Lecture Notes: Origins of the American Civil War

Introduction

• The lecture explores the origins and causes of the American Civil War.
• Focuses on sectionalism and the expansion of slavery.

Key Historical Context

• Sectionalism: Divisions between North and South evident from the Constitutional Convention and Jacksonian period.
• Manifest Destiny: The belief in American expansion across North America.
• Northwest Ordinance: Provided for new states to enter the Union.
• Missouri Compromise (1820): Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, established the 36°30' line.
• Texas Admission (1845): Debated for its implications for slavery expansion.

Political and Economic Tensions

• Tariffs and Representation: New states affected balance of power in Congress between slave and free states.
• Economic Divisions: North's industrial growth vs. South's agricultural economy dependent on slavery.
• Moral vs. Economic Arguments: North's opposition to slavery often economic; some opposed on moral grounds.

Expansion and Conflict

• Mexican-American War (1846-1848): Resulted in territorial gains for the US.
• Wilmot Proviso (1846): Attempted to ban slavery in new territories, illustrating sectional tensions.
• Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): Allowed popular sovereignty in territories, nullifying the Missouri Compromise.
• Bleeding Kansas: Violent confrontations between pro- and anti-slavery settlers.

Significant Figures

• Stephen A. Douglas: Advocate for popular sovereignty.
• John C. Calhoun: Argued slavery was a 'positive good'.
• Abraham Lincoln: Opposed expansion of slavery, delivered the "House Divided" speech.
• Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison: Abolitionists advocating against slavery.

Cultural and Social Influences

• Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852): Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel that highlighted the brutality of slavery.
• Fugitive Slave Act (1850): Required the return of escaped slaves, angered the North.

Political Realignments

• Democrat and Whig Parties: Divided over slavery, leading to the rise of the Republican Party.
• Election of 1860: Election of Abraham Lincoln prompted Southern secession.

Southern Secession and the Confederacy

• Secession of Southern States: Triggered by the election of Lincoln.
• Confederate Constitution: Emphasized states' rights but mandated slavery.
• Key Speeches and Documents: Highlighted slavery as a central cause of secession.

Conclusion

• Inevitability of Conflict: Peaceful secession was impossible, leading to the Civil War.
• The centrality of slavery as a cause of division between North and South was evident in the actions and documents of the time.