Chapter 6: Mudsills and Greasy Mechanics for A. Lincoln
The Dred Scott v. Sanford case was an important decision by the Supreme Court. They stated that no African American (enslaved/free) could be an American citizen, and thus, could not sue in federal court. They also said that the federal government had no power to enforce or remove slavery in any territory. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was in charge at this time, and swayed the Court to deny Scott's statement that he would be free because he was taken to a free state. This led to dissent from anti-slavery activists in the North and would be an indirect reason as to why the American Civil War took place.
The Lincoln-Douglas debates soon became the most famous in history. Lincoln said that Douglas had drifted from what the founding fathers had believed in, but the Republicans still stayed strong and believed that slavery was terrible. He also said that the country would not be able to exist half slave and half free - a premonition of what was to come: the Civil War. However, he refused to state a plan as to how to remove slavery, but still, the Lecompton issue and Dred Scott led to a Republican gain in Congress. The southern opposition to the transcontinental railroad, homesteads, tariffs, and land-grant college acts led the Republicans to victory in the presidential election of 1860.
The Panic of 1857 stopped growth and was due to the Crimean War which cut off Rissoam grain from the European market. American exports had to meet the demand and speculation in western territory soon caused banks to expand. But, their specie disappeared quickly and a buildup of unsold gods caused many textile mills in the US to close. Interestingly enough, no significant violence came from the apprehension. The depression was shorter than expected, and California gold in 1859 brought large quantities. The stock market bounced back up, factories reopened, and unemployment rates declined.
Republicans made tariff revision one of their priorities, which showed how sectional tension rose. Many protectionist Democrats and Republicans would try to increase duties, but the South and some northern Democrats would defeat them. Sectional division became more clear when the homestead act, Pacific Railroad act and grants to states to establish agricultural and mechanical colleges were opposed. They reflected a Whig ideology of capital and labor, but southerners hated the measures. Planters refused to help nonslaveholders, however, and with the publication of The Impending Crisis, pushed many Republicans to endorse. This struggle in Senate, so to speak, marked a terrible beginning to the Civil War, along with Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry. Soon, Lincoln would win in the election of 1860.
Key Terms:
Citations
The Dred Scott v. Sanford case was an important decision by the Supreme Court. They stated that no African American (enslaved/free) could be an American citizen, and thus, could not sue in federal court. They also said that the federal government had no power to enforce or remove slavery in any territory. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was in charge at this time, and swayed the Court to deny Scott's statement that he would be free because he was taken to a free state. This led to dissent from anti-slavery activists in the North and would be an indirect reason as to why the American Civil War took place.The Lincoln-Douglas debates soon became the most famous in history. Lincoln said that Douglas had drifted from what the founding fathers had believed in, but the Republicans still stayed strong and believed that slavery was terrible. He also said that the country would not be able to exist half slave and half free - a premonition of what was to come: the Civil War. However, he refused to state a plan as to how to remove slavery, but still, the Lecompton issue and Dred Scott led to a Republican gain in Congress. The southern opposition to the transcontinental railroad, homesteads, tariffs, and land-grant college acts led the Republicans to victory in the presidential election of 1860.
The Panic of 1857 stopped growth and was due to the Crimean War which cut off Rissoam grain from the European market. American exports had to meet the demand and speculation in western territory soon caused banks to expand. But, their specie disappeared quickly and a buildup of unsold gods caused many textile mills in the US to close. Interestingly enough, no significant violence came from the apprehension. The depression was shorter than expected, and California gold in 1859 brought large quantities. The stock market bounced back up, factories reopened, and unemployment rates declined.
Republicans made tariff revision one of their priorities, which showed how sectional tension rose. Many protectionist Democrats and Republicans would try to increase duties, but the South and some northern Democrats would defeat them. Sectional division became more clear when the homestead act, Pacific Railroad act and grants to states to establish agricultural and mechanical colleges were opposed. They reflected a Whig ideology of capital and labor, but southerners hated the measures. Planters refused to help nonslaveholders, however, and with the publication of The Impending Crisis, pushed many Republicans to endorse. This struggle in Senate, so to speak, marked a terrible beginning to the Civil War, along with Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry. Soon, Lincoln would win in the election of 1860.
Key Terms:
- Dred Scott: Supreme Court stated that no African American could be an American citizen since they were property, and thus, could not sue in federal court. They also said that the federal government had no power to enforce or remove slavery in any territory. Many were angered by this and was important as a reason for the Civil War.
- homestead: land for settlers/farmers in the west to till and farm (to increase output, especially after the Panic of 1857); opposed by Democrats and southerners
- land-grant colleges: grants given to states to establish agricultural and mechanical colleges
Questions:
- What was a specific effect of Dred Scott on Southerners and Northerners?
- Was it so important that it was a reason for the Civil War, and why?
- Wasn't it similar to many of the other events that prevented blacks from many rights?
- Were the homesteads actually ever given since the southerners opposed them, or were those only given later when the Homestead Act was passed?
- Were tariffs ever raised due to the opposition by southern Democrats in Congress? Did this cause a weak economy which led to the Panic of 1857, or was it the other way around?
- McPherson, James M. "6: Mudsills and Greasy Mechanics for A. Lincoln." In Battle Cry of Freedom, 170-201. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
- Accessed March 11, 2015. http://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/2013/03/22/dredscott.jpg__640x360_q85_crop_upscale.jpg.
- Accessed March, 11, 2015. http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/lincolndouglas/lincdougfirst2.jpg
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