| Lecture 24: Sectional Crisis and the Outbreak of Civil War | |
| I. From nationalism to sectionalism; the rise of free soil ideology in the North | |
| II. From “free soil” to “union” — hesitation before civil war; hesitation before emancipation | |
| III. Outbreak of civil war — civil liberties at home; diplomatic response abroad | |
| 1840s-1850s | Slavery and Abolitionism — From Background to Foreground |
|---|---|
| 1846 | Wilmot Proviso would banish slavery from new territories, but defeated in Senate (dominated by South) |
| 1848 | first convention of “Free-Soil” party (14% of vote in North) |
| 1850 | compromise over California (free) and New Mexico (slave) |
| 1850 | Fugitive Slave Act; Underground Railroad |
| 1852 | Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin |
| 1854 | Kansas (slave) - Nebraska (free) Act |
| 1856 | free soil, free speech, free men, Fremont |
| 1856 | South Carolina Senator Preston Brooks beats Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner |
| 1850s | Symbols of Sectionalism |
| 1857 | Dred Scott decision — perceived southern conspiracy against North, since southern justices dominated Supreme Court |
| 1859 | Harpers Ferry — perceived northern conspiracy against South, since extremist northern abolitionists stirred armed slave rebellion |
| 1860 | Voting in the Presidential Election |
| for Lincoln | |
| All States (33) | 1,864,735 popular and 180 electoral |
| Free States (18) | 1,838,347 popular and 180 electoral |
| Slave States (15) | 26,388 popular and 0 electoral |
| not for Lincoln (three opposing candidates) | |
| All States (33) | 2,821,157 popular and 123 electoral |
| Free States (18) | 1,572,637 popular and 3 electoral |
| Slave States (15) | 1,248,520 popular and 120 electoral |
| 1860-1861 | Southern Secession |
| December 20, 1860 | South Carolina |
| January 9, 1861 | Mississippi |
| January 10 | Florida |
| January 11 | Alabama |
| January 19 | Georgia |
| January 26 | Louisiana |
| February 1 | Texas |
| February 4 | Confederate convention |
| February 18 | Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of Confederate States |
| April 12, 1861 | Fort Sumter — outbreak of war |
| as of 1861 | Slavery and Secession in South |
| seceding before Fort Sumter South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas 47% of population was slaves; 38% of whites owned slaves | |
| seceding after Fort Sumter Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina 32% of population was slaves; 24% of whites owned slaves | |
| border states who remained in “Union” Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri 14% of population was slaves; 15% of whites owned slaves (West Virginia was created in 1863, as free state) | |
| 1863-1869 | Constitutional Amendments |
| 1863 | Emancipation Proclamation |
| passed 1865 ratified 1865 |
13th Amendment abolished slavery |
| passed 1866 ratified 1868 |
14th Amendment granted citizenship to blacks |
| passed 1869 ratified 1870 |
15th Amendment granted suffrage to black men |
| 1860s-1880s | Final Demise of Unfree Labor |
| Feb. 1861 | Russia emancipated serfs |
| Jan. 1863 | United States emancipated slaves |
| 1880 | Cuba emancipated slaves |
| 1888 | Brazil emancipated slaves |