Dbq Essay

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Americans tried to resolve their political disputes through compromise, but after the rise in Northern abolitionism, Congress' lack of action, and the impending possibility of slavery spreading to Kansas and Nebraska; it seemed as if a compromise was no longer possible. The Missouri Compromise caused a growth in sectionalism, by dividing the United States in half and separating slave states from free states. Congress passed "gag rules," that would not allow debate of slavery in congress. Then, there was the issue of slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska territories.

The Missouri Compromise was constructed to resolve the debate over how slavery could spread into the western territories. It was decided that the Louisiana Purchase would be divided by the 36o30' line, and Missouri would be a slave state and Maine would be free. This lead to further division between Northern and Southern opinions on slavery. Henry Clay helped create the compromise, while Jefferson thought that the compromise would lead to further trouble. Abolition societies began to rise in the North. The annual report of the American Anti-Slavery Society condemned slave owners as "man stealers," and demands that the slaves be freed (Doc B). Abraham Lincoln argued in his speech at Alton Illinois that slavery is not just about politics; it impacts religion, literature, and morals, which can divide the North from the South, even more (Doc G). A paper from Georgia, quoted in the New York Tribune, calls Northerners "greasy mechanics, filthy operatives, small-fisted farmers, and moon-struck theorists," which shows that the South also was beginning to lean away from the North (Doc F).

Congress failed to resolve the debate over slavery, pushing it aside until it was too late. Slavery was an unpopular topic among politicians, because the southern states would not vote for an abolitionist, and the northern states would not vote for someone who supported slavery. The Resolution of the Pinckney Committee, also called the "gag rule," immediately prevented the debate of slavery in the House of Representatives (Doc C). This caused Southern control of Congress and the White House, the formation of the Liberty Party, the rise of abolition societies, and positive defense of slavery among southerners. Southern politicians supported slavery by arguing that slaveholders were Christianizing slaves. Abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts was brutally bashed with a cane by Representative Preston Brooks from South Carolina after giving a speech to the Senate. He was beaten in front of many politicians, but none of them would help him, as depicted by a drawing titled "Southern Chivalry: Argument vs. Club's" (Doc E). This event caused further abolitionism among Northerners.

Slightly after the proslavery Lecompton Constitution was referred back to the voters of Kansas,