focus questions how did americans react to john brown’s raid on harper’s ferry? what factors led...

SecessionSection 4

Chapter 15

Focus QuestionsHow did Americans react to John Brown’s raid

on Harper’s Ferry?

What factors led to Lincoln’s victory in the presidential election of 1860?

Why did some southern states decide to leave the union?

The Raid on Harper’s Ferry

After the Pottawatomie Massacre, John Brown was a wanted man

He preached of action and went back to New England

He wanted to start a rebellion and give the slaves in the surrounding area weapons from the federal arsenal

The Raid on Harper’s Ferry

On the night of October 16, 1859 John Brown’s Raid began

Brown and his men snuck into Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (which is on the Potomac River)

Brown took control of the arsenal and he hoped slaves would join in (they did not)

The Raid on Harper’s Ferry

Instead white southerners armed themselves and attacked Brown

On October 17 Federal Troops arrived led by Robert E. Lee

They surrounded Brown’s men and either captured or killed all of them

Judging John BrownBrown was charged and convicted of treason,

murder, and conspiracy to stir up a slave rebellion

Upon being convicted of this crime, John Brown gave a memorable speech (pg 468)

Judging John BrownMany people in the

north mourned the death of John Brown

Most in the south felt threatened by these actions (felt that “John Brown the Second” could happen at any time

The Election of 1860Democrats were divided on who to nominate

for President in 1860

The party divided over the election and in the north Democrats chose Stephen Douglas and in the south they chose John C. Breckinridge (who was the current vice president)

The Election of 1860 Many former Whigs

formed a new party known as the Constitutional Union Party and they selected John Bell as their presidential candidate

The Republicans met in Chicago and chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate because he had moderate (not extreme) views on ending slavery– just wanted to stop the spread of it not end it in existing states

The Election of 1860The four man race

was really a race between the two from the north and the two from the south

The ultimate goal was to prevent a majority for Lincoln and send it to the House of Representatives for a vote

The Election of 1860That failed and

Abraham Lincoln won

Lincoln won only 40% of the popular vote but won 180 electoral votes

The Election of 1860Southerners were

angry at the fact that Lincoln did not win one southern state, yet he was going to be the next President of the United States

This continued to show how southerners had been losing their political power at a national level

Breaking with the Union Lincoln insisted that he would not change slavery in

the southern states

Southerners were still in fear

Four days after Lincoln’s election, South Carolina called for a special convention to consider secession, formally withdrawing from the union

Delegates in South Carolina unanimously voted to secede from the Union

Southerners felt that since they had voluntarily joined the U.S. when it was formed that they could voluntarily leave it also

Breaking with the UnionPresident Buchanan

and President elect Lincoln rejected the idea and felt no state can just “leave the Union”

Senator John J. Crittenden (Kentucky) proposed a series of constitutional amendments to satisfy the South

Breaking with the Union The plan included

extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean and giving money to slave holders who had lost slaves

President-elect Abraham Lincoln did not agree with the plan

Lincoln wrote letters to Republicans in Senate and urged them to reject this plan and everyone of them voted against the plan

The Confederate States of America

By February 1, 1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas had seceded from the Union

Sam Houston was removed from office as the Governor of Texas because he opposed secession

On February 4, delegates met in Montgomery, Alabama to establish the Confederate States of America

The Constitution was passed on February 8 and it resemble the U.S. Constitution except for the fact that it allowed slavery

The Confederate States of America

Jefferson Davis (Mississippi) was elected president of the Confederate States of America

Alexander H. Stephens became vice president

Davis was against secession but his loyalty to the south was stronger than his hopes for peace

The Confederate States of America

Davis had hoped to be general of the Mississippi army and was surprised when he was chosen president

Davis’s loyalty to his friends sometimes clouded his judgment and that would challenge him as he became president

Focus QuestionsHow did Americans react to John Brown’s raid

on Harper’s Ferry?

What factors led to Lincoln’s victory in the presidential election of 1860?

Why did some southern states decide to leave the union?