Existing comment:
Conflict
Since the end of the American Revolution, conflict has been part of the American political landscape -- the product of a young nation still defining and shaping itself. Debate raged over the reach of the federal government, economic policy, and cultural values. More often that not those debates followed sectional lines: South vs North, agrarian vs industrial, decentralized vs centralized government, slave vs free.
One issue inflamed like no other: slavery. As the world at large became less tolerant of the institution, debate over slavery in the United Sates intensified. For eighty years, Congress walked on an ever-narrowing tight rope, trying to ease Southern fear of impending abolition while acknowledging the North's growing discomfort with slavery. Endless compromises satisfied few. In 1860, decades of conflict boiled over.
Legal: Dred Scott:
The debate over slavery found legal voice in the case of Dred Scott. Scott had once moved with his master to Illinois -- a state where slavery was illegal. He claimed that his residence in a free state invalidated his status as a slave. After an eleven year legal order, Scott lost his case before the United States Supreme Court. The court held that since Scott was a slave, he had no rights as a citizen and could not sue. Scott died in 1858 shortly after being freed by his master.
Physical: John Brown's Raid:
The debate over slavery found physical expression in John Brown's 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. A fierce abolitionist, Brown hoped to incide an uprising of slaves in Virginia by raiding the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry and distributing its weapons. His plan failed, and Brown was wounded, arrested, and hanged. The raid alarmed Southerners, prompting Northern mistrust and the formation of new militias. For some in the North, Brown became a martyr -- the embodiment of the sacrificed needed to rid the nation of slavery's scourge.
Political: The Election of 1860:
Many Southerners viewed the election of 1860 as a referendum on the future of slavery in the United States. To them, the election of Abraham Lincoln meant one thing: the federal government would halt the expansion of slavery into the territories. What could be next but the destruction of slavery itself? Convinced they could not remain part of the Union, Deep South states seceded in February 1861. They formed the Confederate States of America. |