Legislation and Supreme Court Unable to Find Compromise (College Board AP® US History)
Study Guide
Summary
Timeline
The first half of the 19th century saw the rise of the abolition movement in the United States. This movement sought to put a permanent end to the slave system. What it lacked in size it countered with its members, who used their words and actions to draw attention to their cause. The mid-19th century saw failed attempts to settle the conflict over slavery through legislation and judicial decisions, such as the Kansas–Nebraska Act and Dred Scott v. Sandford. Instead of resolving tensions, these events increased sectionalism, further dividing the North and South.
Abolitionism
The abolitionist movement was a small yet powerful force of resistance to slavery
Abolitionists:
included both White and Black people, freemen, former and runaway slaves
argued that slavery was immoral
used speeches, literature, and sometimes violence to draw attention to the cause
Key figures and contributions to the abolitionist movement
William Lloyd Garrison
Published The Liberator (a newspaper that argued for immediate emancipation)
Used his newspaper to define and spread the ideals of abolitionism
Harriett Beecher Stowe
Published her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, which criticized slavery and showed its brutality
The novel stirred anti-slavery thinking in the north
Fredrick Douglass
An escaped slave who became a leading speaker and writer
Delivered speeches to spread abolition ideals and highlight the inhumanity of slavery
A major leader of the abolition movement
Harriet Tubman
An escaped slave who returned to the South multiple times to lead others to freedom along the Underground Railroad
Became known as the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad
John Brown
Supported violent action to end slavery
Led a group of fugitive slaves in 1859 to steal arms from a federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry
His actions were seen as an act of aggression and enraged some Southerners, who saw it as a direct threat to their way of life
Kansas–Nebraska Act & Dred Scott v Sandford
Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854)
Kansas and Nebraska were new territories
The Kansas–Nebraska Act was proposed by Stephen Douglas, an American politician and lawyer
The act addressed slavery in these new territories
It allowed for popular sovereignty, enabling settlers in those territories to vote on whether to allow slavery
Repealed the Missouri Compromise (1820), which did not allow slavery north of the 36° 30’ line
The Act was significant as it::
opened the northern territory to slavery
created abolitionist opposition in the north
sparked widespread violence in Kansas between pro- and anti-slavery settlers, with the confrontations being known as “Bleeding Kansas”
“Bleeding Kansas” (1854–59)
Pro- and anti-slavery settlers came to Kansas to try to influence the vote on slavery
Residents from Missouri crossed the border to cast illegal votes for slavery
This led to disputed election results
Kansas developed two new competing territorial capitals:
Compton: pro-slavery
Topeka: anti-slavery
President Franklin Pierce officially recognized the pro-slavery legislature in Compton, increasing tensions
Violence erupted between the two sides resulting in widespread destruction
Dred Scott v Sandford (1857)
Dred Scott was an enslaved man who sued for his freedom after his master took him out of slave territory to live in free Missouri
Scott argued that living in a free state and territory made him free
Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote the majority opinion. He ruled that:
as an enslaved person, Scott had no right to sue the federal court
the federal government had no authority to prohibit slavery in any territory, as doing so violated the constitutional rights of slaveholders
This decision invalidated attempts to restrict the expansion of slavery, such as the Missouri Compromise
This effectively legalized slavery in all territories
The outcome deepened divides, angering abolitionists and emboldening pro-slavery forces
Examiner Tips and Tricks
While there were many reasons for the Civil War, at the core of each was the issue of slavery. One issue was if states had the right to determine slavery within their borders (states’ rights). Furthermore, did the federal government have the right to mandate the issue of slavery? Whether slavery should be abolished completely in all the states. In addition, the northern states were growing in population and, therefore, were gaining influence in the Senate and House of Representatives. This increased power made Southerners uneasy as they saw their way of life threatened. Remember that it would take decades and numerous events to build up the tension between the North and the South. In the end, tensions would become so great that the South believed it could no longer live with the uncertainty of the future of the very means that was the foundation of their society: slavery. Thus, the Civil War.
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