slave power conspiracy Flashcards
(5 cards)
topic sentence
Some historians such as William Gienapp argue that the most important reason for the breakdown of the second party system and the growth of the Republicans was evidence of a ‘slave power conspiracy’.
evidence 1 - dred scott decision
By the 1850s, most Northerners were against the institution of slavery and resented the political power held by the wealthy Southern planter class. Cases such as the Supreme Courts 1857 Dred Scott decision fueled Northern resentment .This decision was a ‘test case’, where African – American, Dred Scott tried to sue for his freedom following the death of his master John Emerson, on the grounds that he had resided in a Northern free state for a prolonged period of time. However, it was decided that Dred Scott was not a citizen and therefore could not sue in federal court. 5 out of 7 Supreme Court judges were Southern, which highlights the Southern dominance in the decision. Additionally, Roger B Taney (one of the Southern judges who made this decisions) had been caught whispering with Democrat President, James Buchanan on the day of his inauguration, two days before the Supreme Court’s decision
analysis 1
This undoubtedly led to the breakdown of the two-party system because it suggests that Buchanan supported the decision and knew what the Supreme Court’s decision was going to be before asking Americans to accept it. Therefore, it weakened the strength of the Democrats in the North as majority of Northerners saw the Dred Scott decision as a tactical move of the South to expand slavery into the free states. Indeed, the Republicans were able to use the Dred Scott decision to fuel their campaign as Lincoln, future Republican President used Buchanans involvement in the Dred Scott case as evidence of the slave power conspiracy, which gained them masses of Northern support.
counter analysis
However, Alan Farmer argues that Republican leaders never managed to prove that the slave power conspiracy existed, and they were never consistent in defining what the conspiracy was and who was involved in it, weaking the argument of its significance.
evaluation
To evaluate, evidence of a ‘slave power conspiracy’ was unquestionably the most important reason for the breakdown of the two-party system and the rise of Republicans as it was what Northerners and feared the most and the Republicans reflected that view. Therefore, Gienapp’s view that argues that most Republicans believed that a slave power conspiracy threatened Republican liberty, equality, and self-government.
