The Sectional Crisis

I. Introduction

• Slavery's expansion westward posed challenges for the U.S. from the beginning.
• Northern workers feared slavery suppressed wages.
• Southerners feared abolitionists would dominate politics.
• Disagreements on federal government's role in slavery.
• Slavery vital to both southern plantations and northern industry.
• 1860 saw the rise of a Republican opponent to slavery's expansion, leading to war.

II. Sectionalism in the Early Republic

• Pre-American Revolution, slavery was globally accepted.
• Slavery generated wealth for the British crown.
• A transatlantic antislavery movement emerged.
• Revolutionary ideas in the U.S., France, and Haiti challenged slavery.
• Haitian Revolution marked a pivotal moment in the sectional crisis.
• Free Black communities emerged and fueled the antislavery struggle.
• National debates over slavery intensified with U.S. expansion westward.
• The Missouri Compromise of 1820 tried to maintain a balance between free and slave states.

III. The Crisis Joined

• Missouri's admission to the Union highlighted deep societal divisions.
• Slavery and sectionalism intertwined with political and religious movements.
• The Democratic Party attempted to unify but faced criticism for pro-slavery leanings.
• The Whigs and Democrats dominated politics, but internal tensions persisted.
• Texas's annexation added to sectional tensions.
• The 1846 Wilmot Proviso attempted to ban slavery in new territories from Mexico.

IV. Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men

• The Mexican War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, expanding slavery.
• Free Soil Party formed in response, opposing slavery's expansion.
• The Compromise of 1850 attempted to maintain peace but increased sectional crisis.
• Fugitive Slave Law enforcement radicalized northerners.
• Antislavery activism increased, spurred by leaders like Frederick Douglass.

V. From Sectional Crisis to National Crisis

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 reignited tensions.
• Violence in Kansas and pro-slavery legislature debates highlighted the crisis.
• The Dred Scott decision of 1857 ruled Black Americans couldn't be U.S. citizens.
• John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 further inflamed tensions.
• The Republican Party emerged as an antislavery force.
• Abraham Lincoln elected in 1860; southern states began secession.

VI. Conclusion

• Slavery and westward expansion caused irreconcilable divisions.
• Republican Party's rise led to 1860 election victory and eventual war.

VII. Primary Sources

• Highlights include Supreme Court rulings, abolitionist narratives, and key documents like the Fugitive Slave Act.

VIII. Reference Material

• Contributions by multiple historians and recommended further reading provided.