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Sectionalism
The Boston Globe called the period after the War of 1812 the "era of good feelings." When James Monroe was elected, political strife seemed to be at a minimum. The good feelings did not last very long, however, as regional differences increasingly caused tensions. Sectionalism, or loyalty to one's region, increased as differences over national policies became more acute. Regions disagreed on such issues as tariffs, internal improvements, and the need for a national bank. And of course there was the big issue-slavery. Southerners continued to deem it necessary to their economy while Northerners began more fervently to oppose it.
Again and again the problem of admitting states to the Union inflamed sectional tensions. In 1820, Missouri was the site of a showdown over slavery-the South, of course, wanted it to be admitted as a slave state, while the North argued for its admission as a free state . Out of this strife came the Missouri Compromise, which allowed Missouri to join the Union as a slave state at the same time that slavery would be banned in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36 30 parallel. The Missouri Compromise preserved the balance between slave and free states .
Tensions flared again in the 1840s with the proposed acquisition of new territories- Texas , New Mexico , and California over which the U.S. went to war with Mexico . A few months into the war Representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania put forward the Wilmot Proviso, which would have prohibited slavery in any territory acquired in the war. The proviso was defeated, and the vote marked a division not along traditional party lines-Whig and Democrats-but along sectional lines.
The Compromise of 1850, a complicated set of proposals, cooled issues temporarily. (Before it passed, numerous debates ensued.) The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, however, essentially repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 in favor of popular sovereignty-letting the people in the territories decide. Pro- and antislavery groups quickly moved likeminded settlers into Kansas . Violence ensued. Dubbed "Bleeding Kansas," the territory at one point had two governments and two constitutions. Among the famous incidents of violence in Kansas, there was a raid on Lawrence-the antislavery capital-by proslavery forces followed by violence at Pottawatomie Creek perpetrated by fervent abolitionist John Brown.
There was also violence in Congress. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts , an abolitionist, delivered an incendiary speech against proslavery forces in Kansas . He included in his diatribe attacks against proslavery senators including Andrew P. Butler of South Carolina . Preston Brooks-a distant cousin of the senator-appeared in the Senate chamber two days later. He physically assaulted Sumner with a cane, hitting him on the head and shoulders until he collapsed, bloody and unconscious. Sumner's injuries were severe enough that he did not go back to the Senate for a period of several years (see full description of the event attached).
Other events that fanned the flames of sectionalism include the publication in 1852 of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a runaway bestseller chronicling the plight of fugitive slaves; the Dred Scott decision of 1857, which declared the Missouri Compromise ban on slavery unconstitutional; differences and disparities between the North's and the South's economies; and the Panic of 1857 which plunged the North into a brief depression. Many northerners blamed the South for the depression and for thwarting measures that might have eased its effects. Some northern Republicans blamed the depression on a new, lower tariff supported by Southern congressmen.
The raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia , in 1859 by John Brown and his followers also had a powerful impact on sectional tensions. Supported by a handful of Massachusetts and New York abolitionists, John Brown took twenty-two men-five black and seventeen white-across the Potomac to occupy Harper's Ferry. His aim was to capture the federal arsenal there, arm slaves with muskets, and move South, collecting more slaves for his army of liberation. Militia units and a company of marines appeared, however, killing ten of his men (including two of his sons). No slaves were liberated. Brown was hanged, becoming a martyr to the antislavery cause.
This was John Brown's prophetic last note:
"I, John Brown, am quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had as I now think vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done."
For images of John Brown and the raid, see the image file.
The Caning of Senator Charles Sumner-May 22, 1856
Here's the full story of the caning of Senator Sumner from the U.S. Senate website: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Caning_of_Senator_Charles_Sumner.htm
On May 22, 1856, the "world's greatest deliberative body" became a combat zone. In one of the most dramatic and deeply ominous moments in the Senate's entire history, a member of the House of Representatives entered the Senate chamber and savagely beat a senator into unconsciousness.
The inspiration for this clash came three days earlier when Senator Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts antislavery Republican, addressed the Senate on the explosive issue of whether Kansas should be admitted to the Union as a slave state or a free state . In his "Crime Against Kansas" speech, Sumner identified two Democratic senators as the principal culprits in this crime-Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Andrew Butler of South Carolina . He characterized Douglas to his face as a "noise-some, squat, and nameless animal . . . not a proper model for an American senator." Andrew Butler, who was not present, received more elaborate treatment. Mocking the South Carolina senator's stance as a man of chivalry, the Massachusetts senator charged him with taking "a mistress . . . who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight-I mean," added Sumner, "the harlot, Slavery."
Representative Preston Brooks was Butler 's South Carolina kinsman. If he had believed Sumner to be a gentleman, he might have challenged him to a duel. Instead, he chose a light cane of the type used to discipline unruly dogs. Shortly after the Senate had adjourned for the day, Brooks entered the old chamber, where he found Sumner busily attaching his postal frank to copies of his "Crime Against Kansas" speech.
Moving quickly, Brooks slammed his metal-topped cane onto the unsuspecting Sumner's head. As Brooks struck again and again, Sumner rose and lurched blindly about the chamber, futilely attempting to protect himself. After a very long minute, it ended.
Bleeding profusely, Sumner was carried away. Brooks walked calmly out of the chamber without being detained by the stunned onlookers. Overnight, both men became heroes in their respective regions.
Surviving a House censure resolution, Brooks resigned, was immediately reelected, and soon thereafter died at age 37. Sumner recovered slowly and returned to the Senate, where he remained for another 18 years. The nation, suffering from the breakdown of reasoned discourse that this event symbolized, tumbled onward toward the catastrophe of civil war.
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