Overview
This lecture covers three major events of the 1850s—the Brooks-Sumner Affair, the Dred Scott decision, and the Lincoln-Douglas Debates—which heightened tensions between North and South before the Civil War.
The Brooks-Sumner Affair (1856)
- Charles Sumner, a senator from Massachusetts, denounced slavery and insulted Senator Andrew Butler in a Senate speech.
- Preston Brooks, Butler's nephew and a representative from South Carolina, attacked Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor.
- Sumner was seriously injured and unable to return to the Senate for four years; he later died from complications.
- Brooks was forced to resign but was re-elected and celebrated in the South.
- The incident deepened negative stereotypes and animosity between North and South.
The Dred Scott Decision (1857)
- Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom, arguing that his residence in free territory made him free.
- The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, ruled 7-2 against Scott.
- The Court held that people of African descent could not be citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.
- The decision argued that slaves were property protected by the Fifth Amendment, and Congress could not restrict slavery in the territories.
- The ruling invalidated the Missouri Compromise and made life insecure for free blacks.
- The decision was celebrated in the South but outraged Northerners, leading many to join the Republican Party.
- The ruling intensified sectional tensions and is seen as a major step toward the Civil War.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
- The debates were for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois between Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Stephen A. Douglas (Democrat).
- Main topics were the Dred Scott decision and the issue of popular sovereignty (allowing territories to decide on slavery).
- Lincoln argued that the Dred Scott decision threatened to spread slavery everywhere, even into free states ("house divided" speech).
- Douglas responded with the "Freeport Doctrine," stating territories could effectively exclude slavery by not passing pro-slavery laws.
- Lincoln lost the election, but the debates made him a national figure and showed the South that Douglas was unreliable on slavery.
- The debates increased Lincoln's prominence in the Republican Party and raised Southern fears about him.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Popular Sovereignty — letting territories vote on whether to allow slavery.
- Abolitionist — someone who wants to end slavery.
- Dred Scott Decision — 1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans had no rights as citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in the territories.
- Fifth Amendment — part of the U.S. Constitution protecting property rights.
- Freeport Doctrine — Douglas’s idea that territories could avoid slavery by not passing laws supporting it.
- House Divided Speech — Lincoln’s warning that the country couldn’t survive permanently split between slave and free states.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the causes and consequences of each event for discussion.
- Prepare for part three, focusing on how sectional conflict leads to violence and the Civil War.