What if the American Civil War could have been averted? Engage in a pivotal discussion as we navigate the intricate chain of events that led to one of the darkest periods in the history of the United States. This episode exposes the root of the discord that existed between the North and the South, highlighting how their differing economies, cultures, and views on slavery set the stage for a nationwide conflict. We delve into the controversies surrounding the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, both of which escalated the debate around slavery and its expansion.
Hold your breath as we break down critical episodes, like the introduction of the Kansas-Nebraska Act by Senator Stephen Douglas, the stormy voting session in Kansas, and the notorious Harper's Ferry raid led by John Brown. We'll guide you through the ripple effect of these incidents on the national fabric and their role in igniting the Civil War. This episode offers a compelling exploration of a nation divided by ideology and constitutional interpretation, bestowing thought-provoking perspectives on a significant era in American history. If you've ever wondered how deeply the issue of slavery divided America, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.
Since the birth of the United States, the North and South divisions of the country have cultivated diverse cultures, economies, religious values and traditions. Still, it was the reliance on slave labor that lodged the conflict between both of the regions. On one hand, the South needed the institution of slavery to keep up with the needs of its plantations. On the other hand, the North sustained itself with factories and had a minimal desire for slaves. The growth of industrialization spurred disagreement on behalf of the Northern states, and the dispute intensified with the creation of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Both pieces of legislation added new states to the Union. Advocates of slavery believed these laws would provide a chance to establish more slave states. In contrast, adversaries of slavery deemed that the institution should not expand into other regions. Over the course of time, both sides retaliated the North with the abolitionist movement and the South with its threats of secession. Eventually, the South would attempt to dissolve the Union and begin the American Civil War. In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas introduced the bill before Congress for the organization of two territories Kansas and Nebraska. The territories would be divided by the 40th parallel. In addition, the issue of slavery in the territories would be decided by popular sovereignty instead of by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Despite fierce opposition in the North by such abolitionists as Horace Greeley and William Lloyd Garrison, the bill passed on May 26, 1854 and was quickly signed by President Franklin Pierce. The Kansas-Nebraska Act reopened the question of extending slavery to the new states north of the Missouri Compromise Line established in 1820. The Act stipulated that the settlers of the Kansas Territory would vote on whether to permit slavery. Southern newspapers rejoiced that the territories had been open to settlement for Southerners and their slaves. Northern abolitionists were not done fighting, however. They began organizing groups for the settlement of Kansas Territory to combat Western Missourians who were by and large pro-slavery and had begun moving into the area. The Republican Party was organized as a direct response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Republicans made opposition to the extension of slavery in the territories their chief issue. Inevitably, the party aroused deep anger in the South.
Speaker 1:
Attitudes in the two sections of the nation continued to harden into the late 1850s. Pro and anti-slavery activists quickly flooded Kansas with the intention of influencing the vote on slavery. Pro-slavery Missourians who crossed the border to vote in Kansas became known as border ruffians. Border ruffians helped to secure a pro-slavery legislature in Kansas which drafted a pro-slavery constitution known as the Lekompton Constitution. Meanwhile, anti-slavery activists established an extra-legal regime of their own, based in Topeka. The conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery individuals made governing the Kansas Territory difficult. The first election of legislators was taken over by illegal voters from Missouri, who elected a pro-slavery legislature. The conflict over elections resulted into separate governments operating inside of Kansas, a pro-slavery one and an anti-slavery one. The anti-slavery government formed in Topeka and was declared by a congressional investigating committee to be a representative of the majority of Kansas citizens.
Speaker 1:
On October 16, 1859, the Powder Keg ignited. John Brown with a handful of followers attempted to seize the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, hoping to use the weapons stored there to incite a slave insurrection in the south. Brown managed to capture an engine house which he held overnight. The next morning, an attachment of Marines, led by Army Colonel Robert E Lee, overran the building. Brown was quickly tried, convicted of treason and hanged.
Speaker 1:
After this raid, the hope of a peaceful solution to the problem of slavery seemed more and more remote. At John Brown's trial, he was quoted to state �If it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice and amingle my blood further with the blood of millions in this slave country, whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel and unjust enactments. I submit, so let it be done�. A Southern convention held on December 20, 1860 in Charleston, South Carolina, proclaimed an independent decree to secession. We have pulled the temple down that has been built for three quarters of a century, announced a speaker in the South's first secession convention. We must now clear the rubbish away and reconstruct another.
Speaker 1:
To learn more about Kansas and the Civil War, join us at facebookcom slash wildwest podcast. On May 18, 2019 at 6 o'clock PM, Central Standard Time, for a special presentation entitled Civil War Day. The Civil War Day production utilizes a full day of video experience from the April 27, 2019 Cowtown Civil War Day. The shoot is edited into a 16 minute documentary about the cause and effect of the American Civil War, applying a wide range of events into a single message. A nation divided in social beliefs is subject to multitudes of lives left on the battlefield. The message gained from the production supports the historical outcomes behind a nation divided from constitutional beliefs, which had an everlasting impact on the fate of one nation. A republic must understand its differences as a nation and rely on its constitution to prevent the repeat of such an American tragedy. Join us at facebookcom slash wildwest podcast on May 18, 2019 at 6 o'clock PM, Central Standard Time, for a special presentation entitled Civil War Day.