Section #1 - Causal Factors
Racism
The North’s call for a strong central government conflicts with the South’s belief in state sovereignty.
| Year | Event | Description | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1784 | Prince Hall and African Lodge #459. | Hall gains approval for the first Black Masonic lodge after being denied by whites; he advocated for Black education and military service. | Chapter 11 |
| 1785 | Jefferson stereotypes the Black race. | In “Notes on the State of Virginia,” Thomas Jefferson advances a “suspicion” that Blacks are intellectually and physically inferior to whites. | Chapter 10 |
| 1787 | 3/5th Compromise. | James Wilson’s resolution solves Southern seat demands at the expense of officially declaring Blacks as forever an inferior race. | Chapter 9 |
| 1803 | Harrison supports Indiana slavery. | Governor Harrison lobbies Congress to allow slavery back into Indiana territory to encourage more white settlers. | Chapter 37 |
| 1804 | State of Ohio passes Black Codes. | Legislature passes statutes aimed at harnessing Free Blacks, requiring certificates of freedom and barring testimony against whites. | Chapter 37 |
| 1808 | Systematic breeding programs. | Jefferson endorses breeding enslaved women for profit, treating them as capital additions rather than human beings. | Chapter 30 |
| 1813 | James Forten protests discrimination. | Forten writes “Letters of a Man of Color” to oppose discriminatory regulations directed at Blacks in Pennsylvania. | Chapter 37 |
| 1829 | David Walker’s “Appeal.” | Walker recounts the horrors of slavery and warns that the nation will be destroyed unless whites alter their course. | Chapter 58 |
| 1831 | Nat Turner’s Rebellion reprisals. | Apocalyptic rebellion terrifies the South, leading to retributions in the form of savage beatings and lynchings across the region. | Chapter 63 |
| 1835 | The Trail of Tears. | Georgia ignores the Supreme Court to drive 120,000 tribal members across the Mississippi to open land for white settlement. | Chapter 73 |
| 1837 | Calhoun’s “Positive Good” speech. | Argues that where two races of different origin are brought together, slavery is a “positive good” for both. | Chapter 82 |
| 1840 | Morton’s Crania Americana. | Bogus research claiming Caucasian skulls are larger and intellectually superior to Black and Indian skulls. | Chapter 170 |
| 1841 | Cincinnati race riot. | A white mob rampages through Black neighborhoods; 300 Freedmen are arrested after attempting to fight back. | Chapter 101 |
| 1843 | Stephen A. Douglas’ worldview. | A white supremacist who believes America “belongs to white men” and whose policies favor Southern slave interests. | Chapter 115 |
| 1843 | Garnet’s “Call to Rebellion.” | Henry Highland Garnet urges the enslaved to die freemen rather than live as slaves in submission to degradation. | Chapter 110 |
| 1845 | Baptist and Methodist Schisms. | Southerners break away from northern churches, refusing to be reviled for their status as slaveholders. | Chapter 112 |
| 1847 | Calhoun opposes incorporations. | Argues against annexing Mexico because incorporates would include an “Indian race” rather than a “free white race.” | Chapter 130 |
| 1849 | California residency ban efforts. | Gold Rush settlers seek a Free State designation while simultaneously trying to ban all Blacks from residency. | Chapter 145 |
| 1850 | NYC Anti-Abolition Mob. | Protesters disrupt a convention, claiming Blacks are “brothers to the monkey” and assaulting abolitionists. | Chapter 151 |
| 1851 | Harriet Tubman. | Born into slavery and suffering physical head trauma, she becomes “Moses” of the Underground Railroad. | Chapter 162 |
| 1852 | Douglass’ Rochester Speech. | Castigates the nation for its hypocrisy in celebrating the 4th of July while millions remain in human bondage. | Chapter 168 |
| 1852 | “Pro-Slavery Argument” compiled. | Intellectuals argue that civilization depends on a “mudsill” class and that slavery is sanctioned by the Bible. | Chapter 169 |
| 1855 | Topeka Constitution. | Free State forces approve a constitution that explicitly bans all Blacks from residing in Kansas. | Chapter 192 |
| 1858 | Lincoln-Douglas Debates. | Stephen Douglas insists the Black race is inferior and America “belongs to white men.” | Chapter 232 |
| 1859 | Oregon bans Black residency. | Oregon enters the Union with a constitution Article banning free negroes from residing in or even entering the state. | Chapter 237 |