Election of 1860

In 1860 the Democratic Party assembled to choose a presidential nominee. The Southern delegates wanted to have a federal code that protected the slaveholder's rights but the proposal was declined. So the Southern delegates left, and the other delegates picked Stephen Douglas as their candidate and the Southern democrats chose John C. Breckinridge. The Constitutional Union party chose John Bell as their candidate. The country was very divided because of this election and it showed that many parts of the country had very different views and opinions on different issues. The election showed the thoughts many different parts of the country had and what they believed. There were two campaigns one in the North and one in the South.The one in the North is pitting Lincoln against Douglas, and the one in the South is pitting Breckinridge against Bell. So the North and South were pretty split at the moment. In the end Lincoln won the majority of the votes. The people in the South were concerned about the slaveholder's rights and protecting them. Many abolitionists were probably on the side of the South because this would help them move forward in trying to abolish slavery.

John Brown's Raid

John Brown and Frederick Douglass had partnered up and Brown proposed that they should start a raid to free all the slaves and Brown knew that this would probably get him killed.  Douglass said no to this plan, and Brown had already prepared for this raid two year's later before the raid happened, he raised money and recruited men to invade the South. His goal was to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry and arm slaves from around the area. The raid happened on October 16 and John Brown led 21 men to Harpers Ferry and they captured the arsenal, an armory, and etc. But Brown's raid turned for the worst when a church bell rung and it warned many townspeople and farmers that a slave takeover was happening and the townspeople armed themselves, and a militia came in and trapped Brown's men. The men took refuge in a fire engine house and the Marines busted in and Brown's men fired at them. The leader knocked Brown unconscious. And as a result ten men were killed, five escaped, and seven including Brown were taken prisoner. So John Brown made an attempt to free the slaves, and that showed many slaves that they could take a stand against the whites. Abolitionists felt good that they could take a stand and that somebody actually did stand up to the whites and try to free the slaves. Even though his raid wasn't an success, it showed that some people tried to actually make a difference and get rid of slavery.

Lincoln Douglass Debates

Lincoln and Douglass had debates over popular sovereignty, slavery vs. free labor, and the legal and political status of black Americans. Lincoln was a little known lawyer, and Douglass was the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Both Lincoln and Douglass participated in seven major debates over these issues. Douglass and Lincoln both had different theories of slavery, Douglass believed that slavery could go no further and it wouldn't thrive without fertile land or soil. Lincoln believed that slavery would spread and that it wanted new territory. He believed slavery could become an institution and reduce laborers and it would become virtual slavery. Lincoln and Douglas had different views on the rights of blacks, they both believed that blacks were inferior to whites, but Lincoln said that blacks were equal to everybody and have the same rights that whites had. Douglas said "We are told by Lincoln that he is utterly opposed to the Dred Scott decision, and will not submit to it, for the reason that he says it deprives the negro of the rights and privileges of citizenship." So this shows that Lincoln had some sympathy for the blacks, and Douglas just believed that they were a minor race. Lincoln believed that blacks had rights and should have them and be citizens of the United States. Many abolitionists were probably on the side of Lincoln because abolitionists believed that blacks had and should have rights, and this helped them move towards abolition of slavery.

Dred Scott Case

Dred Scott was a slave that sued for his freedom, and he had lived in free states and territories and lost his status as a slave.  The Missouri Supreme Court gave him his freedom and then they reserved the decision and he was sent back into slavery two years later. The Chief Justice Roger B. Taney said that Scott had no right to sue the court because free blacks and slaves are not citizens of the United States. Also he said that Congress had no right to exclude slavery from federal territories since it was a violation of the Fifth Amendment if they excluded slavery from territories. The Court also said that the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights do not apply to blacks. Also they said that Douglas's doctrine of popular sovereignty was unconstitutional. The Court believed they were wrong at first to grant Scott his freedom because they realized that slaves or blacks were not citizens and they didn't have any rights to do anything. The Court ended the controversy over this case by intensifying the sectional strife, and the Court said that slaves have no rights and are inferior, and also they are bound to the white man. This didn't help in anyway the abolition of slavery, and many slaves were unhappy about this. Also many abolitionists didn't like this because the Court became strict on slavery and the rights they actually had.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The Kansas-Nebraska Act destroyed the Whig Party, divided the Democratic Party, and created the Republican Party. Stephen A. Douglas created the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and he eventually had a bill that created the two territories Kansas and Nebraska and also said that the Missouri Compromise was "inoperative and void."  Also it had become very difficult to organize Kansas and Nebraska.  The slaveholders in Missouri had bordered on both new states believing that slavery in there area was doomed if they were near a free territory. Lincoln said that slavery would not go into these states. Also he says that it's Nebraska's decision if they want slaves or not. Douglas believed in popular sovereignty and he said that new territories should say if they should be a slave state or a free state. He believed that popular sovereignty would avoid slavery agitation. The Kansas-Nebraska would help ease some frustration about slavery and whether slaves be allowed in certain territories. It doesn't help in anyway towards the abolition of slavery, but makes slavery become more organized.

Douglass Speech

I strongly agree with what Douglass is saying because he is speaking for the slaves. He's saying why what the meaning of Fourth of July is. The Fourth of July is a day where everybody should celebrate their independence and freedom. The Negro slaves don't have that freedom so it isn't fair for the people with freedom and independence. I'm trying to help the slaves move forward in life and help them claim their independence and freedom. They are treated unjustly and like outsiders, they are people just like everybody else so they should be treated the same. Douglass says things that are true about the way slaves are treated, and what it means for slaves to have freedom and for everyone to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Compromise of 1850 and Fugitive Slave Law

I am very unhappy with some aspects of the Compromise of 1850 like their being no restrictions on slavery in New Mexico and Utah, and the Fugitive Slave Law. Some parts of the Compromise I am for are California being admitted as a free state, and the slave trade being abolished in Washington D.C. This is a very unfair situation because the slaves have no say in anything for themselves about the conditions they are living in and the things they are doing. The Fugitive Slave Law will slow down the progress of many abolitionists to abolish slavery all together. I'm trying to help many slaves become free, the Fugitive Slave Law will make life harder for the slaves. The idea of popular sovereignty will help some slaves, and hurt others because the states have a choice of being a slave or free state. So the Compromise of 1850 has some advantages and disadvantages for slaves.