Introduction
Intense disputes about the subject of slavery and its expansion into new regions dominated the turbulent 1850s American political crisis. Many elements, including economic concerns, sectionalism, and ideological divisions, drove this argument. The involvement of violence or the threat of violence, however, was one of the most important elements. In the political crises of the 1850s, which ultimately resulted in the Civil War, this essay will look at how violence and the fear of violence played a significant role (Foner 432).
This essay will show how the intensity of the political crisis and the significance of the slavery issue was emphasized by violence and the prospect of violence through an analysis of the Kansas dispute, the run-up to the presidential elections, and violence in Congress. I argue that the political crisis of the 1850s was caused mainly by violence and the fear of violence and that this shows how deeply divided and tense the nation was on the subject of slavery.
Political Crisis of the 1850s
The Kansas Conflict, commonly referred to as “Bleeding Kansas,” was a string of bloody clashes that broke out after the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which gave Kansas and Nebraska settlers the option of allowing or prohibiting slavery (Foner 125). As a result, both pro- and anti-slavery settlers poured into the region, and tensions swiftly rose.
Violence broke out in Kansas in 1856, and both sides launched vicious assaults on one another. The unrest in Kansas revealed the country’s severe divisions and emphasized the significance of the slavery problem in the current political dilemma. Both sides formed their governments as a result of the bloodshed, which also caused a collapse in law and order and created a scenario like a civil war.
Pro-slavery organizations threatened violence in the presidential elections of 1856 and 1860 if a candidate who rejected the expansion of slavery won. Republican candidate John C. Frémont opposed the spread of slavery when he ran for president in 1856. Threats of violence came as a result of factions that supported slavery and said they would split from the Union if Frémont prevailed in the vote (Foner 123).
Southern states threatened to secede if Republican Abraham Lincoln were to become president after winning the 1860 elections. When he did, they carried out their threat, which sparked the start of the Civil War. The dispute in Kansas and the presidential elections were not the only sources of violence. Moreover, violence broke out in Congress, with legislators supporting and opposing slavery engaging in violent altercations.
In 1856, South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor with a cane in one of the most infamous occurrences (Foner 134). The severity of the political crisis and the wide-ranging differences in the nation were demonstrated by this occurrence and other violent acts in Congress.
These violent incidents in Congress served as a warning sign for the nation’s broader political problem. Because of the extreme polarization on the issue of slavery, legislators were prepared to use physical force to support their beliefs. This underlines the reality that the political crisis stemmed from a fundamental dispute over the ethical and practical ramifications of slavery rather than just a debate over ideas or ideologies.
Conclusion
Overall, the 1850s political crisis was characterized by violence and the threat of violence. The violence in Kansas, the secession threats from Southern states, and the physical altercations in Congress demonstrate the nation’s intense divides and tensions. The Civil War broke out as a result of these events, which were the outcome of the attempt to peacefully address the slavery issue.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2017.