Transcript The Nation Breaking Apart

Abraham Lincoln
President of the USA
Jefferson Davis
President of the CSA
John Brown
• John Brown was a New Englander who
moved to Kansas in 1855.
• He was a fierce anti-slavery activist
who decided that it was his duty to
punish pro-slavery forces in Kansas.
• In May 1856, he led a small group of
men to eastern Kansas where they
killed five pro-slavery men. This
became known as the Pottawatomie
Creek Massacre.
• Because of his actions at
Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas collapsed
into a state of civil war. 200 people
were killed in the months that
followed and John Brown became a
hunted man.
• Brown fled to New England where he
became frustrated with abolitionists
who spoke of ending slavery
peacefully. “Talk! Talk! Talk! That
will never free the slaves. What is
needed is action-action.”
• In 1858, Brown started to work on a
slave uprising. He wanted to attack a
federal arsenal (military storehouse)
and take the weapons. He planned to
arm the slaves in the area.
• Brown then urged other abolitionists
to donate money so he could recruit
and train a small army.
• After nearly 2 years of preparation,
John Brown’s raid began. He and his
men entered Harpers Ferry, West VA
and took over a federal arsenal.
• After they had the weapons from the
arsenal, Brown sent some of his men
into the countryside to get slaves to
come and join them.
• Brown’s hopes that
the slaves would
join him to fight
failed-none showed
up. They probably
knew they would be
severely punished if
they were caught.
• Instead, a group of
white southerners
attacked Brown-11
men were killed in
this attack-Brown
retreated to safety.
• Federal troops arrived
the next day. Colonel
Robert E. Lee ordered
the troops to storm the
firehouse that Brown
was in. In a matter of
minutes, the troops had
captured Brown.
• Brown was convicted of
murder, treason and
conspiracy and
sentenced to death. He
was hanged in December
1859.
The Drums
of War
Lincoln carried these states
• Differences between the
North and South ripped apart
the Democratic Party.
Southern Democrats insisted
on protection for slavery in
the territories.
• Stephen Douglas would
represent the Northern
Democrats while John C.
Breckinridge would represent
the Southern Democrats. A
fourth party, the
Constitutional Union Party,
chose John Bell.
• With the Democrats divided,
Abraham Lincoln and the
Republican Party knew they
would win. Lincoln won the
election of 1860.
• Southern radicals assumed the new
President would free the slaves and
saw no choice but to secede from
the Union. South Carolina justified
its secession on the basis of
States’ rights (that the Union was
voluntary and therefore when the
U.S. government violated the rights
of the states, they could withdraw
from the Union). Over the next
few weeks, more states seceded.
• In February 1861, the
seceding states formed the
Confederate States of
America. They elected
Jefferson Davis from
Mississippi as their
President and Alexander H.
Stephens from Georgia as
their Vice President.
• Jefferson Davis was a West
Point graduate, served as a
colonel in the Mexican War,
a congressman, and
Secretary of War.
• Davis had opposed
secession as late as 1860,
but felt sates had the
right to secede. His
loyalty to the South
outweighed his hopes for
peace.
• Davis was very intelligent
and hardworking, but he
was also very detailed. He
was not good at delegating
to his staff. He was also
so loyal to his friends that
he often overlooked their
faults. These traits will
cause him problems as the
Civil War continues.