CH19 – Drifting Toward Disunion

Time Frame: 1854-1861

Objectives: At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Enumerate the sequence of major crises, beginning with the Kansas-Nebraska Act, that led up to secession, and explain the significance of each event.
Explain how and why the territory of bleeding Kansas became the scene of a dress rehearsal for the Civil War.
Trace the growing power of the Republican party in the 1850s and the increasing domination of the Democratic party by its militantly proslavery wing.
Explain how the Dred Scott decision and John Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid deepened sectional antagonism.
Trace the rise of Lincoln as a Republican spokesman, and explain why his senatorial campaign debates with Stephen Douglas made him a major national figure despite losing the election.
Analyze the election of 1860, including the split in the Democratic party, the four-way campaign, the sharp sectional divisions, and Lincoln’s northern-based minority victory.
Describe the secession of seven southern states following Lincoln’s victory, the formation of the Confederacy, and the failure of the last compromise effort.
[wpaudio url=”http://college.cengage.com/history/us/kennedy/am_pageant/14e/assets/students/audio/kennedy_ch19.mp3″ text=”Listen to a summary of Chapter 19″ dl=”0″]

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