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Bans slavery in the Mexican Cession. Links racism and antislavery. Passes in the House, Fails in the Senate. Battle over Proviso foreashadows sectional conflict of 1850's.
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Founded three months after the mexican american war when Congressman David Wilmot proposed a amendment to the military appropriations bill tyhat would ban slavery in any territory that might be acquired from mexico.
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In time for the election of 1848, slavery in the mexican cession failed to be resolved. The Democrats nominated Cass on a platform of squatter sovereignty. The Whigs evaded the question by running General Zachary Taylor without a platform. Taylor refused to commit himself on the status of slavery in the territories but northern whigs favoring restriction took heart from the general's promise not to veto any territorial legislation passed by congress. Southern whigs went along with taylor be
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A series of proposals by Henry Clay including Californias admittance as a free state. Slave trade prohibitted in DC, and enforces a strong fugitive slave law.
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Suspected Fugitives were now denied a trial by jury the right to testify on their own behalf, and other basic constitutional rights.
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In the election of 1852, the main candidates were Pierce, Scotte, and Hale. Scott supported the faction that resisted nativism and sought to broaden the appeal of the democratic party. Pierce was a colorless nonentity, and appealed to free states. He was a whig.The Freesoil candidate, Hale. The Democratic candidate, Pierce, won the election.
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Lliterary abolitionism eraches climax with the enourmously successful novel that fixed the in the northern mind and image of a slave holder as brutal as Simon Legree
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Abolitionists attempt to to free fugitive from courthouse where his extradition hearing was to take place. The fugitive could not be reached.
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AMerican ministers to England, France, and Spain met in Ostend to drawe up a memorandum for the administration urging acquisition of Cuba by any means necessary.
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They surface as the American Party. Much of their backing came from Whigs looking for a new home, but the party also attracted some ex democrats.
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Success of new party was so dramatic, it was compared to a hurricane. They won success of Massachusetts capturing the governship, most of the seats in the legislature, and the entire cngressional delegation.
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Know Nothings gain power in three more New England states, took maryland, kentucky and texas, and emerged as the principle opposition to the democrats everywhere else except the midwest.
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In the election of 1856, the democratic candidate was Buchanan. He endorsed popular sovereignty in the territories. The republican candidate was Fremont. His platform called for liberation of kansas from the slave power and for congressional pohibition of slavery in all territories. The know nothing candidate was Fillmore. Buchanan came out on top, with Fremont close behind, leaving Fillmore in the dust.
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A hit and run guerilla war raged between free states and slave state factions.
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People of Kansas killed constitution when they voted it down by a margin of 6 to 1.
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Kansas becomes a free territory rather than a slave state and the issue of slavery in the territory lost some of it's immediancy. Although, it continued to carry a great deal of emotional and symboic meaning.
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Democrat Douglas beats Lincoln Although republican candidates for the state legislature won a majority of the popular votes.
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In Virginia, Browns aim was to extend the plantations regions of the lower south. But the neighboring slaves did not rise up with him. Browns raiders were driven out of the armory and arsenal by local militia and were force to take refuge in a fire engine house. There they were stormed by a force of Marines and ten of Browns men were killed or wounded.
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Anxiety about northern attitutudes changed from anxiety to policies of fear. The events alarmed slaveholders becayse they appeared to threaten their safety and dominance in a new and direct way.
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In the election of 1860, Lincoln won by an incredible margin. He was a self made man from illinois, a republican, and embodied the republican ideal of equal opportunity for all. John C. Beckenridge was the southern democratic candidate who came in second place with a platform of federal protection for slavery in the territories. In third place was the northern democrat Stephen Douglas with a platform of popular sovereignty. In last place was the constitutional union candidate John Bell repr
