Republican Party Formation

Improved Essays
In 1854 the Republican Party impeded any chance of preserving the Union, for Lincoln stated “In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached and passed” (Lincoln, “House Divided”). The formation of the party happened as the issues of slavery was becoming a bigger issue. Their views and campaign of abolishing slavery made the issue even worse than it was due to the fact that it influenced people to take action against it. Therefore, the formation of the Republican Party was the sole reason for why the Civil War took place. It has since made compromise hard to accomplish and friction between the two parties intensify. The Republican Party was created in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. “The Kansas-Nebraska Act …show more content…
Lincoln said that “the result would be slavery or no slavery” (Lincoln, “House Divided”). This was a wakeup call for both the South and North for the next president could be the determination of the progression of slavery. The realization that the answer had to be one or the other made each side more violent to get the outcome that they wanted. Douglas’ continuous use of ad hominem was affective when he stated that “Lincoln was pro-slave equality” (The Rise of the Republican Party). This made the South ever so anger for they did not already agree on the idea of ending slavery so let alone the citizenship of African Americans. These also made some of the Northerns doubt their choice because although they did not like slavery they did not want the slaves to become an equal. However, Lincoln’s quick wit and manner of speech responded to these claims that satisfied the people more than Douglas’s overused claims. This resulted in the growing reputation of Lincoln. Therefore putting the Republican Party in the spotlight enabling them to call the shots, causing some panic in the …show more content…
“Lincoln’s election outraged many southerners” (Smith). They reject the idea of sucumming to a president that was in accordance with republican ideology. Their ideology happening to be the abolishment of slavery. They lost the power to accumulate the number of slave states because the North preferred an equal amount of slave states to Free states. The south also thought that this was going to influence Lincoln’s decisions over the issue, which many were right to believe for his “growing opposition led him to introduce a law that gradually ended slavery” (Smith). Even though, it gained little support the south viewed this as a preview as to what was going to come in the future if they did not surrender to the north. For putting Lincoln, in charge the blame for the start of the war laid on the Republican Party for they imposed conditions that could not be fulfilled. The south felt threatened and thought “the only way to save slavery was to secede” (Dickinson). The South cornered the Union to respond to a greater conflict on top of slavery. However, the South did not receive the answer in which they had hoped for. They got war instead of the liberty to keep human

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Fort Sumter Essay

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The events leading to the outbreak of the Civil War quickly snowballed and became much more severe than the previous ones. Leading up to the attack on Fort Sumter, the North and the South already had contrasting views on several issues not only on slavery, but also what the center of the economy should be based on and the limits of power the government ought to have. The Election of 1860 proved to be a breaking point for the South after Abraham Lincoln was elected. First and foremost, Lincoln was not even on any Southern ballots. In addition, the newly elected president was a Republican and having him lead the country would nearly destroy the Southern economy and ideals.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Secession Dbq

    • 1962 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The departure from the Union happened after the election of President Abraham Lincoln. The slaveholding states in the country saw President Lincoln’s administration as a potential threat to the desire to promote the spread of slavery. The southerners did not want Lincoln to win the 1860 Presidential elections because he was a Republican, a political party that opposed slavery. While President Lincoln…

    • 1962 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    DBQ The Civil War wasn’t supposed to happen; however, conflicts between the North and the South elevated this urge for war. Without doubt, sectional conflict over slavery was the leading issue of the 1850 from the controversy over the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Nullification Crisis, and John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry. Consequently, the Civil War was inevitable since “the result of extremism and failures of leadership on both sides of the conflicts.”…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When the constitution was written, The United States did not give clear guidelines about slavery. As a result, this was a reason why slavery became such a heated political issue. It was a growing crisis that consumed the entire American nation and lead to the fighting over the future of slavery. There were many factors that caused the American Civil War in 1861, such as the Kansas Nebraska Act, the Compromise of 1850, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Presidental Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, which formed a new political party.…

    • 1093 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Radical Abolitions

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The United States in the mid-19th century was as divided as ever. Conflict between anti- slavery North and pro-slavery South arose due to new states forming and whether slavery would be implemented into these new states. There was also division inside these two groups, more specifically, the Anti Slavery North. The Abolitionists were divided into two groups, the Radical Abolitionists, headlined by Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison, and the Anti-Slavery Republicans, headlined by Abraham Lincoln. The book, The Radical and the Republican, by James Oakes focuses on the impact that Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln had on each other through their different views which led to the abolition of slavery.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Abraham Lincoln Dbq

    • 1574 Words
    • 6 Pages

    They did not want a president who was anti-slavery. The Civil War was not entirely caused by Lincoln’s election, but the election was one of the primary reasons the war broke out the following year. Abraham Lincoln thought it was necessary to fight rather than let the southern states secede from the union. He thought it was important to preserve the Union. After North Carolina secedes from the union, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas also leave the Union.…

    • 1574 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Civil war was a battle fought between the United and Confederate states of America, launching in 1861. The Civil war initiated, due to the country not being able to come to a compromise on the issue of slavery, and politics. The Civil war is one of the most unique wars in the history of America. Some historians believe the war could be prevented while others believe it was bound to happen. However, I feel that in many cases the Civil war could have been avoided, but the ways things were being handled in the country it was destined to happen.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Civil War Dbq Essay

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The existence of slavery was the key component that initiated tensions between the North and South; if there were no disagreements over slavery, the Civil War could have been avoidable. With the contrast of an industrial and agricultural economy, the South felt threatened by the balance of power between the two regions. Because the South felt that slavery was crucial to their economic stability, succession felt inevitable to them. Moreover, Southern politicians and Northern abolitionists further aggravated the division of the two regions by exposing sectionalist beliefs to the mainstream that would otherwise have been ignored. Because slavery underlined the South’s desire to seek independence, state rights, and ultimately the continuation of southern culture, the succession was inevitable.…

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reconstruction Dbq

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Amendment to the Constitution), curse allegiance to the Union and fine off aware debt, southerly pomp governments were disposed familiar empire to reconstruct themselves. Their actions debunked one of the strongest myths implicit Southern devotion to the “strange foundation”–that many vassal were really contented in bondage–and possess Lincoln that freedom had turn a wise and soldiery indispensability. Did You Know? During Reconstruction, the Republican Party in the South represented a combination of blacks (who made up the irresistible majority of Republican voters in the region) along with "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags," as favorable Republicans from the North and South, relatively, were understood. Emancipation changed the wager of the Civil…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Apush Dbq Tension

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The thought of Lincoln taking their slaves, despite his promise not to, led them to secession. In the years preceding the Civil War both sides were forced to concede points to avoid violence, but in the end, it only delayed the inevitable fighting and made those for and against slavery frustrated and ready to bear arms. As the country’s stakes on land increased in size so too did the stakes of the issue at hand. Gradually, as the year, 1860 approached Americans faced a matter that could not be left alone.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil War DBQ

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The social differences between the North and South had the largest impact on causing the Civil War. Although political disputes caused conflict, slavery had the greatest factor, so social conflict was the leading cause of the Civil War. This was the leading cause for many reasons, including different opinions on slavery, more of the upper class in the North, and Dred Scott receiving unfair treatment in court because he was an African American. To begin, different opinions on slavery were one of the leading causes of the Civil War.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Abraham Lincoln Dbq

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln was elected as the U.S. president in November of Eighteen Sixty. He faced the most serious crisis in American history after he was ceremonially sworn in as president. The Lower South including South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas had finally acted on their earlier threats. They declared secession because of the issue of slavery. Since Republican Party opposed slavery, the Lower South was afraid that Abraham Lincoln, as a Republican, would abolish slavery later on.…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They knew slavery would come to an end if they stayed under Lincoln's presidency. They did not want to let go of slavery because it was the main factor to how they made their living. The south always grew cotton to make their living, and slaves would work it. The slave labor was so impactful to their business with their agriculture. Without slaves, the south thought they would collapse.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    First, Abraham Lincoln’s election as president was a huge blow to the southern community, as it made them nervous he would eventually abolish slavery. They considered this a threat to their luxury of enjoying the profit of slavery. Although Lincoln was clear about his opposition of slavery he also admitted he had not intention of messing with the South’s slave system. For example, Lincoln said, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists (Hine, 2014).” Be that as it may, the South was not convinced.…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Slavery was the underlying cause of the American Civil War. After the Republican and abolitionist Abraham Lincoln won the election in 1861, southern states became afraid of his political believes. His election caused major discussion in the southern states, that depended on slavery. States were preparing for secession because of the new president’s future actions. These states were very dependent on agriculture and abolishing slavery would certainly hurt them.…

    • 1799 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays