Chapter 18: Renewing the Sectional Struggle

1. The Popular Sovereignty Panacea 1. Each of the two great political parties was a vital bond of national unity, for each enjoyed powerful support in both North and South; to politicians, the wisest strategy see ed to be to sit on the lid of the slavery issue and ignore it; the cover bobbed up and down in response to the agitation of northern abolitionists and i passioned southern !fire"eaters# $. %n&ious 'e ocrats were forced to see( a new stand"bearer in 1)*); President Pol(, bro(en in health by overwor(, had pledged hi self to a single ter as president 1. The 'e ocratic National +onvention at ,alti ore turned to an aging leader, -eneral .ewis +ass, a veteran of the /ar of 1)1$; although a senator and diplo at, he was sour"visaged and so ewhat po pous0silent about issue of slavery in the territories $. %lthough the 'e ocratic party was silent, +ass was not silent; his views on the e&tension of slavery were well (nown because he was the reputed father of !popular sovereignty#0doctrine that stated that the principles of the +onstitution, should the selves deter ine the status of slavery in their separate state 1. Popular sovereignty had a persuasive appeal; the public li(ed it because it accorded with the de ocratic tradition of self"deter ination; politicians li(ed it because it see ed a co fortable co pro ise between the abolitionist bid for a band on slavery in the territories and southern de ands that +ongress protect slavery in the territories 1. Popular sovereignty tossed the slavery proble into the laps of the people in the various territories; advocates of the principle thus hoped to dissolve the ost stubborn national issue of the day into a series of local issues 2spread issue out3 $. Popular sovereignty had one fatal defect4 it ight serve to spread the blight of slavery 1. The /higs, eeting in Philadelphia, cashed in on the !Taylor fever# 1. They no inated the honest 5achary Taylor, the !6ero of ,uena 7ista,# who had never held civil office or even voted for president; 6enry +lay should logically have been no inated but +lay had ade too any speeches0and too any ene ies $. The /higs eager to win at any cost, dodged troubleso e issues and erely e&tolled ho espun virtues of their candidate0the frontier fighter had not co itted hi self on the issue of slavery e&tension but he did own slaves on his sugar plantation 1. %rdent antislavery en in the North, distrusting both +ass and Taylor, organi8ed the 9ree Soil party0aroused by the conspiracy of silence in the 'e ocratic and /hig platfor s, the 9ree"Soilers ade no bones about their own stand0they ca e out for the /il ot Proviso and against slavery in the territories *. -oing beyond other antislavery groups, they broadened appeal by advocating federal aid for internal i prove ents and by urging free govern ent ho esteads for settlers $. The new party asse bled a strange assort ent of new fellows in the sa e political bed 1. :t attracted industrialists iffed at Pol(;s reduction of protective tariffs; it appealed to 'e ocrats resentful of Pol(;s settling for a part of <regon while insisting on all of Te&as0a disparity that suggested a enacing southern do inance a ong 'e ocrats $. :t harbored any northerners who hatred was directed not so uch at slavery as at blac(s and who gagged at the prospect of sharing the newly ac=uired western territories with %frican % ericans0it also contained a large ele ent of !conscience /higs,# heavily influenced by the abolitionist crusade, who conde ned slavery 1. The 9ree"Soilers trotted out wi8ened for er president 7an ,uren and arched into the fray, shouting, !9ree soil, free speech, free labor, and free en# *. 9ree"Soilers conde ned slavery not so uch for enslaving blac(s but for destroying the chances of free white wor(ers to rise up fro wage"earning dependence to the estee ed status of self"e ploy ent 2only could be acco plished with free soil3 >. %s the first inclusive party organi8ed around issue of slavery and confined to a

$. Political Triu phs for -eneral Taylor

single section, the 9ree Soil party foreshadowed the e ergence of the ?epublican party 1. /ith the slavery issue officially shoved under the rug by the two ajor parties, the politicians on both sides opened fire on personalities; the a ateurish Taylor had to be carefully watched, lest his pen puncture the reputation won by his sword 1. 6is ad irers puffed hi up as a gallant (night and slogani8ed his re ar(, allegedly uttered during the ,attle of ,uena 7ista, !-eneral Taylor never surrenders# $. Taylor;s warti e popularity pulled hi though and 9ree"Soiler 7an ,uren diverted enough 'e ocratic strength fro +ass in New @or( to throw the election to Taylor 1. President Taylor was a ilitary s=uare peg in a political round hole; he would have been spared uch tur oil if could have continued to sit on the lid; but the discovery of gold in +alifornia, early in the year of 1)*), blew the cover off 1. % horde of adventurers poured into the valleys of +alifornia singing !< SusannahA# and shouting !-oldA -oldA -oldA# began tearing at the yellow"graveled strea s and hills; a fortunate few of the bearded iners !struc( it rich# at the !diggings# $. ,ut the luc(less any probably would have been oney well ahead if they had stayed at ho e unaffected by the !gold fever# which was often followed by ore deadly fevers0the ost reliable profits were ade by those who ined the iners, notably by charging outrageous rates for laundry and other personal services $. The overnight inpouring of tens of thousands of people into the future -olden State co pletely overwhel ed the one"horse govern ent of +alifornia0a distressingly high proportion of the newco ers were lawless en, acco panied by virtue"less wo en 1. %n outburst of cri e inevitably resulted fro the presence of so any iscreants and outcasts; robbery, clai ju ping, and urder were co onplace and such violence was only partly discouraged by rough vigilante justice 2few hangings in San 9rancisco3 *. % ajority of +alifornians, as decent and law"abiding citi8ens needing protection, grappled earnestly with the proble of erecting an ade=uate state govern ent 1. Privately encouraged by President Taylor, they drafted a constitution in 1)*B that e&cluded slavery and then boldly applied to +ongress for ad ission $. +alifornia would thus bypass the usual territorial stage, thwarting southern congress en see(ing to bloc( free soil0southern politicians arose in opposition >. /ould +alifornia prove to by the golden straw the bro(e the bac( of the CnionD 1. The South of 1)>E was relatively well"off; it then enjoyed ore than its share of the nation;s leadership and it had seated the war 6ero 5achary Taylor, fro .ouisiana 1. :t boasted a ajority in the cabinet and on the Supre e +ourt; if outnu bered in the 6ouse, the South had e=uality in the Senate, where it could at least neutrali8e $. :ts cotton fields were e&panding and cotton prices were profitably high; few people believed that slavery was seriously threatened where it already e&isted below the Fason"'i&on line0fifteen slave states could veto any constitutional a end ent $. @et the South was deeply worried, as it had been for several decades, by ever"tipping political balance; there were then fifteen slaves sates and fifteen free states; the ad ission of +alifornia would destroy the delicate e=uilibriu in the Senate, perhaps forever 1. Potential slave territory under the % erican flab was running short, if it had not in fact disappeared; agitation had already developed in the territories of New Fe&ico and Ctah for ad ission as non"slave states0the fate of +alifornia ight well set a precedent for the rest of the Fe&ican +ession territory 2purchased with Southerners3 $. Te&as clai ed a huge area east of the ?io -rande and north to the forty"second parallel, e bracing in part about half the territory of present"day New Fe&ico 1. The federal govern ent was proposing to detach this pri8e while Te&ans were threatening to descend upon Santa 9e and sei8e what they regarded as rightfully theirs *. Fany southerners were also angered by the nagging agitation in the North for the abolition of slavery in the 'istrict of +olu bia 2prospect of free soil in between3

1. +aliforny -old#

*. Sectional ,alance and the Cnderground ?ailroad

1. Even ore disagreeable to the South was the loss of runaway slaves, any of who were assisted north by the Cnderground ?ailroad0virtual freedo train consisted of an infor al chain of !stations# through which scores of runaway slaves were spirited by conductors usually white and blac( abolitionists fro the slave states to free"soil +anada *. The ost a a8ing of these !conductors# was an illiterate runaway slave fro Faryland, fearless 6arriet Tub an; during nineteen forays into the South, she rescued ore than three hundred slaves and deservedly earn the title of !Foses# >. ,y 1)>E southerners were de anding a new and ore stringent fugitive"slave law; the old one passed +ongress in 1GB1 had proved inade=uate to cope with runaways, especially since unfriendly state authorities failed to provide needed cooperation 1. The abolitionists who ran the Cnderground ?ailroad did not gain personally fro their lawlessness but to the slaveowners the loss was infuriating, whatever the otive $. Esti ates indicate that the South in 1)>E was losing perhaps 1,EEE runaways a year out of its so e * illion slaves; in fact, ore blac(s probably gain their freedo by self"purchase or voluntary e ancipation than ever escaped 1. ,ut the slave asters rested their argu ent on the +onstitution which protected slavery, and on the laws of +ongress, who provided for slave"catching 1. Southern fears were such that +ongress was confronted with catastrophe in 1)>E 1. 9ree"soil +alifornia was banging on the door for ad ission, and !fire"eaters# in the South were voicing o inous threats of secession; the crisis brought into the congressional foru the ost distinguished asse bled of states en since the +onstitutional +onvention of 1G)G0+lay, +alhoun, and /ebster 2last ti e together3 $. 6enry +lay played a crucial role; the !-reat Pacificator# had co e to the Senate fro Hentuc(y to engineer his third great co pro ise0he was still elo=uent and lively 1. 6e proposed and defended a series of co pro ises; he was ably seconded by Senator Stephen 'ouglas of :llinois 2!.ittle -rant#3 whose role was ore i portant *. +lay urged with all his persuasiveness that North and South both a(e concessions and that the North partially tiled by enacting a ore feasible fugitive" slave law $. Senator Iohn +. +alhoun, !-reat Nullifier# cha pioned South in his last for al speech 1. %lthough approving the purpose of +lay;s proposed concessions, +alhoun rejected the as not providing ade=uate safeguards $. 6is i passioned plea was to slave slavery alone, return runaway slaves, give the South its rights as a inority, and restore the political balance; he had an utterly unwor(able sche e of electing two presidents, one fro the North and the South 1. +alhoun died in 1)>E, before the debate was over; +alhoun had labored to preserve the Cnion and had ta(en his stand on the +onstitution 1. 'aniel /ebster ne&t too( the Senate spotlight to uphold +lay;s co pro ise easures in his last great speech; he urged all reasonable concessions to the South, including the 9S. 1. To legislate on the subject was an act of sacrilege for the %l ighty -od had already passed the /il ot Proviso; the good .ord had decreed that a plantation econo y and hence a slave econo y could not profitably e&ist in the Fe&ican +ession territory 2co pro ise, concession, and reasonableness were solutions3 $. /ebster;s fa ed Seventh of Farch speech, 1)>E, was his finest; it helped turn the tide in the North toward co pro ise 2strengthened Cnion senti ent3 1. :t was especially pleasing to the ban(ing and co ercial centers of the North, which stood to lose illions of dollars by secession; but abolitions, who had assu ed /ebster was one of the , upbraided hi as a traitor *. /ebster had long regarded slavery as evil but disunion as worse, had, in fact, always despised the abolitionists and never joined their ran(s 1. The stor y congressional debate of 1)>E was not finished, for the @oung -uard fro the North were yet to have their say; this was a group of newer leaders who, unli(e the aging <ld -uard, had not grown up with the Cnion 2interested in purging and purifying3

>. Twilight of the Senatorial -iants

J. 'eadloc( and 'anger on +apitol 6ill

1. /illia 6. Seward, fresh an senator fro New @or(, was the able spo(es an for any of the younger northern radicals; a strong antislaveryite, he ca e out clearly against concession 2he did not reali8e that co pro ise brought Cnion together3 $. Seward argued that +hristian legislators ust obey -od;s oral law as well as an;s undane law; he therefore appealed with reference to e&cluding slavery in the territories to an even high law than the +onstitution 2cost hi presidency3 $. %s the great debate in congress ran its heated course, deadloc( see ed certain; President Taylor who had allegedly fallen under the influence of en li(e !6igher .aw# Seward, see ed bent on vetoing any co pro ise passed by +ongress 1. 6is ilitary ire was aroused by the threats of Te&as to sei8e Santa 9e; he appeared to be doggedly deter ined to !Iac(soni8e# dissenters, by leading an ar y against the $. :f troops had begun to arch, the South probably would have rallied to the defense of Te&as, and the +ivil /ar ight have erupted in 1)>E, earlier that its actual date 1. %t the height of the controversy in 1)>E, President Taylor un(nowingly helped the cause of concession by dying suddenly, probably of an acute intestinal disorder 1. 7ice President Fillard 9ill ore, a conciliatory New @or( lawyer"politician too( over $. %s presiding officer of the Senate, he had been i pressed with the argu ents for conciliation, and he gladly signed the series of co pro ise easures that passed +ongress after seven long onths of stor y debate 2balancing of interests3 1. The struggle to get these easures accepted by the country was hardly less heated than in +ongress; in the northern states, !Cnion savers# li(e Senators +lay, /ebster, and 'ouglas orated on behalf of the co pro ise 2acceptance crystalli8ed in North3 *. :t was strengthened by a growing spirit of goodwill, which sprang partly fro a feeling of relief and partly fro an upsurge of prosperity enriched by +alifornia gold $. The !fire"eaters# of the south were still violently opposed to concession; a ove ent in the South to boycott northern goods gained so e headway, but in the end the southern Cnionists, assisted by the war glow of prosperity, prevailed 1. :n id"1)>E an asse blage of southern e&tre ists had et in Nashville, Tennessee and not only too( a strong position in favor of slavery but conde ned the co pro ise easures then being ha ered out in +ongress 2 eeting again after the bills passed, the convention proved to be a dud0southern opinion had accepted the verdict of +ongress3 *. .i(e the cal after a stor , a second Era of -ood 9eelings dawned; dis=uieting tal( of secession subsided and peace"loving people were deter ined that the co pro ises should be a !finality# and that the e&plosive issue of slavery should be buried 1. The North clearly got the better deal in the +o pro ise of 1)>E 1. +alifornia, as a free state, tipped the Senate balance per anently against the South $. The territories of New Fe&ico and Ctah were open to slavery on the basis of popular sovereignty; but the iron law of nature had loaded the dice in favor of free soil 1. The southerners urgently needed ore slave territory to restore the !sacred balance# and if they could not carve new states out of the recent con=uest fro Fe&ico, where else ight they get the D :n the +aribbean was one answer $. Even the apparent gains of the South rang hollow; disgruntled Te&as was to be paid K1E illion toward discharging its indebtedness, but in the long run this was a odest su 1. The i ense area in dispute had been torn fro the side of slaveholding Te&as and was al ost certain to be free0the South had halted the drive towards abolition in the 'istrict of +olu bia, by per itting the outlawing of the slave trade in the federal district *. Fost alar ing of all, the drastic new 9ugitive Slave .aw of 1)>E0!the ,loodhound ,ill#0 stirred up a stor of opposition in the North; the fleeing slaves could not testify in their own behalf and they were denied a jury trial; these harsh practices, so e citi8ens feared, threatened to create dangerous precedents for white % ericans 1. The federal co issioner who handled the case of a fugitive would receive five

G. ,rea(ing the +ongressional .ogja

). ,alancing the +o pro ise Scales

dollars if the runaway were freed and ten dollars if not0rese bling a bribe $. 9reedo "loving northerners who aided the slave to escape were liable to heavy fines and jail sentences; they ight even be ordered to join the slave"catchers >. So savage was this !Fan"Stealing .aw# that it touched off an e&plosive chain reaction in the North; any shoc(ed oderates were driven into swelling ran(s of the antislaveryites J. The Cnderground ?ailroad stepped up its ti etable and infuriated northern obs rescued slaves fro their pursers; Fassachusetts, in a ove toward nullification ade it a penal offense for any state official to enforce the new federal statute G. <ther states passed !personal liberty laws,# which denied local jails to federal officials and otherwise ha pered enforce ent; the abolitionists protested against the statue ). The 9ugitive Slave law was an appalling blunder on the part of the South 1. No single irritant of the 1)>Es was ore persistently galling to both sides, and none did ore to awa(en in the North a spirit of antagonis against the South $. The southerners in turn were e bittered because the northerners would not in good faith e&ecute the law0the one real and i ediate southern !gain# fro the -reat +o pro ise; slave"catchers redoubled their efforts, with so e success 1. Should the shooting showdown have co e in 1)>E0fro the standpoint of the secessionists, ye; fro the standpoint of the Cnionists, no 2ti e fighting for North3 *. /ith every passing decade, this huge section was forging further ahead in population and wealth0in crops, factories, foundries, ships, and railroads B. 'elay also added i ensely to the oral strength of the North0to its will to fight for the Cnion; in 1)>E thousands of northern oderates were unwilling to pin the South; the infla atory events of the 1)>Es did uch to bolster the @an(ee will to resist secession 1E.This one feverish decade gave the North ti e to accu ulate the aterial and oral strength that provided the argin of victory0+o pro ise of 1)>E helped the Cnion win 1. Feeting in ,alti ore, the 'e ocratic no inating convention of 1)>$ startled the nation; hopelessly deadloc(ed, it finally sta peded to the second !dar( horse# candidate in % erican history, an unrenowned lawyer"politician, 9ran(lin Pierce 2fro N63 1. Pierce was a wea( and indecisive figure; he served without real distinction in the Fe&ican /ar; he was (nown as the !9ainting -eneral# 2fondness of alcohol3 $. 6e was ene yless because he had been inconspicuous and as a prosouthern northerner, he was acceptable to the slavery wing of the 'e ocratic party 1. 6is platfor ca e out e phatically for the finality of the +o pro ise of 1)>E $. The /higs, also convening in ,alti ore, issed a splendid opportunity to capitali8e on their record in statecraft; able to boast of a praiseworthy achieve ent in the +o pro ise of 1)>E, they ight have logically no inated President 9ill ore or Senator /ebster 1. ,ut having won in the past only with ilitary heroes, they turned to another, !<ld 9uss and 9eathers# /infield Scott, perhaps the ablest % erican general of his generation 1. %lthough he was a huge and i pressive figure, his anner bordered on haughtiness $. 6is personality not only repelled the asses but eclipsed his genuinely states anli(e achieve ents; the /hig platfor praised the +o pro ise of 1)>E as a lasting arrange ent, though less enthusiastically than the 'e ocrats *. /ith slavery and sectionalis to so e e&tent soft"pedaled, the ca paign again degenerate into a dull and childish attac( on personalities0'e ocrats ridiculed Scott;s po posity and /higs charged that Pierce was the hero of ! any a well"fought bottle# >. .uc(ily for 'e ocrats, the /hig party was split; antislavery Northern /higs swallowed Scott as their no inee but deplored his platfor , which endorsed the hate 9ugitive Slave .aw; Southern /higs, who doubted Scott;s loyalty to the +o pro ise of 1)>E and especially the 9ugitive Slave .aw, accepted the platfor but spat on the candidate J. -eneral Scott, victorious on the battlefield, et defeat at the ballot bo&; he was stabbed in the bac( by his fellow /higs, notably in the South 2Pierce won in a landslide3 G. The election of 1)>$ was fraught with frightening significance, though it ay have see ed ta e at the ti e; it ar(ed the effective end of the disorgani8ed /hig party 1. The /higs; de ise augured the eclipse of national parties and the worriso e rise of purely sectional political align ents; the /higs were governed at ti es by the crassest opportunis , and they won only two presidential elections 2both war

B. 'efeat and 'oo /higs

for the

heroes3 $. They finally cho(ed to death trying to swallow the distasteful 9ugitive Slave .aw 1. Their great contribution was to help uphold the ideal of the Cnion through their electoral strength in the South and through the elo=uence of leaders li(e 6enry +lay and 'aniel /ebster0both contributed powerfully to preservation of a Cntied States 1. %t the outset the Pierce ad inistration displayed vigor; his cabinet contained aggressive southerners, including as secretary of war one Iefferson 'avis, future president of the +onfederacy0people of 'i&ie were deter ined to ac=uire ore slave territory $. The into&icating victories of the Fe&ican /ar sti ulated the spirit of Fanifest 'estiny 1. The con=uest of a Pacific frontage, and discovery of gold on it, aroused lively interest in the transisth ian land routes of +entral % erica, chiefly in Pana a and Nicaragua $. Fany % ericans were loo(ing even further ahead to potential canal routes and to the islands flan(ing the , notably Spain;s +uba 2visions fired a bitions3 1. They lusted for new territory after the +o pro ise of 1)>E see ingly closed ost of the lands of the Fe&ican +ession to the !peculiar institution# 1. Southerners too( a special interest in Nicaragua; a bra8en % erican adventurer, /illia /al(er, tried repeatedly to grab control of this +entral % erican country in the 1)>Es 1. ,ac(ed by an ar ed force recruited largely in the South, he installed hi self as president in Iuly 1)>J and pro ptly legali8ed slavery 2offering Nicaragua3 $. ,ut a coalition of +entral % erican nations for ed an alliance to overthrow hi ; President Pierce withdrew diplo atic recognition and he died in 1)JE *. Nicaragua was also of vital concern to -reat ,ritain, the world;s leading ariti e and co ercial power; fearing that the grasping @an(ees would onopoli8e the trade arteries there, the ,ritish ade hast to secure a solid foothold at -reytown 2in Nicaragua3 >. This challenge to the Fonroe 'octrine raised the ugly possibility of an ar ed clash J. The crisis was sur ounted in 1)>E by the +layton",ulwer Treaty, which stipulated that neither % erica nor ,ritain would fortify or secure e&clusive control over any future isth ian waterway0the agree ent see ed necessary to halt the ,ritish G. % erica had beco e a Pacific power with the ac=uisition of +alifornia and <regon, both of which faced %sia0the prospects of a rich trade with the 9ar East now see ed possible 1. % ericans had already established contacts with +hina and shippers were urging /ashington to push for co ercial intercourse with Iapan $. The i(ado;s e pire had withdrawn into isolationis and had re ained there for over two hundred years; the Iapanese were so protective that they prohibited shipwrec(ed foreign sailors fro leaving and refused to read it Iapan their own sailors who had been washed up on the /est +oast of North % erica 1. ,ut by 1)>1, as events proved, Iapan was ready to e erge fro reclusion 2?ussia3 ). The /ashington govern ent dispatched a fleet of aweso e, s o(e"belching warships, co anded by +o odore Fatthew +. Perry, brother of the hero of ,attle of .a(e Erie B. ,y judicious display of force and tact, he persuaded the Iapanese in 1)>* to sign a e orable treaty; it provided for only a co ercial foot in the door 1E.,ut it was the beginning of an epochal relationship between the .and of the ?ising Sun and the /estern world; this achieve ent attracted little notice at the ti e 2no slogan3 1. Sugar"rich +uba, lying off the nation;s southern doorstep was the pri e objective of Fanifest 'estiny in the 1)>Es; supporting a large population of enslaved blac(s, it was coveted by the South as the ost desirable slave territory available 2restore balanceD3 $. +uba was a (ind of heirloo 0the ost i portant re nant of Spain;s once" ighty New /orld e pire; Pol(, the e&pansionist, had ta(en steps to offer K1EE illion for it, but the sensitive Spaniards had replied that they wouldn;t sell it to the % ericans at any price 1. /ith purchase co pletely out of the =uestion, sei8ure was apparently the only way to pluc( the ripening fruit; private adventurers for the South now undertoo( to sha(e the tree of Fanifest 'estiny01)>E"1)>1, two !filibustering# e&peditions set out

1E.President Pierce the E&pansionist

11.+oveted +uba4 Pearl of the %ntilles

3.
*. >.

J. G.

$. Each nu bering several hundred ar ed en, they descended upon +uba 1. ,oth feeble efforts were repelled and latter ended in tragedy when the leader and fifty followers were su arily shot or strangled 2 any fro best fa ilies of South3 *. %n angry ob of southerners sac(ed Spain;s consulate in New <rleans Spanish officials in +uba rashly forced a showdown in 1)>* when they sei8ed an % erican stea er, Black Warrior, on a technicality; now was the ti e for President Pierce, do inated as he was by the South, to provo(e a war with Spain and sei8e +uba The ajor powers of Europe 2England, 9rance, and ?ussia3 were about to beco e bogged down in the +ri ean /ar and hence were unable to aid Spain % cloa("and"dagger episode followed; the secretary of state instructed the % erican inisters in Spain, England and 9rance to prepare confidential reco endations for the ac=uisition of +uba; eet at <stend, ,elgiu , the three envoys drew up a top"secret dispatch, soon (nown as <stend Fanifesto 2urged ad inistration to offer K1$E illion3 1. :f Spain refused, and if its continued ownership endangered % erican interests, the Cnited States would !be justified in wresting# the island fro the Spanish $. The secret <stend Fanifesto =uic(ly lea(ed out and northern free"soilers, already angered by 9ugitive Slave .aw, rose in an outburst against the anifesto of brigands# 1. +onfronted with disruption, the Pierce ad inistration was forced to drop its sche es +learly the slavery issue deadloc(ed territorial e&pansion in the 1)>Es; the North was developing a renewed appetite for +anada and the South coveted +uba 2+ri ean /ar3 Neither section would per it the other to get the apple of its eye, so neither got either

1$.Pacific ?ailroad Pro oters and the -adsden Purchase

1. %cute transportation proble s were another legacy of the Fe&ican /ar; the newly ac=uired pri8es of +alifornia and <regon ight just as well been re ote islands 1. The sea routes to and for the :sth us of Pana a were too long; covered wagon travel past bleaching ani al bones was possible but slow and dangerous $. 9easible land transportation was i perative or the newly won possessions on the Pacific +oast ight brea( away; ca els were even proposed as the answer0they were i ported fro the Near East but % ericans could not adjust to the 1. % transcontinental railroad was clearly the only real solution to the proble $. ?ailroad pro oters, both North and South, had projected any drawing"board routes to the Pacific +oast but eh esti ated cost in all cases was so great that for any years there could obviously be only one line0should its ter inus be in the North or the SouthD 1. The favored section would reap rich rewards in wealth, population, and influence; the South, losing the econo ic race to the North, was eager to e&tend a railroad through adjacent southwestern territory all the way to +alifornia *. %nother chun( of Fe&ico now see ed desirable, because the ca paigns of the recent war had shown that the best railway route ran slightly south of the Fe&ican border 1. Secretary of /ar Iefferson 'avis, a Fississippian, arranged to have Ia es -adsden, a pro inent South +arolina railroad an, appointed inister to Fe&ico $. 9inding Santa %nna in power for the si&th and last ti e, and as usually in need of oney, -adsden ade gratifying headway0he negotiated a treaty in 1)>1 1. The -adsden Purchase area was ceded to the CS in 1)>1 for K1E illion *. The transaction aroused uch criticis a ong northerners, who objected to paying a huge su for a cactus"strewn desert nearly the si8e of -adsden;s South +arolina >. The coveted railroad enabled the South to clai the coveted railroad with even great insistence; a southern trac( would be easier to build because the ountains were less high and because the route would not pass through unorgani8ed territory 2Te&as and NF3 J. %ny northern or central railroad would have to be thrust through the unorgani8ed territory of Nebras(a, where the buffalo and :ndians roa ed; northern railroad boosters =uic(ly replied that if organi8ed territory were the test, then Nebras(a should be organi8ed G. Such a ove was not pre ature, because thousands of land"hungry pioneers were already poised on the Nebras(a border; but all sche es proposed in +ongress for organi8ing the territory were greeted with apathy or hostility by any southerners

11.'ouglas;s Hansas" Nebras(a Sche e

1. :n 1)>*, Senator Stephen %. 'ouglas of :llinois delivered a counterstro(e to offset the -adsden thrust for southern e&pansion westward in the Cnited States 1. .ittle -iant# radiated the energy and bree8y opti is of the self" ade an; an ardent booster for the /est, he longed to brea( the North"South deadloc( over westward e&pansion and stretch a line of settle ents across the continent $. % !stea engine in breeches,# 'ouglas threw hi self behind a legislative sche e that would enlist the support of a reluctant South; the proposed Territory of Nebras(a would be sliced into two territories, Hansas and Nebras(a 1. Their status regarding slavery would be settled by popular sovereignty0a de ocratic concept to which 'ouglas and his western constituents were deeply attached *. Hansas, west of slaveholding Fissouri, would presu ably choose to beco e a slave state but Nebras(a, west of free"soil :owa, would presu ably beca e a free state $. 'ouglas;s Hansas"Nebras(a sche e ran into a for idable political obstacle; the Fissouri +o pro ise of 1)$E had forbidden slavery in proposed Nebras(a Territory, which lay north of the sacred 1J 1E; line and the only way to open the region would be to repeal it 1. This bold step 'ouglas was prepared to ta(e, even at the ris( of shattering the uneasy truce patched together by the +o pro ise of 1)>E 1. Fany southerners, who had not conceived of Hansas as slave soil, rose to the bait; here was the chance to gain one ore slave state0President Pierce supported it $. ,ut the Fissouri +o pro ise, could not be brushed aside lightly; whatever +ongress passes it can repeal, but by this ti e the North had co e to regard the sectional pact as al ost as sacred as the +onstitution itself 29ree"soilers e bers struc( bac(3 1. 9ree"soilers et their atch in 'ouglas, who was the ablest rough"and"tu ble debater of his generation; he ra ed the bill through +ongress, with strong support fro any southerners0political passions were so heated that there was bloodshed *. 'ouglas;s otive sin prodding anew the snarling dog of slavery have pu88led historians 1. 6is foes accused hi of angling for presidency in 1)>J; yet his ad irers have argued plausibly in his defense that if he had not cha pioned the bill, so eone would have $. 'ouglas acted so ewhat i pulsively and rec(lessly; he declared repeatedly that he did not care whether it was voted up or down in the territories; what he failed to perceive was that hundreds of thousands of his fellow citi8ens in the North did feel deeply on this oral issue 2repeal of Fissouri +o pro ise a breach of faith3 >. -enuine leaders ust foresee the possible effects of their oves; 'ouglas predicted a !hell of a stor ,# but he grossly underesti ated its proportions; though he had critics in the North, he still enjoyed a high degree of popularity a ong his following in the 'e ocratic party, especially in :llinois, a strong hold of popular sovereignty

1. The Hansas"Nebras(a %ct was one of the ost o entous easures ever to pass 1*.+ongress .egislates a +ivil +ongress; by one way of rec(oning, it greased the slippery slope to +ivil /ar /ar $. %ntislavery northerners were angered by what they conde ned as an act of bad faith; all future co pro ise with the South would be i easurably ore difficult 2conflict3 1. The 9ugitive Slave .aw of 1)>E, preciously enforced in the North only halfheartedly was a dead letter; Hansas"Nebras(a %ct wrec(ed two co pro ises4 that of 1)$E, which it repealed specifically and that of 1)>E, which northern opinion repealed indirectly *. The growing legion of antislaveryites gained nu erous recruits, who resented the grasping ove by the !slavocracy# for Hansas 2free"soilers tried to control Hansas3 >. The proud 'e ocrats were shattered by the Hansas"Nebras(a %ct; they did elect a president in 1)>J but he was the last they were to boost into the /hite 6ouse for $) years J. The ost durable offspring of the Hansas"Nebras(a blunder was the new ?epublican party; it sprang up spontaneously in the Fiddle /est, notably in /isconsin and Fichigan, as a ighty oral protest against the gains of slavery 2included /higs3 1. :t soon included disgruntled /higs, 'e ocrats, 9ree"Soilers, Hnow"Nothings, and other foes of the Hansas"Nebras(a %ct; the hodgepodge party spread eastward with the swiftness of a prairie fire and with the 8eal of a religious crusade

$. %t the beginning of 1)>*, it elected a ?epublican Spea( of the 6ouse of ?epresentatives within two years; never really a third"party ove ent, it erupted with such force as to beco e overnight the second ajor political party 2sectional3 1. The new ?epublican pLarty would not be allowed south of the Fason"'i&on line