US History

U.S. History Study Guide

©2018 of 194 Chapter 12: Events that Lead to the Civil War, 1848-1861 This chapter will cover all the events that lead to the Civil War from the Taylor Administration, the Fillmore Administration, the Pierce Administration, the Buchanan Administration and ending with the election of Abraham Lincoln. 12.1 The Election of 1848 The dominant issue of the campaign was slavery, in particular theWilmot Proviso, a bill to ban slavery from any territory acquired as a result of the Mexican War. Zachary Taylor (Whig) did not comment directly on the issue, but that he owned slaves was enough to win him substantial Southern support. Lewis Cass (Democrat) came out against the Wilmot Proviso. As an alternative, he proposed 'squatter sovereignty,' allowing the residents of the new territories to decide whether to permit slavery. The concept would later be adopted by Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois and renamed popular sovereignty. Although the Whigs had been concerned that Taylor had no record of support for their party's principles, he had never held office or even voted in a presidential election before 1848. Taylor assured them that he shared their concerns. The Cass campaign was fatally handicapped by the third party candidacy of former president Martin Van Buren, running on the Free Soil ticket. Van Buren drew enough votes to tip the election to Zachary Taylor. 12.2 Taylor's Administration 1848-1850 Even though Zachary Taylor held slaves and this caused many in the South to support him, he was against extending slavery into the territories. He believed in preserving the Union. The Compromise of 1850 came about during his time in office and it appeared that Taylor might veto it. However, he died suddenly after contracting cholera. He died on July 8, 1850 at the White House. 12.3 Fillmore Administration 1850-1853 Millard Fillmore was the last Whig President and the last President not to be affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties. Unlike Taylor, Fillmore sided with the South and would not veto the compromise which would directly escalate the division between North and South. 12.4 The Compromise of 1850 In 1849, California requested admission as a free state, which frightened the South because the admission of another free state into the Union would make slave-holding interests a minority in Congress. Southern Congressmen tried to block California’s admission. With the national government Achieve Page 153