APUSH Lecture: Period 5 Key Concept 5.2

Overview

• Key Concept 5.2 focuses on the increasing division between the North and South.
• Main issues include Manifest Destiny, slavery in new territories, sectionalism, and failed compromises leading to the Civil War.

Key Developments and Events

Territorial Expansion and Manifest Destiny

• Oregon Treaty (1846): Oregon enters the Union.
• Texas Annexation (1845): Leads to conflict with Mexico.
• Mexican-American War (1846-1848):
  • Northern Whigs oppose it.
  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) ends the war, U.S. gains half of Mexican territory.

Slavery and Sectional Tensions

• Wilmot Proviso: Attempted to ban slavery in new territories; rejected.
• California Statehood: Entered as a free state, leading to the Compromise of 1850.

Compromise of 1850

• California as a free state.
• Abolition of slave trade in Washington, D.C.
• Popular sovereignty to decide slavery in other territories.
• Strict Fugitive Slave Law causes Northern backlash.

Increasing Sectional Tensions

• Ostend Manifesto: Failed Southern plan to acquire Cuba as a slave state.
• Gadsden Purchase (1853): Acquired land for a railroad; provoked North-South tensions.

Key Legislation and Political Changes

• Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854):
  • Introduced by Stephen Douglas.
  • Popular sovereignty for Kansas and Nebraska.
  • Repealed Missouri Compromise, leading to Northern opposition and formation of Republican Party.
  • Led to "Bleeding Kansas" - mini Civil War within Kansas.
• Dred Scott Decision (1857):
  • Supreme Court ruled African Americans are not citizens.
  • Slaves are property; Congress cannot ban slavery, making Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Conflict and Breakdown of Compromise

• John Brown’s Raid (1859): Attempted slave rebellion in Virginia, increasing Southern fears.
• Election of 1860: Lincoln elected, leading seven Southern states to secede before his inauguration.

Social and Economic Differences Between North and South

Northern Characteristics

• Industrial economy, free labor.
• Population growth due to immigration, primarily Irish and German.
• Rise of abolitionism (minority but increasing).

Southern Characteristics

• Agricultural economy, reliant on slave labor.
• Slower population growth, fewer immigrants.
• Pro-slavery arguments promoted by figures like John C. Calhoun.

Cultural and Political Divide

• Northern Distrust of the South: Fugitive Slave Act, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Southern attempts to expand slavery.
• Southern Distrust of the North: Wilmot Proviso, Northern resistance to Fugitive Slave Act, growing abolitionism.

Abolitionist Movement

• William Lloyd Garrison: Founder of American Anti-Slavery Society.
• Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852): Increased Northern support for abolitionism.
• Underground Railroad: Assisted slaves in escaping to freedom.

Conclusion

• Rising tensions and distrust between North and South made compromise impossible, setting the stage for the Civil War.