The Antebellum Period

The Antebellum PeriodThe Antebellum Period

HUSH

Unit 5

The Causes of the Civil War• Some say simplistically that the Civil War was

fought over slavery. – Unfortunately, there is no "simple" reason.

• The causes of the war were a complex series of events, including slavery, that began long before the first shot was fired.

• These factors could all be listed as significant contributing factors in America's bloodiest conflict. – Competing sectionalism– Political turmoil– The definition of freedom– The fate of slavery – The structures of society and economy

Two Regions, Two Ways of Life• By 1860, the North and the South had developed into

two very different regions. • Divergent social, economic, and political points of

view, dating from colonial times, gradually drove the two sections farther and farther apart. – Each tried to impose its point of view on the country

as a whole.• Although compromises had kept the Union together for

many years, in 1860 the situation was explosive. – MO Compromise, Compromise of 1850…

• The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 as president was viewed by the South as a threat to slavery and ignited the war.

Know the Regional Differences:

North• Economy• Urban…explain• Population• Climate• Attitudes towards slavery• Opinion of tariffs• Opinion of other region• Other…

South• Economy• Rural…explain• Population• Climate• Attitudes towards slavery• Opinion of tariffs• Opinion of other region• Other…

Why did Differences Grow??

• During the 19th century the South remained almost completely agricultural, with an economy and a social order largely founded on slavery and the plantation system.

– These mutually dependent institutions produced the staples, especially cotton, from which the South derived its wealth.

Why did Differences Grow??

• The North had its own great agricultural resources, was always more advanced commercially, and was also expanding industrially.

The Institution of Slavery

• Most Southern Whites owned NO slaves

• Most slaves lived on plantations with a hundred or more slaves

• So, who controlled slavery and antebellum Southern society?

• Slavery did not benefit most whites, yet most Southern whites supported the institution. Why?

Examining Primary Documents• The Old Plantation -ca. 1800 • What does this painting tell us about slave life?• What does it obscure?

The Social Structure of Whites in the Antebellum South

Large Planters (100+ Slaves)

Small Planters (20-100 Slaves)

Small Yeoman Farmers (Largest White Group)

Mountain Whites (Mostly Isolated from Plantation Society

Poor Whites (Often Tenants or Day Laborers)

Large Planters

• Best education• Political and social

leaders• Employ overseers to

run plantations• Smallest group• Emphasize chivalry,

honor, and hospitality

Small Planters

• Many more than large planters, but still a relatively small social group

• Some political power

• Generally do not employ overseers

• Aspire to rise to the class of large planters, but the expense of slaves generally prevents this

Yeoman Farmers

• Some own a few slaves

• Raise a variety of crops

• Largest white group• Could vote/hold office• Strong supporters of

slavery• Aspire to rise to

planter class

Mountain Whites

• Live isolated in Appalachian Mtns.

• Self-sufficient farmers• Nationalists who

oppose the power of the planters and the slavery system

• Most fight for the Union in the Civil War

Poor Whites

• Rarely own land• Work as tenants or day

laborers• Looked down on by most

other whites• Tend to refuse “slave”

work• Health problems and

malnutrition common• Strong supporters of

slavery

Conditions of Slavery

• About 4 million slaves in the antebellum South at slavery’s peak

• Most live in separate slave quarters on plantations

• Maintain families, religion, and traditions despite slavery

• Labor systems: gang and task system

• Have no legal rights

House Servants

Slave Drivers (made other slaves work)

Skilled Craftsmen (Some worked in cities)

Field Hands (Largest Group)

The Social Structure of Blacks in the Antebellum South

The Slave Trade

• The Middle Passage was a devastating and dangerous experience

• Slaves were packed tightly into ships. Many died of disease.

• The U.S. ended the international slave trade in 1808, though illegal smuggling did continue

Southern Defense of Slavery

• Early on, slavery was generally viewed by white Southerners as a necessary evil, but as it came under increasing attacks nationally, Southerners began to defend the “peculiar institution” as a positive good in society

• Defenders include Thomas Dew, George McDuffy, John C. Calhoun, and William J. Grayson

Separation of Families

Slave Quarters

Physical Torture

• The use of physical punishment was common, though generally not as brutal as in the Caribbean

• One slave might be singled out for punishment to serve as an object lesson to others

• Women faced the added threat of rape by masters

Slave Resistance to Abuse

• Working slowly

• Sabotaging tools and machinery

• Feigning illness

• Running away for brief periods or permanently

• Self-mutilation

• Suicide and infanticide

Slave Rebellion• Slave revolts were uncommon in the United

States, though whites feared them greatly• The lack of a population majority as well as

the lack of a place to go in case of successful rebellion tended to lessen the tendency toward rebellion

• Slave codes became much more restrictive in the South whenever a rebellion occurred, especially after the successful revolt on San Domingue (Haiti) led by Toussaint L’Overture

Reward Poster

Free Blacks Always Faced the Danger of Being Returned to Slavery

Gabriel’s Rebellion-1800 Virginia

• Gabriel Prosser planned an assault on the Richmond armory to arm themselves and destroy slavery in Virginia

• After the Revolution many slaves had greater freedom of movement, especially those like Gabriel who worked on the water

• Gabriel’s plan was given away by a fellow slave before the revolt could take place, and Gabriel and the other leaders of the plot were executed

Denmark Vesey-1822

• Born in Africa, he purchased his freedom after winning $1500 in a lottery

• He organized about 9000 others in the black community to revolt in Charleston, SC

• The plot was given away before it could go forward and Vesey and over 40 others (including 4 whites) were hanged

Nat Turner-1831• A preacher among the slave

population of Southampton, Virginia

• Had a series of visions of two armies clashing in the sky and took this as a sign that he should lead a rebellion to destroy slavery

• Led his followers in a surprise attack on slaveholding families, beginning with his own masters

• Over 60 whites were killed in the insurrection, most of them hacked to death with machetes

• After spending several months hiding in the Dismal Swamp, Turner and his followers were captured, tried, and executed

Fear of Slave Revolts Greatly Increases and Slave Codes are Made More Restrictive in

the Wake of the “Massacre”

“The Confessions of Nat Turner”

Uncle Tom’s CabinUncle Tom’s Cabin• Harriet Beecher Stowe’sHarriet Beecher Stowe’s

bestsellerbestseller– Best seller in 1850’s Best seller in 1850’s

(Most sales after the (Most sales after the Bible) Bible)

– Northerner bought it in droves

– Southerners burned it and banned it

• Storyline:– Eliza Harris, a slave,

escapes when her child is to be sold

• The kindly Uncle Tom is sold and is killed by his brutal master, Simon Legree

Arguments Used in Defense of Slavery

• The master/servant relationship is familial, like a parent/child relationship (patriarchal system)

• The Bible accepts slavery• Slavery existed in the great historical civilizations

like Greece and Rome• Slavery is God’s will because slaves are suited

to their condition• Slaves are happy• The system of slavery allows young, old, and

sick slaves to be cared for

Major Arguments Used Against Slavery

• Slavery is in opposition to the founding ideals of the United States: democracy, equality, liberty

• The Declaration of Independence says “All men are created equal.”

• Slavery is a violation of basic human rights• Slavery is immoral• Slavery allows for the commission of horrendous

physical abuse• The Bible abhors slavery (esp. New Testament)

John Brown’s RaidJohn Brown’s Raid• 1859, John Brown and

his men attacked the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (Today West Virginia)

• Wanted to lead an rebellion and slave uprising

• Colonel Robert E. Lee leads troops; Brown is captured and executed for treason.

Senate ViolenceSenate Violence• Senator Charles

Sumner, a Republican, attacked Southerners for slavery

• Preston Brooks beat him with his cane

• Sumner lived but never recovered

• The event added to the growing hatred between the two regions

The Road to Succession

• Controversial Legislation• The Birth of new Political

Parties• Supreme Court cases • The Election of 1860

– Lincoln

• Armed resistance• Succession by South

Carolina

Election of 1848Election of 1848

• Democrats: Lewis Cass

• Whigs: Zachary Taylor (hero of Mexican War)

• Free Soil Party took votes away from Cass to give Taylor the victory

• Taylor dies in 1850; Millard Fillmore takes office

Compromise of 1850Compromise of 18501. Admit CA as free state

2. Territories of New Mexico and Utah decide for themselves

3. Abolish sale of slaves in Washington, D.C.

4. Slavery remained legal in Washington, D.C.

5. Fugitive Slave Act: all citizens must assist in the return of runaway slaves to owners; no jury trial for slaves

Major Players in CongressMajor Players in Congress

• Henry Clay proposes the compromise

• Daniel Webster supported it

• John C. Calhoun opposed it

Kansas-Nebraska ActKansas-Nebraska Act• Stephen Douglas of Illinois

wanted to run for President

• Act supported popular sovereignty for area

• Passed but made North angry

Violence BeginsViolence Begins• Free Soilers

– 1,200 New Englanders sent to Kansas to fight against slavery

• Proslavery settlers opposed them

• 1856, open violence

Two Capital CitiesTwo Capital Cities

• The Free Soil capital was in Topeka, Kansas

• Proslavery capital was in Lecompton, Kansas

Lecompton ConstitutionLecompton Constitution• A proslavery

constitution for Kansas

• President Buchanan accepted it, but Congress returned it.

• Defeated by Kansas people

SECTION I.

The right of property is before and higher than any constitutional sanction, and the right of the owner of a slave to such slave and its increase is the same, and as inviolable as the right of the owner of any property whatever.

““Bleeding Kansas”Bleeding Kansas”• John Brown

– Following a raid in Lawrence by a proslavery group, he and his followers killed five proslavery men

• Summer of murder and raids

Two New Political Parties Two New Political Parties

in 1850’sin 1850’s – Republicans

• Opposed to slavery• Ran John Fremont for

president in 1856

– Know-Nothings • (against Immigrants

Irish Catholics)• wanted native

Americans to have best treatment

Republican PartyRepublican Party• Comprised of

antislavery Democrats, Whigs, and Free Soilers from North

• Small business owners, craftworkers, farmers, professionals

• Dedicated to stopping “Slave Power”

• Demanded repeal of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and Fugitive Slave Act

Election of 1852Election of 1852• The Whig party loses

voters• Election of 1852:

Franklin Pierce, a Democrat, defeats General Winfield Scott, a Whig

• The American or Know-Nothing Party: a nativist group against immigrants split the vote

Election of 1856Election of 1856• Democrats

nominated James Buchanan

• Republicans nominated John C. Fremont

• Know-Nothings chose Millard Fillmore

BuchananBuchanan• Buchanan wins the election

• He hoped that the Supreme Court would use its power to resolve the slavery issue.

• Next decision angers the North even more

Dred Scott v. Sandford Dred Scott v. Sandford 1857

• Scott sued his owner and said that he and his wife were taken to states and territories where slavery was illegal and should be free

• The Court ruled 7 to 2 against Scott– Said slaves are not citizens and

cannot sue in court– Scott was not free due to being in

free area

• The Missouri Compromise was also declared unconstitutional

Border StatesBorder States• Delaware

• Maryland

• Kentucky

• Missouri

Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln• Studied law and

worked at various jobs

• Served in the Congress in the 1840s

• Believed that the majority could not deny the minority their rights

• Foresaw confrontation

Stephen DouglasStephen Douglas• Believed that the

majority of people could do anything they wished, even make slavery legal

• Gets gets national attention

Lincoln-Douglas Lincoln-Douglas DebatesDebates

• The two men campaign for a Senate seat in Illinois

• They hold a series of seven debates on the issue of slavery in the territories.

• Douglas wins election but Lincoln becomes important Republican politician

The Election of 1860The Election of 1860In April 1860, Democratic Party

split into North and South factions

In Border States, the Constitutional Union party forms from Whigs and American party (Know Nothing)

Candidates in1860 Candidates in1860 • Southern Democrats: John C.

Breckinrigde

• Northern Democrats: Stephen Douglas, Illinois

• Constitutional Union party: John Bell, Tennessee

• Republican party: Abraham Lincoln, Illinois

And the winner was…• Lincoln wins with 39% of the vote and

180 electoral votes– A sectional victory– Hadn’t even been on southern ballots!!

Lincoln’s First

Inauguration

Timeline of SecessionTimeline of Secession

South Carolina seceded December 20, 1860 after Lincoln’s election

• Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina secede soon after

In February 1861, the states created the Confederacy and elected Jefferson Davis as President

The Civil War BeginsThe Civil War BeginsLincoln takes

office on March 4, 1861

Vows to enforce the laws of the U.S. and to preserve, protect, and defend the Union

Fort SumterFort SumterFederal fort located

in Charleston Harbor

Had run out of supplies

April 12 General P.G.T. Beauregard fires on the fort on April 12, 1861

The fort surrenders to SC forces

The war begins

Brother Against Brother Against Brother…Brother…

Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas joined the Confederacy

Border States stayed neutralNorthern states started

recruitment for federal soldiers

And…thus the Civil War began• One nation was divided into two parts…

and for many nothing was ever the same again.