Section 1 - Introduction In 1860, one of the strangest elections in the nation’s history, a tall, plainspoken Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln was elected president. On learning of his victory, Lincoln said to the reporters covering the campaign, boys, your troubles are over; mine have just begun.” “Well, Within a few weeks, it became clear just how heavy those troubles would be. By the time Lincoln took office, the nation had split apart over the issue of states’ rights regarding slavery and was preparing for civil war. The survival of the United States of America, and the fate of 4 million slaves, rested in Lincoln’s hands. The troubles Lincoln were not new. The issues dividing the nation could be traced back to 1619, when the first slave ship arrived in Virginia. Since that time, slavery had ended in half of the United States. The question was, could the nation continue half-slave and half-free? For decades, Americans tried to avoid that question. Many hoped slavery would simply die out on its own. Instead, slavery began to expand into new territories, and the question could no longer be ignored. Between 1820 and 1860, Americans tried to fashion several compromises on the issue of slavery. Each compromise, however, created new problems and new divisions. Lincoln understood why. Slavery was not simply a political issue to be worked out through compromise. It was a deeply moral issue. As Lincoln wrote in a letter to a friend, slavery is not wrong, nothing is “If wrong.” In this chapter, you will learn how Americans tried to keep the United States united despite their deep divisions over slavery. Some events during this period kept the nation together, while others pulled it apart. You will also find out how Americans finally answered the question of whether a nation founded on the idea of freedom could endure half-slave and half-free. Section 2 - Confronting the Issue of Slavery A traveler heading west across the Appalachians after the War of 1812 wrote, America seems to be “Old breaking up and moving westward.” It was true. By 1819, settlers had formed seven new states west of the Appalachians. In the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Congress had established a process for forming new states. Besides outlining the steps leading to statehood, this law also banned slavery north of the Ohio River. As a result, the three western states that were formed north of the river—Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois—were free
Section 1 - Introduction In 1860, one of the strangest elections in the nation’s history, a tall, plainspoken Illinois lawyer named Abraham Lincoln was elected president. On learning of his victory, Lincoln said to the reporters covering the campaign, “Well, boys, your troubles are over; mine have just begun.” Within a few weeks, it became clear just how heavy those troubles would be. By the time Lincoln took office, the nation had split apart over the issue of states’ rights regarding slavery and was preparing for civil war. The survival of the United States of America, and the fate of 4 million slaves, rested in Lincoln’s hands. The troubles Lincoln were not new. The issues dividing the nation could be traced back to 1619, when the first slave ship arrived in Virginia. Since that time, slavery had ended in half of the United States. The question was, could the nation continue half-slave and half-free? For decades, Americans tried to avoid that question. Many hoped slavery would simply die out on its own. Instead, slavery began to expand into new territories, and the question could no longer be ignored. Between 1820 and 1860, Americans tried to fashion several compromises on the issue of slavery. Each compromise, however, created new problems and new divisions. Lincoln understood why. Slavery was not simply a political issue to be worked out through compromise. It was a deeply moral issue. As Lincoln wrote in a letter to a friend, “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” In this chapter, you will learn how Americans tried to keep the United States united despite their deep divisions over slavery. Some events during this period kept the nation together, while others pulled it apart. You will also find out how Americans finally answered the question of whether a nation founded on the idea of freedom could endure half-slave and half-free. Section 2 - Confronting the Issue of Slavery A traveler heading west across the Appalachians after the War of 1812 wrote, “Old America seems to be breaking up and moving westward.” It was true. By 1819, settlers had formed seven new states west of the Appalachians. In the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Congress had established a process for forming new states. Besides outlining the steps leading to statehood, this law also banned slavery north of the Ohio River. As a result, the three western states that were formed north of the river—Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois—were free
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