Overview of Events Between the Constitutional Period and the American Civil War

Introduction

• This period involves many efforts to resolve the issue of American slavery.
• Key compromises were made, but ultimately these did not resolve the issue.

Key Compromises During the Constitutional Period

• Three-Fifths Compromise:
  • Southern states wanted enslaved people to count for representation purposes.
  • Agreement that enslaved individuals would count as three-fifths of a person.
  • Benefited states like Virginia in terms of electoral influence.
• Ending of the Atlantic Slave Trade:
  • Congress had the option to end the trade from 1800, which it did.
• Cotton Gin:
  • Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793.
  • Revolutionized cotton production, making slavery more entrenched.

Territorial Expansion and Slavery

• Louisiana Purchase (1803):
  • New territories raised questions about whether they would be free or slave states.
  • Missouri Compromise (1820):
    • Missouri and Maine entered the Union as slave and free states, respectively.
    • Slavery prohibited north of the 36°30′ line, except in Missouri.

Rising Tensions and Key Events

• Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831):
  • Intensified Southern fears of slave rebellions.
  • Led to harsher restrictions on slaves.
• Amistad Case (1831):
  • Supreme Court sided with Africans who rebelled on the Amistad, ruling they were free.
• Nullification, States' Rights, and Popular Sovereignty:
  • Nullification: States can nullify federal actions they disagree with.
  • States' rights: Debate over state vs. federal power.
  • Popular sovereignty: New territories vote on their own free/slave status.

Compromise of 1850

• Admitted California as a free state.
• Allowed Utah and New Mexico to decide on slavery.
• Established new boundaries for Texas and New Mexico.
• Introduced the Fugitive Slave Act, angering abolitionists.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• Repealed the Missouri Compromise.
• Allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide on slavery by popular sovereignty.
• Led to "Bleeding Kansas" due to violent clashes.
• Contributed to the fall of the Whig Party and rise of the Republican Party.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

• Supreme Court ruled that African Americans couldn’t be U.S. citizens.
• Asserted slavery couldn’t be prohibited by federal law.

Prelude to the Civil War

• Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858):
  • Abraham Lincoln emerged as a prominent figure.
  • Set the stage for the 1860 presidential election.

Conclusion

• The lecture covers significant events leading up to the Civil War, focusing on the political and legal struggles over slavery.