Transcript Slavery Issues, a Prelude to the Civil War

Slavery Issues
Preludes
to the
Civil War
Mr. Foster
CCMS Social Sciences
The
Northwest
Ordinance
(1787)
Organized the Northwest Territory out of the
region south of the Great Lakes, north and west
of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi
River.
•
Townships and Education
 The Northwest
Territory was
divided into
townships.
 Land within the
townships was
sold by the
government to
settlers for a low
price.
Public Education
Ohio University,
founded in 1804.
 Revenue generated
from the sale of a
portion of each
township in the state
would go to fund
public education—
the first instance of
federal aid for
education in
American history.
Slavery
 Banned slavery in the Northwest
Territory.
“Art. 6. There shall be neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude in the said
territory,”
 This had the effect of establishing the
Ohio River as the boundary between
free and slave territory.
The Missouri Compromise,
1820
• Henry Clay promoted the bill, which asked
southern and northern politicians to make
a compromise;
1.Missouri admitted as a slave state and
Maine as a free state.
2.Outlawed, or prohibited, slavery in the
former Louisiana Territory north of the
parallel 36°30' north, except within the
boundaries of the proposed state of
Missouri.
War with Mexico, Land, and
Slavery- Wilmot Proviso
 The 1846 Wilmot
Proviso was a bold
attempt by opponents
of slavery to prevent its
introduction in the
territories purchased
from Mexico following
the Mexican War.
The Wilmot Proviso (1846)
 Named after its sponsor, Democratic
representative DAVID WILMOT of Pennsylvania.
 The Wilmot Proviso split both Whigs and Democrats
along sectional lines and polarized Northerners and
Southerners against each other. It often passed the
House, where Northerners who supported it
outnumbered the Southerners who opposed it, only
to be buried in the Senate, where the two sections
had an equal number of seats.
The Compromise of 1850
 Henry Clay, “The Great Compromiser”
Parts of the Compromise of 1850
 California admitted as a free-state.
 Future states in the New Mexico and Utah
Territories could determine slavery by popular
sovereignty, or majority vote.
 Congress passed a stronger law to help
slaveholders recapture runaway slaves- The
Fugitive Slave Act.
The Fugitive Slave Act
 The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 made any Federal marshal or other
official who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave liable to a fine
of $1,000.
 Law-enforcement officials everywhere now had a duty to arrest
anyone suspected of being a runaway slave.
 The suspected slave could not ask for a jury trial or testify on his or
her own behalf. In addition, any person aiding a runaway slave by
providing food or shelter was subject to six months' imprisonment
and a $1,000 fine.
 Officers who captured a fugitive slave were entitled to a bonus or
promotion for their work.
 Since any suspected slave was not eligible for a trial this led to
many free blacks being taken into slavery as they had no rights in
court and could not defend themselves against accusations.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
 Introduced by Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois,
a northern state.
 Repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which
outlawed slavery in the former Louisiana Territory
north of the 36’ 30” line.
 Allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to
determine if they would allow slavery within their
boundaries, popular sovereignty.
Bleeding
Kansas
Dred Scott – A slave that
sued for his freedom.
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
 United States Supreme Court Decision, led by Chief
Justice Roger B. Taney, that declared that all blacks
-- slaves as well as free -- were not and could never
become citizens of the United States.
 Referring to the language in the Declaration of
Independence that includes the phrase, "all men
are created equal," Taney reasoned that "it is too
clear for dispute, that the enslaved African race
were not intended to be included, and formed no
part of the people who framed and adopted this
declaration..."
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
VS
 A series of seven debates between Abraham
Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas for a
seat in the United States Senate (representing
Illinois).
 The main issue discussed in all seven debates
was slavery.
 Lincoln lost the election but he published his
texts of the speeches in one book, which sold
very well.
 Lincoln’s first speech, “A House Divided”, was
given in Springfield, Illinois.