejected.

5. Lincoln/Douglas Debates • Lincoln ran against Douglas in 1958 in the U.S. Senate race. • Douglas was a two term senator from Illinois with a great record and lots of money. • Lincoln was a locally-known lawyer who was a one term congressman.

6. The “Challenge” • To become better known, Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates to he held throughout Illinois. • Douglas was very self-confident and dramatic. • Lincoln was more solemn and used plain, direct language.

7. Douglas’s Position • Douglas favored popular sovereignty. He thought slavery was a backward labor system, but that it was not immoral. He thought that slavery would gradually go away on its own.

8. Lincoln’s Position • Lincoln believed that slavery was an immoral institution that fueled a labor system based on greed. • He believed slavery would continue to grow without legislation to stop its spread into the new territories.

9. The Freeport Doctrine • In response to a question from Lincoln, Douglas said “slavery cannot exist unless it is supported by police regulations.” • This statement showed that if the majority of people wouldn’t enforce slave laws, that the Dred Scott decision could not be carried out.

10. The Outcome • Douglas won the senate seat, but his responses further divided the northern and southern groups of the Democratic party. • Lincoln’s attacks on the morality of slavery had attracted national attention. • Some people started to consider Lincoln as a potential candidate for president in 1860.