Political Realignment Deepens the Crisis

1. Chapter 6, Section 3 Political Realignment Deepens the Crisis

2. The Shifting Political Scene • In the 1840s, the support of political parties tended to reflect regional tensions—and slavery was at the center of these tensions. • Millard Fillmore put a distance between himself and Southerners when he supported the entry of California as a free state. • Fillmore angered Northerners by supporting the Fugitive Slave Act and popular sovereignty. • Fillmore was the last Whigpresident. • The unity of the party died with the two great leaders— Henry Clayand Daniel Webster.

3. The Shifting Political Scene • Growing immigrant population of the 1840s led to a growth in Catholicism. • The native-born individuals worried about this change were called nativists. • The concerns over how this new group would affect society would yield an anti-immigrant movement, leading to a new political party known as the Know-Nothings. • They became the American Party in 1855, and soon also divided over the slavery issue.

4. The Shifting Political Scene • In 1854, the Republican Partygrew with opposition to slavery as the center of their philosophy. • The party grew in the North by attracting members of other political parties. • By 1856, it had grown so much that it could challenge older, established parties.

5. Sectional Divisions Intensify • The Republicans nominated Mexican War hero John C. Frémont. • The Democrats nominated James Buchanan. • The Know-Nothings nominated former president Millard Fillmore. • James Buchanan won the election, but the Republican Party made a strong showing by winning one-thirdof the popular vote.

6. Sectional Divisions Intensify • US Supreme Court ruled on the court case Dred Scott v. Sandford. • Summary of the case: • Scott had been taken to the free state of Illinois by his slave master. • Since he had lived in free lands, he himself was free. • The Supreme Court ruled that since slaves were property, Scot could not sue for his rights. • Missouri Compromise is illegal can’t deprive slave masters of their property.

7. Sectional Divisions Intensify • The ruling was made by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. • After the ruling, Southerners were encouraged and Northerners were angered. • Frederick Douglass saw this decision as a blessing because he felt it would bring an end to slavery quicker. Why? It would hasten the decision over whether or not to allow slavery.

8. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates • Abraham Lincoln was brought up in poverty and self-taught. He began to practice lawin 1836, and grew a reputation of integrity and directness. • He was opposedto slavery but chose a middle course politically. • He opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and that put him at odds with Illinois politician Stephen A. Douglas. • These two men were opposites in other ways besides politically—physical stature, amount of integrity, etc.

9. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates • Douglas was sympathetic to slavery, possibly because his wife had inherited slaves. • He wanted to win the support of Northern and Southern Democrats, but neither fully supported him. • Lincoln stood strong on his stance against slavery. While he did not believe that slaves should have full equality, he believed in the idea of natural rights. • Though Douglas won the election, Lincoln had definitely cultivated a reputation for himself that would last much longer in his political career.

10. John Brown’s Raid • John Brown, unlike Lincoln and Douglas, believed slavery should be solved through violence. • He began planning an attack and recruited across the North, Midwest and West. • John Brown was againstslavery.

11. John Brown’s Raid • Led 21 men to the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. • His goal was to recruit local slaves once they arrived. • Why did he choose Harper’s Ferry? Location– many trains and canals nearby; good recruitment location. • The effort failed. Brown and his men were outnumbered by local residents and federal troops.

12. John Brown’s Riad • Reactions to John Brown’s raid increased tensions across the North and South. • Some supported John Brown’s actions, others condemned them. • On the morning of his execution, John Brown declared that “slavery… [would not] be purged away…. without very much bloodshed.”