The Election of 1860

This political cartoon appeared in 1861 criticizing the Presidency of James Buchanan.  The cartoon shows the symbol of the U.S. , an eagle looking proud and distinguished in 1857, the year Buchanan would take office.  By 1861, the year he was to leave the eagle is in tatters, a shadow of its former self.    

     Buchanan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, is considered by most historians as being the worst President of the United States.  His critics point out that he made many compromises to Southern States while in office and looked the other way during the Dred Scott Case and Bleeding Kansas.  His own party would be in shambles over the issue of slavery and choose not to nominate him for re-election when his term expired.  

 

  The election of 1860, is one of the most crucial turning points in U.S. history.  The outcome would lead to the dissolution of the Union and change the course of history.  

 

The Democratic Party was in shambles in 1860.  During the National Convention in Charleston South Carolina the Democrats failed to nominate a candidate to run for office.  Fights broke out in the meeting hall and many Southern leaders call on a protest of the Convention.  The Democratic leaders decided to halt the nomination process and to meet again in two weeks in Baltimore.  Several delegates refused to attend the second convention and nominated John C. Breckinridge to be the Democratic Nominee for President.    When the Convention ended in Baltimore, Stephen F. Douglas from Illinois was chosen to run for President.  The Democrats had two candidates running for President, Douglas from the North and Breckinridge from the South.  

    The Republican Convention took place in Chicago and was much more unified then the Democrats.  William Seward the Senator from New York seemed to be the front-runner to earn the nomination for President.  However, many Republicans felt that he was too strongly opposed to slavery and that might lose him some votes in the Border States.  On the third ballot, Abraham Lincoln from Illinois was chosen to be the Republican nominee for President because of his moderate stance on slavery.

   A third party ran on the ballot for President.  John Bell from Tennessee ran on the Constitutional Union Party ticket.  Bell was for slavery and hoped to keep the Union together.

 

Douglas became the first Presidential Candidate to campaign across the nation.  He spoke in both the North and South, trying to appeal to Americans to keep the nation together.  Although he knew that he would not gain many votes in the South, he hoped to reach out to those who lived in Southern cities and to immigrant groups.  

 

The Democrats hoped to block Lincoln from gaining enough votes in the Electoral College so the vote would be decided by the House of Representatives where they had  control. 

   Despite the fact that Lincoln did not appear on the ballot on some states he won both the popular vote and the Electoral College.  Douglas was second in the popular vote but only won the state of Missouri.  Both Breckinridge and Bell did well in the South, but neither gained enough votes in the Electoral College to challenge Lincoln.  If Lincoln ran against only one other candidate then the Democrats would have had a stronger chance of defeating him.  

Team of Rivals

    The Republican Party was formed in 1854 by a coalition of anti-Slavery Whigs, Know Nothing Party members, Free Soil Party members, and Democrats who were upset over the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  These men believed in "free soil, free labor, free speech and free men" and quickly found strong followings in New York, New England, and the Midwest.  The first Republican candidate for President was John Fremont, who finished strong in the election of 1856.  After his defeat, Republican politicians began to prepare for the next election.

The Republican Convention of 1860 was held in the city of Chicago.  For many Americans this was a sign of change occurring in the country.  Chicago was a new city, a symbol of American growth and expansion.  Thirty years before the Convention there were only a few dozen residents of the city which had then grown to over 100,000.  Chicago was the fastest growing city in the United States, and in May of 1860 history was going to take place. 

The front runners for the Republican Presidential nomination were Senator William Seward from New York, Governor of Ohio Salmon Chase, and Edward Bates from Missouri.

Many Republicans assumed that Seward would win the nomination with no problem.  On advice from his campaign manager Seward and his family embarked on a five month tour of Europe right before the Convention to enjoy some peace and quiet.  While Seward and his wife looked forward to spending time with their family abroad, his campaign was in dire straits.

  For years Seward had called for the abolition of slavery citing that is was immoral.  Seward also campaigned for the rights of immigrant groups while serving in the Senate.  The powerful publisher Horace Greeley had once supported Seward, but now was campaigning against him.  If nominated he would perform well in the North, but he was to radical to win any votes in the important border states.  For many Republicans, Seward was now a liability and would be unable to win the Presidential election.

Salmon Chase was a former member of both the Whig and Free Soil Parties.  A former Whig Senator he was an outspsoken critic of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and became convinced that it would be impossible to work with Democrats.  He was elected Governor from the “Free Soil Party” which stood for an end to the expansion of slavery. While governor of Ohio he campaigned for women’s rights, prison reforms, and public education.  Chase made the fateful blunder of not choosing a campaign manager, instead relying on his elder daughter Kate to handle his campaign.  While other candidates had sent supporters to Chicago to speak on their behalf, Chase did not. As a result many delegates were unfamiliar with his work.

Edward Bates had been a lawyer and politician in Missouri for a number of years.  He had served in the Missouri Senate and the House of Representatives.  Even though he was a member of the Whig Party, Bates had been a supporter of the Know Nothing Party in 1856, and by doing this he  lost support of various immigrant groups in the United States. “If Bates is ever nominated…the German Republicans in the other states would never vote for him; I for one would not, and I would advise my countrymen to the same effect.”

MCAS

Good luck with the MCAS

Bleeding Kansas

 Following the election of the Pro-slavery government, Kansas was in a state of virtual civil war.  Lecompton became the home of the elected government, while a group of anti-slavery officials set up their own government in Lawrence, a town established by the New England Emigrant Society, 8 miles from Lecompton.  The government of Lecompton had passed a series of laws making it illegal to speak out against slavery and viewed the people of Lawrence as traitors.

   On May 21, 1856, a group of 750 men traveled from Lecompton to Lawrence hoping to arrest the "free soliers" who wanted Kansas to be a free state.  The men preceded to destroy the Liberty Hotel which was the headquarters of the Free Soilers.  The town was completely destroyed but the  Free Soilers were able to escape before the attack began.

    Throughout the following months guerilla tactics would be committed by both groups.  John Brown, a New Englander who arrived in Kansas  hoping to have it become a free state, led a group of seven men who murdered five people who were pro-slavery.  Brown felt that slavery was an evil institution that needed to be eliminated from the United States.  Brown and his men would be engaged in various other armed conflicts, at one point they captured 22 pro-slavery soldiers following a battle.

   Back East, the media published various accounts of the fighting in Kansas.  The headline of the New York Tribune referred to the events as "Bleeding Kansas."  President Pierce did little to restore order in Kansas feeling as it was the responsibility of the Territorial Governor to bring stability to Kansas.  

  On July 31, 1856, Franklin Pierce appointed John W. Geary to be the new Territorial Governor of Kansas.  Geary quickly set out to restore order to Kansas, promising his only allegiances were for Kansas and the United States, not the North or the South.    The new governor disbanded the militia of Kansas which was responsible for much of the fighting, and brokered a peace between the anti-slavery and pro-slavery forces.  Geary would be able to bring Kansas under control.

  By the time the fighting had ceased, there would be 56 people killed and perhaps 200 people wounded from the violence.  To some Americans the violence in Kansas was living proof that the country was being split from the issue of slavery and headed down a road of violence.  The ineffective president, President Pierce helped create a violent situation by not intervening. 

Bleeding Kansas

 Following the election of the Pro-slavery government, Kansas was in a state of virtual civil war.  Lecompton became the home of the elected government, while a group of anti-slavery officials set up their own government in Lawrence, a town established by the New England Emigrant Society, 8 miles from Lecompton.  The government of Lecompton had passed a series of laws making it illegal to speak out against slavery and viewed the people of Lawrence as traitors.

   On May 21, 1856, a group of 750 men traveled from Lecompton to Lawrence hoping to arrest the "free soliers" who wanted Kansas to be a free state.  The men preceded to destroy the Liberty Hotel which was the headquarters of the Free Soilers.  The town was completely destroyed but the  Free Soilers were able to escape before the attack began.

    Throughout the following months guerilla tactics would be committed by both groups.  John Brown, a New Englander who arrived in Kansas  hoping to have it become a free state, led a group of seven men who murdered five people who were pro-slavery.  Brown felt that slavery was an evil institution that needed to be eliminated from the United States.  Brown and his men would be engaged in various other armed conflicts, at one point they captured 22 pro-slavery soldiers following a battle.

   Back East, the media published various accounts of the fighting in Kansas.  The headline of the New York Tribune referred to the events as "Bleeding Kansas."  President Pierce did little to restore order in Kansas feeling as it was the responsibility of the Territorial Governor to bring stability to Kansas.  

  On July 31, 1856, Franklin Pierce appointed John W. Geary to be the new Territorial Governor of Kansas.  Geary quickly set out to restore order to Kansas, promising his only allegiances were for Kansas and the United States, not the North or the South.    The new governor disbanded the militia of Kansas which was responsible for much of the fighting, and brokered a peace between the anti-slavery and pro-slavery forces.  Geary would be able to bring Kansas under control.

  By the time the fighting had ceased, there would be 56 people killed and perhaps 200 people wounded from the violence.  To some Americans the violence in Kansas was living proof that the country was being split from the issue of slavery and headed down a road of violence.  The ineffective president, President Pierce helped create a violent situation by not intervening. 

Trouble in Kansas

Beginning in the late 1840s, there was talk of creating a railroad that would run from the East coast to the West coast. This would make it possible to ship people and goods to California faster and less expensive. There were two routes that were being considered, one had the railroad starting in Chicago then heading West to California, the other route began at New Orleans and would travel through Texas before heading south through New Mexico and Arizona. The railroad would bring millions of dollars to what ever city became the home to it and would guarantee business for local factories. Southern Senators agreed to abandon the proposition of a southern route for the railroad if the remaining territory from the Louisiana Purchase would be open to slavery.

In 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois proposed a Bill to Congress. The Bill would divided the remaining land of the Louisiana Purchase into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska. The Bill also mentioned that the citizens of those territories would get to decide if they were to become slave states or free states. Douglas was hoping that if the Bill was passed then the railroad would go through Chicago.

Douglas was one of the leading Democrats in the Senate. He used his influence in Washington to get the Bill to pass the House and the Senate with ease. Many people in the North were outraged over the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Kansas and Nebraska Territories were both north of the 36 30 line from the Missouri Compromise. This land had been declared off limits to slave owners in 1820, now the National Government was over turning the Missouri Compromise.

Across the nation Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery groups attempted to get the settlers into Kansas. Since the residents of Kansas were going to decide if the territory would be a slave state or a free state, thousands of emigrants traveled to Kansas. The New England Emigrant Society sent "Free Soilers" to Kansas hoping that the land would become slave free. "Border Ruffians" from the South traveled to Kansas to ensure that Kansas would become a slave state. Both groups were passionate about their beliefs prepared to fight for their cause.

In March of 1855, there was elections held to form the legislative branch of the Territory of Kansas. In Missouri (slave state) groups were formed that took thousands of men from Missouri into Kansas to vote for pro-slavery members of the government. Since there was no clear way of deciding if the people voting were actual residents of Kansas, the people from Missouri were able to decide the fate of Kansas. Voter fraud was rampant in Kansas for that election, with both pro-slavery and anti-slavery residents and non-residents voting more than once.

A Pro-Slavery government was elected and those that opposed slavery established their own government in Lawrence Kansas.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Tonight for H.W.

In the textbook read pages 566-560.

Then on a piece of loose leaf:

1. Identify: Preston Brooks, Charles Sumner, and The Kansas-Nebraska Act

2. Answer questions 1-3 on p. 560

Profiles in Courage

"Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular. Ignore the pressures, the temptations, the false compromises."

~ John F. Kennedy

In 1957, Senator John F. Kennedy published Profiles in Courage which examined the lives of eight U.S. Senators who had served during crucial times in American history. Kennedy's objective was to show how not all those who serve in government are politicians who are only looking out for their own best interest, but dedicated individuals who are willing to sacrifice their own political careers for the sake of the United States. Kennedy's book would bring him national attention, winning the Pulitzer Prize and becoming a best seller. The Profiles in Courage Award was set up by members of the Kennedy family. The award is presented to "a public official... whose actions best demonstrates the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage."

During the winter of 1850, Daniel Webster was nearing the end of a remarkable political career. He had been in the federal government since 1813, serving as a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the entire time falling short of his ultimate goal: the presidency. Webster was both admired and reviled by his peers. He had a brilliant mind, and was able to recite his speeches entirely from memory. While not as philosophical as John C. Calhoun, Webster was able to Webster would be approached by his colleague and sometimes foe, Henry Clay from Kentucky for help on some legislation that Clay had been working on.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 had been able to hold the country together for thirty years, but the nation was being torn apart again. Clay had developed a compromise that he hoped would prevent the Union from breaking. He knew that he would need help getting his legislation passed. He was concerned that members of the Senate would feel that the Compromise would only benefit the South. If he could get the support from a Northern Senator it would make his plan more legitimate.

Webster faced a major moral dilemma. He was one of slavery's harshest critics and was representing a state that was the home to the nation's leading anti-slavery newspapers as well as numerous abolitionist groups. Supporting Clay's plan would alienate his supporters at home and could cost him his law practice in Boston as well as any chance of re-election. Webster agreed to help Clay and would agonize over his decision for the next three months.

In February of 1850, several Southern Senators and Congressmen would meet in Nashville. There, they discussed the possibility of leaving the Union. The Southern politicians felt that the federal government was threatening their way of life. If California was to be admitted as a free state, then the balance of power had now shifted in the Senate in favor of the North.

By the time the Senate hearing on the compromise was set to take place in early March, the anticipation had escalated. Politicians, diplomats, writers, and tourists all descended on Washington to hear Daniel Webster's speak. The Senate Gallery was filled two hours before the hearing was to take place, and many members of the Senate had given up their seats to women.

When Webster began his most famous speech he looked around the Senate Chamber. Some of the most talented men who had ever served where now sitting, waiting to hear him speak. Sam Houston, Henry Clay, Thomas Hart Benton, Stephen Douglas, and Jefferson Davis all sat out in the crowd, anticipating what Webster's speech would be like. Absent was John C. Calhoun, who had been suffering for months various ailments.

In his opening remarks, Webster declared that he was speaking to the Senate "not as a Massachusetts man, but as an American." Suddenly, John C. Calhoun appeared in the Senate Chamber. Dressed in a thick black overcoat, he was helped into his seat by an assistant. In less than two years, Clay, Webster, and Calhoun would all be dead. This was their last moment in history, and all three were personally invested in this issue, many Southern politicians looked at Calhoun's actions during the Nullification Crisis admirably, and a way to justify their own beliefs on slavery. Webster acknowledged the Senator from South Carolina and throughout his speech, Calhoun would look at Webster sphinx like.

Wesbter's speech would go on for 3 hours and 11 minutes, rarely using his notes on his desk. He stressed the importance of preserving the Union at all costs. When his speech was over, the Chamber was silent. For those that witnessed Webster's speech they would go on to say that it was the greatest speech that they had witnessed. The Compromise of 1850 would pass both the House and Senate. The newspapers of the South praised Webster while the papers from the North compared him to Benedict Arnold. Webster would lose the nomination for President months later, northern Whigs refused to cast their vote for him. Back in Boston, many clients left his law firm and he would not be nominated again for the Senate.

Webster sacrificed his personal beliefs for the sake of the Union, a decision that would end up being very costly for him.

The Questions that need to be answered are:

1. Explain Webste's ability to "make alive the sense of oneness, of Union, that all Americans felt but few could express."

2. What were Webster's faults?

3. What was Webster's moral dilemma?

4. Why did William Lloyd Garrison want to break away from the Union?

5. According to John C. Calhoun, "Disunion nis the only alternative that is left for us." What part of the Compromise of 1850 might have ,made him feel that way? Why? Do you agree with him? Why or why not.

Missouri Compromise

Step with care and great tact, and remember that life is a great balancing act"

                          ~ Dr. Seuss

  As the nation expanded after the War of 1812, a very delicate balancing act was taking place.  The number of slave holding states in the South wad equal to the number of free states in the North.  The Northern states had a larger population and therefore had more members in the House of Representatives but in the Senate there was the same number of Senators from the North and the South.  With this balance in place it met that no law could be passed that would ban slavery.  An unsteady truce would remain in Washington until 1820.

    By 1820, there were 11 slave holding states and 11 free states in the Union.  There would be 22 Senators representing the South and 22 Senators representing the North.  The Missouri Territory had required enough residents to be eligible for statehood.  Since there were already over 2,000 slaves living in Missouri, it seemed logical that it would be admitted as a slave holding state.  Senators from the North did not like this idea.  If Missouri was admitted as a slave state that meant that the South would now have the advantage in the Senate and be able to dictate the issue of slavery.

   As the debate wore on in the Senate, one Senator proposed a Compromise.  Senator Henry Clay from Kentucky came up with a solution to solve the issue of Missouri's statehood that would satisfy both the North and the South.  He proposed that Missouri be admitted as a slave state but that Maine be admitted into the Union as well but as a free state.  This would return the balance of power so that neither the North nor the South had control over the Senate.  The second part of the Compromise would be to draw a line at the 36, 30 latitude line (the southern border of Missouri).  Any territory from the Louisiana  Purchase that was north of that line would be designated as free territory. No resident of that land would be permitted to own slaves.  Land from the Louisiana Purchase that was South of that line would be designated as "slave-holding" territory.

Which side do you think got the better part of that deal?

Many Senators from the South were eager to see if the line from the Missouri Compromise would be extended to the Pacific Ocean.  Prior to the Mexican-American War, many Congressmen and Senators were eager to go to war with Mexico to obtain lands west of Texas.  

The Missouri Compromise was far from perfect and did not resolve the issue of slavery, but only prolonging the issue for another time.  Henry's Clay's attempt at preserving the Union would last for 30 years before it was declared un-constitutional.  Many settlers felt as though the Federal Government did not have the right to decide if lands were open to slavery or not.  

The balancing act would continue for a three more decades.  When Arkansas was eligible for statehood in 1836, it could only be admitted into the Union after Congress declared that Michigan would become a state in 1837.  When Congress allowed Florida to become a state in 1845, the law also said that free state Iowa would be allowed to enter the Union. 

It would be when California was ready for statehood that the balancing act would come to an end.

Manifest Review

*Do not forget to bring in a snack tomorrow to have during the test*

Here are some questions to quiz your knowledge.

1. Who created the phrase, "Manifest Destiny"?  What does it mean?

2. The Gadsden Purchase came several years after the Mexican-American War. What was the intended purpose of that land?

3. Which of the following was against the Mexican-American War?

                 A. Zachary Taylor B. Brigham Young

C.  Walt Whitman D. James Russell Lowell

4. Who was the author of Civil Disobedience?  What was the thesis of that essay?

5. State two reasons why a Congressmen would be against the annexation of Texas.

6.  How did Sam Brennan make his fortune during the Gold Rush?

7.  Name two companies or businesses that started during the Gold Rush. 

8. What nation did James K. Polk sign a treaty with that set the boundary between Oregon and Canada?

9. What missionary died in Oregon after several conflicts with the local Native American tribes?

10. What Presidents fought during the Mexican-American War.

Good luck tomorrow!

Extra Help before school tomorrow morning in my room or Gym B.