Transcript Renewing the Sectional Struggle – Chapter 19.1

AP US – Unit 6
November 29, 2011
Important because of slavery question for the new
territories

Democrats

•
Nominated General Lewis Cass (veteran of
1812)
 Party itself was silent on slavery issue, but
Cass was definitely pro-expansion of slavery
Whigs

•
General Zach Taylor - No real platform “General Taylor never surrenders”
Free Soil Party

•
•
Organized in the North against expansion of
slavery into the territories
Nominated van Buren - Free soil, free speech,
free labor, free men
FreeSoilers
took
enough
votes away
from
Democrats
in NY to
allow
Whigs to
win
election
John A. Sutter
Discovered in 1848 (right after US got CA)
Thousands flocked to CA to make their
fortunes
A few made money on gold, most made
money on “mining the miners”



•
•
•

•
Laundries
Hotels
Prostitution
Skipped process of becoming a territory
and drafted a Constitution to become a state
in 1849.
Constitution said there would be no slavery in
California
49er’s
Provided, territory from that, as an
express and fundamental condition
to the acquisition of any the
Republic of Mexico by the United
States, by virtue of any treaty which
may be negotiated between them,
and to the use by the Executive of the
moneys herein appropriated,
neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude shall ever exist in any part
of said territory, except for crime,
whereof the party shall first be duly
convicted.
Congressman
David Wilmot
(D-PA)
South was doing fine

President Taylor
•

•
•
•
VA born slave owning planter from LA
Majority in cabinet and Supreme Court
Minority in House but equal in Senate
Few people actually expected any attack on
established slavery in the south
But the South was still freaking out

•
New states admitted free (like California)
would upset their balance in the Senate
• Issues in
Texas:
• Texas claimed
territory in
New Mexico
and Colorado
• Texas
threatened to
invade Santa
Fe over this
Underground Railroad was a
method of escape for slaves to
get to the north or Canada.

Harriet Tubman was a famous
conductor on the UR
More slaves actually purchased
their freedom or received it from
their masters than ran away
•
•

Approximately 1000 a year ran away
on the Underground RR
South wanted a tougher Fugitive Slave Act
South was mainly embarrassed
Felt the abolitionists that were helping were “holier than
thou” and violating laws on property

Clay, Calhoun and Webster fought their last fights
•
Clay wanted compromise
•
Calhoun wanted a second president elected (!) – 1
from North, 1 from South – both would have veto
•
Webster said that the climate of the west was
unacceptable for slavery so just let it be


Abolitionists were angry at Webster
New, younger leaders like abolitionist Seward were
less fond of Compromise
•
Said that legislators needed to follow a higher law
than the Constitution – God’s Law, which wanted
slavery abolished




Was leaning towards no Compromise
• Because of “higher law” people
like Seward
Was going to march troops against
Texas if they invaded Santa Fe
• “Jacksonize them”
But he died
Millard Fillmore became president
and liked Compromise
• Signed the series of compromise
measures going through Senate
Southern “fire eaters” were opposed to
Compromise and wanted secession

•
Not enough of them to win and the prosperity from
gold drowned out their ideas
North felt better about compromise - “union
savers” in the north

•
Clay’s 70 some speeches on compromise helped as
did prosperity from gold
All created a short “2nd Era of Good
Feelings”

•
•
Calm after the storm
Talk of secession subsided
Concessions to the
North
California admitted as a
free state
New Mexico got disputed
territory from Texas
Abolition of slave trade in
DC
Concessions to the
South
New Mexico and Utah
would decide on slavery
by Popular Sovereignty
Texas receives $10 million
in compensation from the
federal government
Stricter Fugitive Slave Law

North got the better deal: the
admittance of CA as a free state tipped
the balance in their favor
South got the Fugitive Slave Act which just
made the North really angry

Middle of the road people in the North tipped to
abolition after the FSL because of things like:
•



•
Federal commissioners who handled the cases of a
fugitive slave trial would get $5 if the slave was set
free and $10 if the slave was returned
Slaves on trial could not testify on their own behalf
Those who assisted the slave’s escape were also tried
– heavy fines, jail sentences, and even forced work on
the slave catching gang were possible punishments
States like Massachusetts (in the vein of
nullification) made it an offense for any state official
to enforce the FSL
Why didn’t these problems cause the
war right then?

•
•
Still lots of moderates in the North did not
want to go to war with the South
Delay gave North time to gain moral high
ground and material preparedness
Democrats had a problem agreeing and ran
a “dark-horse candidate” Franklin Pierce

•
Whigs ran Old Fuss and Feathers Winfield
Scott because they relied on running war
heroes

•
•


Little known lawyer-politician from New Hampshire
who had an indistinctive career in the Mexican
American War
No one liked him
Should have run Webster or Filmore
Personality campaign
Pierce won with 254-42 electoral votes
√ Franklin Pierce Gen. Winfield Scott John Parker Hale
Democrat
Whig
Free Soil
1852
Election
Results
Northern and Southern Whigs were
split
End of the disorganized Whig party


•
•
•
No real platform
Had only run military heroes
Had contributed greatly to compromise with
leaders like Henry Clay and Daniel Webster