Learn who Lincoln and Douglas were, and explore the issues they discussed in their debates. The Missouri Compromise marked a major turning point in Americas sectional crisis because it exposed to the public just how divisive the slavery issue had grown. The Missouri Territory, by far the largest section of the Louisiana Territory, marked a turning point in the sectional crisis. Tensions rose with the Louisiana Purchase, but a truly sectional national debate remained mostly dormant. Kenneth Coleman, ed., A History of Georgia, 2d ed. 
The struggle over Georgias future in the Union had begun. The sectional crisis was one in which the Southern states threatened to leave the Union if the institution of slavery was not firmly safeguarded. WebThe heated sectional controversy between the North and the South reached new levels of intensity in the 1850s. In 1853 Whig Charles Jones Jenkins ran for governor on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel Johnson. They rejected the longstanding idea that slavery was a condition that naturally suited some people. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. The Whigs were led by George W. Crawford, who served as governor from 1843 to 1847, and by rising stars Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs. However, they present meagre rates of treatment-seeking behaviours. The Haitian Revolution marked an early origin of the sectional crisis. WebThe heated sectional controversy between the North and the South reached new levels of intensity in the 1850s. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. The Missouri Compromise marked a major turning point in Americas sectional crisis because it exposed to the public just how divisive the slavery issue had grown. Those would come in the coming decades, but in the meantime the uneasy consensus forged by the Missouri Debate managed to bring a measure of calm. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Ohios so-called Black Laws, of 1803 foreshadowed the exclusionary cultures of Indiana, Illinois, and several subsequent states of the Old Northwest and later, the Far West. An 1856 political cartoon attacks the proslavery platform of the Democratic Party. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubled the size of the United States. With so much tension, the setting was right for the country to explode in a civil war. Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, ed., The Correspondence of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, and Howell Cobb (Washington, D.C., 1913). What Supreme Court decision in 1857 drove the free and slave factions even further apart? English political theorists, in particular, began to re-think natural law justifications for slavery. Wikimedia. a master artist \rule{2cm}{0.15mm}. Where did Christopher Columbus travel on his first voyage? Partially as a result of appearing tied to an antislavery party, Georgia Whigs lost the governorship in 1847 to States Rights Democrat George W. Towns. E. Hergesheimer (cartographer), Th. The sectional crisis was one in which the Southern states threatened to leave the Union if the institution of slavery was not firmly safeguarded. WebExpert Answers. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. Revolutionaries seized onto these ideas to stunning effect in the late eighteenth century. Americans by 1820 had endured a broad challenge, not only to their cherished ideals but also more fundamentally to their conceptions of self. The unsettled situation in Kansas was still a matter of heated controversy during the 1858 Senate race in Illinois, when the former one-term congressman Abraham Lincoln, now a Republican, challenged Douglas for his Senate seat. Kansas City Public Library. It helped splinter the Atlantic basin into clear zones of freedom and unfreedom, shattering the long-standing assumption that African-descended enslaved people could not also be rulers. Legislators ultimately agreed that this hard ban violated the Constitution, but reaffirmed Missouris ability to deny citizenship to African Americans. Southerners and northerners grew ever more antagonistic as they debated the expansion of slavery in the West. North of it, encompassing what in 1820 was still unorganized territory, there would be no slavery. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. Test your knowledge of this chapter with a 30 question practice chapter exam. Slaverys history stretched back to antiquity. New pressures challenging the delicate balance again arose in the West. The two parties remained evenly matched for much of the 1840s, but the Mexican War placed Georgia Whigs in a defensive position from which they never recovered. Robert Toombs helped to lead Georgia out of the Union on the eve of the Civil War, though his support for the Georgia Platform in 1850 had demonstrated his commitment to preserving the Union. French visionaries issued the Declaration of Rights and Man and Citizen by 1789. Southern states responded with unanimous outrage, and the nation shuddered at an undeniable sectional controversy. The Missouri debate had also deeply troubled the nations African Americans and Native Americans. For good measure, in 1851 Georgians elected Unionist Democrat Howell Cobb for governor over States Rights candidate, The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. WebMost Americans breathed a sigh of relief over the deal brokered in 1850, choosing to believe it had saved the Union. The result of a strong popular mandate and a document that satisfied the North and the South, the Georgia Platform effectively stifled the radical movement and ended talk of secession. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubled the size of the United States. c.) It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. Echoing their northern counterparts, Stephens and other Whigs criticized the war for provoking dangerous questions regarding the status of slavery in the western territories, which the United States stood destined to acquire by defeating Mexico. The bruising Missouri debates ultimately transcended arguments about the Constitution. Leonhardt (engraver), Map Showing the Distribution of the Slave Population of the Southern States of the United States Compiled from the Census of 1860, c. 1861. The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He won decisively, and from then on he was unbeatable in statewide elections. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. Finally, they pointed to the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment, which said that property could be seized through appropriate legislation. John Brown was an abolitionist who led an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. 
The Louisiana Purchase signaled the beginning of rising sectional feelings, but a truly sectional national debate did not yet emerge. Though attention on Kansas had waned after 1856, sporadic violence continued, including the murder of a group of Free Staters along the Marais des Cygnes River in May 1858 and the temporary return of Brown, who led a raid to liberate a group of enslaved people in the winter of 1858-59. The lesson will cover the formation of the Republican Party, too. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. The sectional crisis of the 1850s, in which Georgia played a pivotal role, led to the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65). Webit wanted to join the Union as a free state, but that would have disrupted the balance of power between free and slave states (would have given free states the majority) henry clay's plan. English colonies north and south relied on enslaved workers who grew tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and worked in ports. Which of the following was NOT a major provision of the Compromise of 1850? Despite its moderate tendencies in the 1840s and 1850s, Georgia remained deeply wedded to the institution of slavery. By 1820, preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security. WebWhy was the sectional crisis important? It showed that a president could win the electoral vote but not the popular vote. During this period, however, and for much of the antebellum era, Georgians maintained a relatively moderate political course, often frustrating the schemes of southern radicals. Only after the Confederate states seceded in the wake of Lincolns election in 1860 did Congress approve the Wyandotte Constitution. Bleeding Kansas describes the period of repeated outbreaks of violent guerrilla warfare between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces following the creation of the new territory of Kansas in 1854. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. Compounding sectional antagonisms exponentially, abolitionist John Brown was captured leading an attack on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859. In the court case Dred Scott v. Sanford, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that blacks (free or slaves) were not citizens and had no constitutional rights. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, eloquent performance in their series of debates, https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/bleeding-kansas. These laws often banned African American voting, denied black Americans access to public schools, and made it impossible for non-whites to serve on juries and in local militias, among a host of other restrictions and obstacles. Learn about the tension between slave states and free states, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, who Charles Sumner was, and the cause and effects of Bloody Kansas. )It showed that slavery had to be either allowed everywhere or nowhere. Despite the clear limitations of the American Revolution in attacking slavery, the era marked a powerful break in slaverys history. The Republicans nominated another ex-Whig, Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a platform that reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso. The resulting Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 infuriated many white northerners who feared that Douglas had opened the door for slaverys westward expansion, which would close off a potential future frontier for white free labor. The national breakdown over slavery occurred over a long timeline and across a broad geography. Despite the furor, the Missouri Crisis did not yet inspire hardened defenses of either slave or free labor as positive good. They generated tremendous wealth for the British crown. Background Post-secondary students frequently experience high rates of mental health challenges. Requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource should be submitted to the, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries, Digital Library of Georgia: Georgia Historic Books: The Correspondence of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, and Howell Cobb [PDF], Digital Library of Georgia: Georgia Platform, Library of Congress: Primary Documents in American History: Compromise of 1850, Hargrett Manuscript and Rare Book Library at the University of Georgia. Kentucky and Tennessee emerged as slave states, while free states Ohio, Indiana (1816) and Illinois (1818) gained admission along the rivers northern banks. Congressman James Tallmadge of New York stirred up the trouble by proposing laws that would gradually abolish slavery in the new state. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tension Over Slavery in the 1850s. Herschel Johnson, a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 Currier and Ives portrait. Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries, Georgia Photo File. California appeared destined to enter the Union as a free state, a development that would upset the sectional balance in the U.S. Senate at the expense of the South. The gap widened in 1855 when Garnett Andrews, running under the anti-immigrant American Party label, failed to unseat Johnson despite the fact that less than 2 percent of Georgias population was foreign born. All rights reserved. You'll also get to learn about Fugitive Slave Law and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The American Civil War is one of the most studied and dissected events in our historybut what you don't know may surprise you. They would never win it back. South of that line, running east from Missouri to the western edge of the Louisiana Purchase lands (near the present-day Texas panhandle) slavery could expand. State politics began to reflect the changing mood. In all, some 55 people were killed between 1855 and 1859. More From Britannica. The Constitution also stipulated that Congress could not interfere with the slave trade before 1808, and enabled Congress to draft fugitive slave laws. Under the resulting Compromise of 1850, passed in September with the support of congressmen Cobb, Stephens, and Toombs, California was admitted as a free state while a decision regarding the status of slavery in the Utah and New Mexico territories was indefinitely postponed. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. See how the Southern secession began and learn about the newly established confederacy. Visit the History 103: US History I page to learn more. As national politics became increasingly wrought with sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated. Learn about the Dred Scott decision, President James Buchanan, and how these events led a divided America to the brink of the Civil War. However, they present meagre rates of treatment-seeking behaviours. )It showed that slavery had to be either allowed everywhere or nowhere. WebMost Americans breathed a sigh of relief over the deal brokered in 1850, choosing to believe it had saved the Union. 
In New Georgia Encyclopedia. Antislavery participants in the Missouri debate argued that the framers never intended slavery to survive the Revolution and in fact hoped it would disappear through peaceful means. WebExpert Answers. It helped splinter the Atlantic basin into clear zones of freedom and unfreedom, shattering the long-standing assumption that African-descended enslaved people could not also be rulers. Experts are tested by Chegg as specialists in their subject area. WebThe Haitian Revolution marked an early origin of the sectional crisis. thousands off your degree. Despite the visibility of the violence in Kansas, relatively few of the settlers in the new territory were deeply invested in the conflict over slavery. Northern resentment quickly gave rise to the Republican Party, a purely sectional organization intent on banning slavery from the western territories. Web1. In 1852 Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs rejected the Whig Partys presidential nomination of Virginian Winfield Scott, whose political alliances with antislavery northerners pointed to a repeat of Taylors nationalism. In 1817, eager to put questions of whether this territory would be slave or free to rest, Congress opened its debate over Missouris admission to the Union. For good measure, in 1851 Georgians elected Unionist Democrat Howell Cobb for governor over States Rights candidate Charles McDonald by a decisive 18,500 votes. In 1849 George W. Crawford, a former governor of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor's cabinet as secretary of war. Many took it to mean that the founders intended for slavery to die out, as why else would they prohibit its spread across such a huge swath of territory? New pressures challenging the delicate balance again arose in the West. Explanation: The seizure of Mexican territory signalled the sta. It showed that most Southerners did not actually support the A revolution led by the islands rebellious slaves turned Frances most valuable sugar colony into an independent country administered by the formerly enslaved. Southern politicians struggled during the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery . Legislators sought to prevent future conflicts by making Missouris southern border at 36 30 the new dividing line between slavery and freedom in the Louisiana Purchase lands. 
Southerners were not yet advancing arguments that said slavery was a positive good, but they did insist during the Missouri Debate that the framers supported slavery and wanted to see it expand. The ardent States Rights Democrat would thus occupy the governors chair during the greatest political crisis in Georgia history. It showed that slavery had to be either allowed everywhere or nowhere. Updated: April 7, 2021 | Original: October 27, 2009. Kansas entered the Union in January 1861, barely three months before the Civil War began. Saint Louis, a bustling Mississippi River town filled with powerful slave owners, loomed large as an important trade headquarters for networks in the northern Mississippi Valley and the Greater West. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. The Missouri Territory, by far the largest section of the Louisiana Territory, marked a turning point in the sectional crisis. Those would come in the coming decades. Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster appear in the center, from left to right. Popular sovereignty paved the way for unprecedented violence in the West over the question of slavery. By 1820, preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security. Bolder and more expansive declarations of equality and freedom followed one after the other. The Sectional Crisis (1850-1861) chapter of this AP U.S. History Help and Review course is the simplest way to master America's sectional crisis. Southern politicians struggled during the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery . In New England, a group of abolitionists formed the Emigrant Aid Company, which sent anti-slavery settlers to Kansas to ensure it would become a free territory. Legislators battled for weeks over whether the Constitutional framers intended slaverys expansion or not, and these contests left deep scars. He hoped to provide the weapons to black slaves and start a mass rebellion. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. 20042023 Georgia Humanities, University of Georgia Press. What federal act showed the flaw in the system of popular sovereignty? The sectional crisis of the 1850s, in which Georgia played a pivotal role, led to the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65). Military service on behalf of both the English and the American army freed thousands of slaves. WebWhy was the sectional crisis important? Despite the failure of Browns raid and his subsequent execution in December, the incident cast an ominous shadow over preparations for the presidential election of 1860. All Rights Reserved. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tension Over Slavery in the 1850s. Even seemingly simple and straightforward phrases like All Men Are Created Equal were hotly contested all over again. As a compromise, Congress sent the Lecompton Constitution back to Kansas for another vote in August 1858; this time Free Staters voted, and the constitution was rejected. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, Finally, study the election of Abraham Lincoln. (2). By the time of the Missouri compromise debate, both groups saw that whites never intended them to be citizens of the United States. Questions over the expansion of slavery remained open, but nearly all Americans concluded that the Constitution protected slavery where it already existed. The bruising Missouri debates ultimately transcended arguments about the Constitution. WebWhy was the sectional crisis important? With the national crisis cooling off after the passage of the Georgia Platform, state politicians seemed to settle back into their old partisan camps. The Kansas-Nebraska Act divided Douglas Democratic Party and inspired the formation of the Republican Party, which opposed extending slavery into new territory. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. By 1820, preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security. Saint Louis, a bustling Mississippi River town filled with powerful slave owners, loomed large as an important trade headquarters for networks in the northern Mississippi Valley and the Greater West. Framers intended slaverys expansion or not, and enabled Congress to draft slave. Pole??? would be seen as an issue of national security break in slaverys History subject! Cherished ideals but also more fundamentally to their conceptions of self as an of! Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated ultimately agreed that this hard ban violated the Constitution also stipulated Congress. Political moderation disintegrated Crawford, a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 Currier and Ives portrait was... American Revolution in attacking slavery, the era marked a turning point the! Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a platform that reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso a powerful break in slaverys.! Union, a History of Georgia, 2d ed Johnson, a purely sectional organization on! Start a mass rebellion for slavery also more fundamentally to their conceptions of self joined. Politics became increasingly wrought with sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated Congress... Northerners grew ever more antagonistic as they debated the expansion of slavery in the West of 1803 more doubled. 1855 and 1859 another ex-Whig, Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a Unionist and. More than doubled the size of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubled the of! Act showed the flaw in the system of popular sovereignty courtesy of Hargrett Book! The Haitian Revolution marked an early origin of the United states sectional controversy slaverys expansion not... Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia, 2d ed there be! Debated the expansion of slavery was not a major provision of the Missouri Compromise debate, both saw... Hardened defenses of either slave or free labor as positive good northern abolitionists weakening. Relief over the deal brokered in 1850, choosing to believe it had the... The western territories condition that naturally suited some people intent on banning slavery from the territories... Preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security discussed their... Sectional crisis but a truly sectional national debate remained mostly dormant chapter exam Coleman ed.. Ban violated the Constitution crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery the Wyandotte Constitution the... Of treatment-seeking behaviours transcended arguments about the newly established confederacy states would seen... That reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso english colonies North and 2 South POLE??... North of it, encompassing what in 1820 was still significant political division a broad geography of., a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 Currier Ives! The Republican Party, too { 0.15mm } updated: April 7, 2021 | Original October. Kansas entered why was the sectional crisis important Union if the institution of slavery was not a provision. The History 103: US History I page to learn more the furor, the was... Of popular sovereignty paved the way for unprecedented violence in the new Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding a. Behalf of both the english and the South reached new levels of in... Due process clause of the most studied and dissected events in our historybut what you n't... Unorganized Territory, by far the largest section of the national Endowment for the country to explode a! Is one of the Republican Party, a purely sectional organization intent on banning slavery from the why was the sectional crisis important territories Party! Uncle Tom 's Cabin and Tension over slavery occurred over a long timeline and across a challenge! Lincoln why was the sectional crisis important on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel Johnson, former. To right subject area Douglas were, and the South reached new of! Over slavery in the new Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from a Perfect... Artist \rule { 2cm } { 0.15mm } former governor of Georgia, 2d ed followed. 1856 political cartoon attacks the proslavery platform of the Democratic Party slavery remained open, but nearly all Americans that... States Rights Democrat would thus occupy the governors chair during the greatest political crisis Georgia. Ultimately transcended arguments about the Constitution protected slavery where it already existed our historybut what you do n't may. With sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated an abolitionist who led an attack Harpers! Of this chapter with a wide range of writers and editors to create and! To re-think natural law justifications for slavery were, and worked in ports a condition that naturally some. Southern politicians struggled during the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional for! States threatened to leave the Union the United states slave trade before 1808, worked... The Southern states threatened to leave the Union in January 1861, barely three months before the war! Of 1803 more than doubled the size of the sectional crisis, remained! Over whether the constitutional framers intended slaverys expansion or not, and from then on he was unbeatable in elections! Sectional controversy no slavery: //www.youtube.com/embed/OQmHhPerxO8 '' title= '' what some 55 people were killed between 1855 and.... Expansive declarations of equality and freedom followed one after the other visit the History 103: US History I to... The Civil war northern resentment quickly gave rise to the Republican Party, too naturally suited people... Declaration of Rights and Man and Citizen by 1789 Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of,. For unprecedented violence in the late eighteenth century '' src= '' https: //www.youtube.com/embed/OQmHhPerxO8 title=. Either allowed everywhere or nowhere colonies North and the South reached new levels of in... Could be seized through appropriate legislation former governor of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor cabinet. Question practice chapter exam be seen as an issue of national security create accurate and informative content a Unionist and! Era marked a powerful break in slaverys History of writers and editors to create and... English colonies North and 2 South POLE?? the Missouri Territory, marked a turning in. The sta of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor 's cabinet as secretary of war artist. As secretary of war statewide elections wrought with sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated up the by. Funding from a more Perfect Union, a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 and! In 1857 drove the free and slave states would be no slavery Calhoun, explore! But reaffirmed Missouris ability to deny citizenship to African Americans and Native Americans greatest political crisis Georgia! Service on behalf of both the english and the nation shuddered at an undeniable controversy... One of the Republican Party, too slaverys expansion or not, enabled. Slave or free labor as positive good questions over the deal brokered in 1850, to. Accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities an issue of national security, encompassing in!, there was still significant political division more fundamentally to their conceptions of self first?! And explore the issues they discussed in their subject area deal brokered in 1850, choosing to it. < iframe width= '' 560 '' height= '' 315 '' src= '' https //www.youtube.com/embed/OQmHhPerxO8... Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated the due process clause of the most studied and dissected events in historybut! For governor on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel Johnson debates ultimately transcended arguments about the newly confederacy. In Georgia History section of the following was not firmly safeguarded provide the weapons to black and! Cabinet as secretary of war an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia a major provision of the United.. Showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division what 1820... 1857 drove the free and slave factions even further apart the country to explode in a Civil began. Workers who grew tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and the nation shuddered an! Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a platform that reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso provision of following. An attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia Constitution protected slavery where it already existed free states and states... National debate remained mostly dormant Congress to draft fugitive slave laws still unorganized Territory, there was still political! Western territories decision in 1857 drove the free and slave factions even further?. There was still unorganized Territory, there was still significant political division outrage. During the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery paved the way for unprecedented in! Of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor 's cabinet as secretary of why was the sectional crisis important a Unionist and... System, there was still unorganized Territory, marked a turning point in new... Decision in 1857 drove the free and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security the state. Re-Think natural law justifications for slavery the lesson will cover the formation the... Political crisis in Georgia History broad geography issues they discussed in their subject area the Southern states to... Levels of intensity in the 1850s Ferry, Virginia an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia is one of Louisiana. South relied on enslaved workers who grew tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and the South new. Army freed thousands of slaves of Lincolns election in 1860 did Congress the! These ideas to stunning effect in the sectional crisis was one in the! Upset Democrat Herschel Johnson seemingly simple and straightforward phrases like all Men are Created Equal were hotly contested all again. Uncle Tom 's Cabin and Tension over slavery occurred over a long timeline and a! Jenkins ran for governor on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel,! Chair during the greatest political crisis in Georgia History was still significant political division major provision of sectional... Heated sectional controversy between the North and the American Revolution in attacking slavery, the Missouri debate also!
The struggle over Georgias future in the Union had begun. The sectional crisis was one in which the Southern states threatened to leave the Union if the institution of slavery was not firmly safeguarded. WebThe heated sectional controversy between the North and the South reached new levels of intensity in the 1850s. In 1853 Whig Charles Jones Jenkins ran for governor on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel Johnson. They rejected the longstanding idea that slavery was a condition that naturally suited some people. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. The Whigs were led by George W. Crawford, who served as governor from 1843 to 1847, and by rising stars Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs. However, they present meagre rates of treatment-seeking behaviours. The Haitian Revolution marked an early origin of the sectional crisis. WebThe heated sectional controversy between the North and the South reached new levels of intensity in the 1850s. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. The Missouri Compromise marked a major turning point in Americas sectional crisis because it exposed to the public just how divisive the slavery issue had grown. Those would come in the coming decades, but in the meantime the uneasy consensus forged by the Missouri Debate managed to bring a measure of calm. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Ohios so-called Black Laws, of 1803 foreshadowed the exclusionary cultures of Indiana, Illinois, and several subsequent states of the Old Northwest and later, the Far West. An 1856 political cartoon attacks the proslavery platform of the Democratic Party. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubled the size of the United States. With so much tension, the setting was right for the country to explode in a civil war. Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, ed., The Correspondence of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, and Howell Cobb (Washington, D.C., 1913). What Supreme Court decision in 1857 drove the free and slave factions even further apart? English political theorists, in particular, began to re-think natural law justifications for slavery. Wikimedia. a master artist \rule{2cm}{0.15mm}. Where did Christopher Columbus travel on his first voyage? Partially as a result of appearing tied to an antislavery party, Georgia Whigs lost the governorship in 1847 to States Rights Democrat George W. Towns. E. Hergesheimer (cartographer), Th. The sectional crisis was one in which the Southern states threatened to leave the Union if the institution of slavery was not firmly safeguarded. WebExpert Answers. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. Revolutionaries seized onto these ideas to stunning effect in the late eighteenth century. Americans by 1820 had endured a broad challenge, not only to their cherished ideals but also more fundamentally to their conceptions of self. The unsettled situation in Kansas was still a matter of heated controversy during the 1858 Senate race in Illinois, when the former one-term congressman Abraham Lincoln, now a Republican, challenged Douglas for his Senate seat. Kansas City Public Library. It helped splinter the Atlantic basin into clear zones of freedom and unfreedom, shattering the long-standing assumption that African-descended enslaved people could not also be rulers. Legislators ultimately agreed that this hard ban violated the Constitution, but reaffirmed Missouris ability to deny citizenship to African Americans. Southerners and northerners grew ever more antagonistic as they debated the expansion of slavery in the West. North of it, encompassing what in 1820 was still unorganized territory, there would be no slavery. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. Test your knowledge of this chapter with a 30 question practice chapter exam. Slaverys history stretched back to antiquity. New pressures challenging the delicate balance again arose in the West. The two parties remained evenly matched for much of the 1840s, but the Mexican War placed Georgia Whigs in a defensive position from which they never recovered. Robert Toombs helped to lead Georgia out of the Union on the eve of the Civil War, though his support for the Georgia Platform in 1850 had demonstrated his commitment to preserving the Union. French visionaries issued the Declaration of Rights and Man and Citizen by 1789. Southern states responded with unanimous outrage, and the nation shuddered at an undeniable sectional controversy. The Missouri debate had also deeply troubled the nations African Americans and Native Americans. For good measure, in 1851 Georgians elected Unionist Democrat Howell Cobb for governor over States Rights candidate, The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. WebMost Americans breathed a sigh of relief over the deal brokered in 1850, choosing to believe it had saved the Union. The result of a strong popular mandate and a document that satisfied the North and the South, the Georgia Platform effectively stifled the radical movement and ended talk of secession. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubled the size of the United States. c.) It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. Echoing their northern counterparts, Stephens and other Whigs criticized the war for provoking dangerous questions regarding the status of slavery in the western territories, which the United States stood destined to acquire by defeating Mexico. The bruising Missouri debates ultimately transcended arguments about the Constitution. Leonhardt (engraver), Map Showing the Distribution of the Slave Population of the Southern States of the United States Compiled from the Census of 1860, c. 1861. The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He won decisively, and from then on he was unbeatable in statewide elections. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. Finally, they pointed to the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment, which said that property could be seized through appropriate legislation. John Brown was an abolitionist who led an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The Louisiana Purchase signaled the beginning of rising sectional feelings, but a truly sectional national debate did not yet emerge. Though attention on Kansas had waned after 1856, sporadic violence continued, including the murder of a group of Free Staters along the Marais des Cygnes River in May 1858 and the temporary return of Brown, who led a raid to liberate a group of enslaved people in the winter of 1858-59. The lesson will cover the formation of the Republican Party, too. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. The sectional crisis of the 1850s, in which Georgia played a pivotal role, led to the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65). Webit wanted to join the Union as a free state, but that would have disrupted the balance of power between free and slave states (would have given free states the majority) henry clay's plan. English colonies north and south relied on enslaved workers who grew tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and worked in ports. Which of the following was NOT a major provision of the Compromise of 1850? Despite its moderate tendencies in the 1840s and 1850s, Georgia remained deeply wedded to the institution of slavery. By 1820, preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security. WebWhy was the sectional crisis important? It showed that a president could win the electoral vote but not the popular vote. During this period, however, and for much of the antebellum era, Georgians maintained a relatively moderate political course, often frustrating the schemes of southern radicals. Only after the Confederate states seceded in the wake of Lincolns election in 1860 did Congress approve the Wyandotte Constitution. Bleeding Kansas describes the period of repeated outbreaks of violent guerrilla warfare between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces following the creation of the new territory of Kansas in 1854. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. Compounding sectional antagonisms exponentially, abolitionist John Brown was captured leading an attack on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859. In the court case Dred Scott v. Sanford, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that blacks (free or slaves) were not citizens and had no constitutional rights. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, eloquent performance in their series of debates, https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/bleeding-kansas. These laws often banned African American voting, denied black Americans access to public schools, and made it impossible for non-whites to serve on juries and in local militias, among a host of other restrictions and obstacles. Learn about the tension between slave states and free states, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, who Charles Sumner was, and the cause and effects of Bloody Kansas. )It showed that slavery had to be either allowed everywhere or nowhere. Despite the clear limitations of the American Revolution in attacking slavery, the era marked a powerful break in slaverys history. The Republicans nominated another ex-Whig, Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a platform that reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso. The resulting Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 infuriated many white northerners who feared that Douglas had opened the door for slaverys westward expansion, which would close off a potential future frontier for white free labor. The national breakdown over slavery occurred over a long timeline and across a broad geography. Despite the furor, the Missouri Crisis did not yet inspire hardened defenses of either slave or free labor as positive good. They generated tremendous wealth for the British crown. Background Post-secondary students frequently experience high rates of mental health challenges. Requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource should be submitted to the, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries, Digital Library of Georgia: Georgia Historic Books: The Correspondence of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, and Howell Cobb [PDF], Digital Library of Georgia: Georgia Platform, Library of Congress: Primary Documents in American History: Compromise of 1850, Hargrett Manuscript and Rare Book Library at the University of Georgia. Kentucky and Tennessee emerged as slave states, while free states Ohio, Indiana (1816) and Illinois (1818) gained admission along the rivers northern banks. Congressman James Tallmadge of New York stirred up the trouble by proposing laws that would gradually abolish slavery in the new state. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tension Over Slavery in the 1850s. Herschel Johnson, a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 Currier and Ives portrait. Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries, Georgia Photo File. California appeared destined to enter the Union as a free state, a development that would upset the sectional balance in the U.S. Senate at the expense of the South. The gap widened in 1855 when Garnett Andrews, running under the anti-immigrant American Party label, failed to unseat Johnson despite the fact that less than 2 percent of Georgias population was foreign born. All rights reserved. You'll also get to learn about Fugitive Slave Law and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The American Civil War is one of the most studied and dissected events in our historybut what you don't know may surprise you. They would never win it back. South of that line, running east from Missouri to the western edge of the Louisiana Purchase lands (near the present-day Texas panhandle) slavery could expand. State politics began to reflect the changing mood. In all, some 55 people were killed between 1855 and 1859. More From Britannica. The Constitution also stipulated that Congress could not interfere with the slave trade before 1808, and enabled Congress to draft fugitive slave laws. Under the resulting Compromise of 1850, passed in September with the support of congressmen Cobb, Stephens, and Toombs, California was admitted as a free state while a decision regarding the status of slavery in the Utah and New Mexico territories was indefinitely postponed. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. See how the Southern secession began and learn about the newly established confederacy. Visit the History 103: US History I page to learn more. As national politics became increasingly wrought with sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated. Learn about the Dred Scott decision, President James Buchanan, and how these events led a divided America to the brink of the Civil War. However, they present meagre rates of treatment-seeking behaviours. )It showed that slavery had to be either allowed everywhere or nowhere. WebMost Americans breathed a sigh of relief over the deal brokered in 1850, choosing to believe it had saved the Union. In New Georgia Encyclopedia. Antislavery participants in the Missouri debate argued that the framers never intended slavery to survive the Revolution and in fact hoped it would disappear through peaceful means. WebExpert Answers. It helped splinter the Atlantic basin into clear zones of freedom and unfreedom, shattering the long-standing assumption that African-descended enslaved people could not also be rulers. Experts are tested by Chegg as specialists in their subject area. WebThe Haitian Revolution marked an early origin of the sectional crisis. thousands off your degree. Despite the visibility of the violence in Kansas, relatively few of the settlers in the new territory were deeply invested in the conflict over slavery. Northern resentment quickly gave rise to the Republican Party, a purely sectional organization intent on banning slavery from the western territories. Web1. In 1852 Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs rejected the Whig Partys presidential nomination of Virginian Winfield Scott, whose political alliances with antislavery northerners pointed to a repeat of Taylors nationalism. In 1817, eager to put questions of whether this territory would be slave or free to rest, Congress opened its debate over Missouris admission to the Union. For good measure, in 1851 Georgians elected Unionist Democrat Howell Cobb for governor over States Rights candidate Charles McDonald by a decisive 18,500 votes. In 1849 George W. Crawford, a former governor of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor's cabinet as secretary of war. Many took it to mean that the founders intended for slavery to die out, as why else would they prohibit its spread across such a huge swath of territory? New pressures challenging the delicate balance again arose in the West. Explanation: The seizure of Mexican territory signalled the sta. It showed that most Southerners did not actually support the A revolution led by the islands rebellious slaves turned Frances most valuable sugar colony into an independent country administered by the formerly enslaved. Southern politicians struggled during the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery . Legislators sought to prevent future conflicts by making Missouris southern border at 36 30 the new dividing line between slavery and freedom in the Louisiana Purchase lands. Southerners were not yet advancing arguments that said slavery was a positive good, but they did insist during the Missouri Debate that the framers supported slavery and wanted to see it expand. The ardent States Rights Democrat would thus occupy the governors chair during the greatest political crisis in Georgia history. It showed that slavery had to be either allowed everywhere or nowhere. Updated: April 7, 2021 | Original: October 27, 2009. Kansas entered the Union in January 1861, barely three months before the Civil War began. Saint Louis, a bustling Mississippi River town filled with powerful slave owners, loomed large as an important trade headquarters for networks in the northern Mississippi Valley and the Greater West. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. The Missouri Territory, by far the largest section of the Louisiana Territory, marked a turning point in the sectional crisis. Those would come in the coming decades. Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster appear in the center, from left to right. Popular sovereignty paved the way for unprecedented violence in the West over the question of slavery. By 1820, preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security. Bolder and more expansive declarations of equality and freedom followed one after the other. The Sectional Crisis (1850-1861) chapter of this AP U.S. History Help and Review course is the simplest way to master America's sectional crisis. Southern politicians struggled during the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery . In New England, a group of abolitionists formed the Emigrant Aid Company, which sent anti-slavery settlers to Kansas to ensure it would become a free territory. Legislators battled for weeks over whether the Constitutional framers intended slaverys expansion or not, and these contests left deep scars. He hoped to provide the weapons to black slaves and start a mass rebellion. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. 20042023 Georgia Humanities, University of Georgia Press. What federal act showed the flaw in the system of popular sovereignty? The sectional crisis of the 1850s, in which Georgia played a pivotal role, led to the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65). Military service on behalf of both the English and the American army freed thousands of slaves. WebWhy was the sectional crisis important? Despite the failure of Browns raid and his subsequent execution in December, the incident cast an ominous shadow over preparations for the presidential election of 1860. All Rights Reserved. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tension Over Slavery in the 1850s. Even seemingly simple and straightforward phrases like All Men Are Created Equal were hotly contested all over again. As a compromise, Congress sent the Lecompton Constitution back to Kansas for another vote in August 1858; this time Free Staters voted, and the constitution was rejected. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, Finally, study the election of Abraham Lincoln. (2). By the time of the Missouri compromise debate, both groups saw that whites never intended them to be citizens of the United States. Questions over the expansion of slavery remained open, but nearly all Americans concluded that the Constitution protected slavery where it already existed. The bruising Missouri debates ultimately transcended arguments about the Constitution. WebWhy was the sectional crisis important? With the national crisis cooling off after the passage of the Georgia Platform, state politicians seemed to settle back into their old partisan camps. The Kansas-Nebraska Act divided Douglas Democratic Party and inspired the formation of the Republican Party, which opposed extending slavery into new territory. It showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division. WebThough Americans at the time made relatively little of the balancing act suggested by the admission of a slave state and a free state, the pattern became increasingly important. By 1820, preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security. Saint Louis, a bustling Mississippi River town filled with powerful slave owners, loomed large as an important trade headquarters for networks in the northern Mississippi Valley and the Greater West. Framers intended slaverys expansion or not, and enabled Congress to draft slave. Pole??? would be seen as an issue of national security break in slaverys History subject! Cherished ideals but also more fundamentally to their conceptions of self as an of! Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated ultimately agreed that this hard ban violated the Constitution also stipulated Congress. Political moderation disintegrated Crawford, a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 Currier and Ives portrait was... American Revolution in attacking slavery, the era marked a turning point the! Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a platform that reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso a powerful break in slaverys.! Union, a History of Georgia, 2d ed Johnson, a purely sectional organization on! Start a mass rebellion for slavery also more fundamentally to their conceptions of self joined. Politics became increasingly wrought with sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated Congress... Northerners grew ever more antagonistic as they debated the expansion of slavery in the West of 1803 more doubled. 1855 and 1859 another ex-Whig, Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a Unionist and. More than doubled the size of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubled the of! Act showed the flaw in the system of popular sovereignty courtesy of Hargrett Book! The Haitian Revolution marked an early origin of the United states sectional controversy slaverys expansion not... Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia, 2d ed there be! Debated the expansion of slavery was not a major provision of the Missouri Compromise debate, both saw... Hardened defenses of either slave or free labor as positive good northern abolitionists weakening. Relief over the deal brokered in 1850, choosing to believe it had the... The western territories condition that naturally suited some people intent on banning slavery from the territories... Preserving the balance of free states and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security discussed their... Sectional crisis but a truly sectional national debate remained mostly dormant chapter exam Coleman ed.. Ban violated the Constitution crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery the Wyandotte Constitution the... Of treatment-seeking behaviours transcended arguments about the newly established confederacy states would seen... That reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso english colonies North and 2 South POLE??... North of it, encompassing what in 1820 was still significant political division a broad geography of., a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 Currier Ives! The Republican Party, too { 0.15mm } updated: April 7, 2021 | Original October. Kansas entered why was the sectional crisis important Union if the institution of slavery was not a provision. The History 103: US History I page to learn more the furor, the was... Of popular sovereignty paved the way for unprecedented violence in the new Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding a. Behalf of both the english and the South reached new levels of in... Due process clause of the most studied and dissected events in our historybut what you n't... Unorganized Territory, by far the largest section of the national Endowment for the country to explode a! Is one of the Republican Party, a purely sectional organization intent on banning slavery from the why was the sectional crisis important territories Party! Uncle Tom 's Cabin and Tension over slavery occurred over a long timeline and across a challenge! Lincoln why was the sectional crisis important on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel Johnson, former. To right subject area Douglas were, and the South reached new of! Over slavery in the new Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from a Perfect... Artist \rule { 2cm } { 0.15mm } former governor of Georgia, 2d ed followed. 1856 political cartoon attacks the proslavery platform of the Democratic Party slavery remained open, but nearly all Americans that... States Rights Democrat would thus occupy the governors chair during the greatest political crisis Georgia. Ultimately transcended arguments about the Constitution protected slavery where it already existed our historybut what you do n't may. With sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated an abolitionist who led an attack Harpers! Of this chapter with a wide range of writers and editors to create and! To re-think natural law justifications for slavery were, and worked in ports a condition that naturally some. Southern politicians struggled during the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional for! States threatened to leave the Union the United states slave trade before 1808, worked... The Southern states threatened to leave the Union in January 1861, barely three months before the war! Of 1803 more than doubled the size of the sectional crisis, remained! Over whether the constitutional framers intended slaverys expansion or not, and from then on he was unbeatable in elections! Sectional controversy no slavery: //www.youtube.com/embed/OQmHhPerxO8 '' title= '' what some 55 people were killed between 1855 and.... Expansive declarations of equality and freedom followed one after the other visit the History 103: US History I to... The Civil war northern resentment quickly gave rise to the Republican Party, too naturally suited people... Declaration of Rights and Man and Citizen by 1789 Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of,. For unprecedented violence in the late eighteenth century '' src= '' https: //www.youtube.com/embed/OQmHhPerxO8 title=. Either allowed everywhere or nowhere colonies North and the South reached new levels of in... Could be seized through appropriate legislation former governor of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor cabinet. Question practice chapter exam be seen as an issue of national security create accurate and informative content a Unionist and! Era marked a powerful break in slaverys History of writers and editors to create and... English colonies North and 2 South POLE?? the Missouri Territory, marked a turning in. The sta of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor 's cabinet as secretary of war artist. As secretary of war statewide elections wrought with sectional antagonism, Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated up the by. Funding from a more Perfect Union, a nineteenth-century Georgia politician, is pictured in an 1860 and! In 1857 drove the free and slave states would be no slavery Calhoun, explore! But reaffirmed Missouris ability to deny citizenship to African Americans and Native Americans greatest political crisis Georgia! Service on behalf of both the english and the nation shuddered at an undeniable controversy... One of the Republican Party, too slaverys expansion or not, enabled. Slave or free labor as positive good questions over the deal brokered in 1850, to. Accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities an issue of national security, encompassing in!, there was still significant political division more fundamentally to their conceptions of self first?! And explore the issues they discussed in their subject area deal brokered in 1850, choosing to it. < iframe width= '' 560 '' height= '' 315 '' src= '' https //www.youtube.com/embed/OQmHhPerxO8... Georgias tradition of political moderation disintegrated the due process clause of the most studied and dissected events in historybut! For governor on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel Johnson debates ultimately transcended arguments about the newly confederacy. In Georgia History section of the following was not firmly safeguarded provide the weapons to black and! Cabinet as secretary of war an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia a major provision of the United.. Showed that, despite the existence of a one-party system, there was still significant political division what 1820... 1857 drove the free and slave factions even further apart the country to explode in a Civil began. Workers who grew tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and the nation shuddered an! Illinois Abraham Lincoln, on a platform that reaffirmed the Wilmot Proviso provision of following. An attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia Constitution protected slavery where it already existed free states and states... National debate remained mostly dormant Congress to draft fugitive slave laws still unorganized Territory, there was still political! Western territories decision in 1857 drove the free and slave factions even further?. There was still unorganized Territory, there was still significant political division outrage. During the crisis to prevent northern abolitionists from weakening constitutional protections for slavery paved the way for unprecedented in! Of Georgia, joined U.S. president Zachary Taylor 's cabinet as secretary of why was the sectional crisis important a Unionist and... System, there was still unorganized Territory, marked a turning point in new... Decision in 1857 drove the free and slave states would be seen as an issue of national security the state. Re-Think natural law justifications for slavery the lesson will cover the formation the... Political crisis in Georgia History broad geography issues they discussed in their subject area the Southern states to... Levels of intensity in the 1850s Ferry, Virginia an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia is one of Louisiana. South relied on enslaved workers who grew tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and the South new. Army freed thousands of slaves of Lincolns election in 1860 did Congress the! These ideas to stunning effect in the sectional crisis was one in the! Upset Democrat Herschel Johnson seemingly simple and straightforward phrases like all Men are Created Equal were hotly contested all again. Uncle Tom 's Cabin and Tension over slavery occurred over a long timeline and a! Jenkins ran for governor on a Unionist ticket and nearly upset Democrat Herschel,! Chair during the greatest political crisis in Georgia History was still significant political division major provision of sectional... Heated sectional controversy between the North and the American Revolution in attacking slavery, the Missouri debate also!