CHAPTER 15 • SECTION 2
Whigs supported the act. Northern Whigs opposed it. There was no room
for compromise. As a result, the Whig Party split into two factions.
The Republican Party Forms Some of the Southern Whigs joined the
Democratic Party. Others looked for leaders who supported slavery and the
Union. The Northern Whigs, however, joined with other rivals and formed
Party
the Republican Party.
The Republican Party was both an antislavery party and a sectional party
that sought to protect the interests of the North. Republicans not only used
moral arguments against slavery, they also looked down on the South’s
agricultural system based on enslaved labor.
The Republicans quickly gained strength in the North. “Bleeding Kansas”
was the key to the Republican rise. Many blamed the violence on the Democrats. With the 1856 elections nearing, Republicans seized the chance to gain
seats in Congress and win the presidency.
The Republicans needed a strong presidential candidate in 1856 to
Frémont Frémont
strengthen their young party. They nominated John C. Frémont.
was a handsome young hero known for his explorations in the West. He was
nicknamed “the Pathfinder.”
Republicans liked Frémont because he wanted California and Kansas
admitted as free states. Also, he did not have a controversial political past.
Even so, the Republican position on slavery was so unpopular in the South
that Frémont’s name did not appear on the ballot there.
More About . . .
The Republican Party
While Northern Whigs were instrumental
in the formation of the Republican Party,
so were members of another group from
the past—the Free-Soil Party. In fact, the
old Free-Soil slogan was the basis for the
Republicans’ first presidential campaign
slogan. Given the name of the new party’s
chosen candidate, the adapted slogan
worked particularly well: “Free soil, free
labor, free speech, free men, Frémont.”
Although John Frémont drew an impressive
number of Northern votes, Abraham
Lincoln would become the first Republican
president in 1860.
Election of 1856 The Democrats nominated James Buchanan for the presidency in 1856. As ambassador to Great Britain, he had been in England since
1853 and had spoken neither for nor against the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
More About . . .
James Buchanan
Associated with one of the most troubled
eras in American history, Buchanan is also
known for something more personal: He
was the only president who never married.
Ironically, he did have a notably popular
First Lady by his side. Buchanan’s beloved
niece, Harriet Lane, whom he’d cared for
since she was orphaned at age 11, served
as his White House hostess. The charming
Lane thrived in the role, lending unwavering
support to her uncle throughout his term.
John
Frémont
Teacher-Tested Activities
Jim Sorensen, Chippewa Middle School,
Des Plaines, Illinois
Have students brainstorm a list of vocabulary
terms and names they have encountered in
this chapter.
• Students select nine of the vocabulary
words and place them into a tic tac toe
game board grid.
• Next, students make another tic tac toe grid
and play the tic tac toe game.
• The winning pattern determines the
vocabulary words that student pairs must
use in a sentence.
• Pairs may use the words in any order as
they write a creative and complete sentence
that connects all three of the vocabulary
words.
492 • Chapter 15
492 Chapter 15
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
English Learners
Pre-AP
Vocabulary: Idioms
Compare-and-Contrast Essay
Explain that look down on is an idiom
meaning “regard someone or something
as inferior.” Read the sentence in which
this idiom appears: “Republicans . . .
looked down on the South’s agricultural
system based on enslaved labor.” Point
out that look in combination with other
words creates many idioms, such as the
opposite of look down on, which is look
up to (admire). Other idioms include:
look after (take care of) and look over
(examine).
Discuss what element of the Republican
and Democratic parties each tree part in
the graphic represents. (roots: those who
make up the party; trunk: the nominated
party candidate in 1856; branches/leaves:
what the party stands for) Then have
students do additional research on each
party and write an essay comparing and
contrasting them in terms of each of
these elements.
CHAPTER 15 • SECTION 2
Buchanan said little about slavery and claimed that his goal was to maintain the Union. Buchanan appealed to Southerners, especially to people in
the upper South and the border states, and to Northerners who feared that
Frémont’s election could tear the nation apart.
Party, an anti-immigrant party,
The American Party, or Know-Nothing Party
nominated Millard Fillmore as presidential candidate in 1856. Fillmore had
been president following the death of Zachary Taylor, from 1850 until 1853.
But the Know-Nothings were divided over slavery and had little strength.
The 1856 presidential election turned into two separate races. In the
North, it was Buchanan against Frémont. In the South, it was Buchanan
against Fillmore. Buchanan won. He carried all the slave states except Maryland, where Fillmore claimed his only victory. Buchanan also won several
Northern states, such as Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Although he lost the election, Frémont won 11 Northern states. These
results showed two things. First, the Republican Party was a major force in
the North. Second, slavery was dividing the nation along sectional lines.
MAIN IDEAS & DETAILS Explain how the issue of slavery affected political
parties.
More About . . .
The Know-Nothing Party
Answer: The KansasNebraska Act tore
the Whig Party apart.
Antislavery forces joined
with those supporting
Northern interests to
form the Republican
Party.
The Breaking Point
KEY QUESTION What events brought the nation to a crisis?
The argument over slavery was affecting not only Congressional politics. The
slavery debate was forcing its way into another branch of government—the
judiciary. In the mid-1850s, a legal case involving an enslaved man named
Dred Scott reached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s decision in this
case divided the country even further.
If asked about their secretive organization,
members of this political party would
initially answer, “I know nothing.” This
reply earned the Know-Nothing Party its
widely known nickname. The party enjoyed
considerable popularity and influence in the
early 1850s, as many people disapproved of
the continuous influx of immigrants. Before
the decade’s end, however, the party had
all but disintegrated—as the slavery issue
began to overshadow all others.
Teach
Article covering the
Dred Scott case from
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated
Newspaper
The Breaking Point
The Case of Dred Scott Scott had been an enslaved person
Think, Pair, Share
in Missouri. However, he had lived for a time in free territories
before being taken back to Missouri. After his owner’s death,
Dred Scott argued that he was a free man because he had lived
in territories where slavery was illegal. Scott’s wife and their
two daughters also sued in court for their freedom. Scott’s
case, Dred Scott v. Sandford, reached the Supreme Court in
1856.
In 1857, the Court ruled against Scott. Chief Justice
Roger B. Taney (TAW•nee) stated that Dred Scott was not
a U.S. citizen. As a result, he could not sue in U.S. courts.
Taney also ruled that Scott was bound by Missouri’s slave
code because he had lived in Missouri.
Taney also argued that banning slavery in the territories
would violate slaveholders’ property rights, protected by
the Fifth Amendment. This meant that legislation such
as the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
• What was the Supreme Court’s justification for
ruling against Dred Scott? (He was not a U.S.
citizen and therefore had no right to sue in
U.S. courts.)
• What was Lincoln’s view on slavery? (He felt it
was “a moral, a social, and a political wrong.”)
• Main Idea and Details Have students
identify the main idea of the Lincoln-Douglas
Debates section, as well as two or more
supporting details. (Main idea: The famous
Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 served as
models of political debate. Details: The debates
centered on the slavery issue; Lincoln and
Douglas argued about the effects of the Dred
Scott decision; the debates sparked Lincoln’s
popularity and fame.)
A Nation Breaking Apart 493
INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES
CONNECT
to Civics
Mock Hearing of
the Dred Scott Case
Ask students to research the Dred Scott case,
taking notes on the most important points of
the trial. Form groups, and have each assign
the roles of Dred Scott, his lawyer, opposition
lawyers, and Chief Justice Taney. Allow each
group to present its mock case, including Chief
Justice Taney’s handing down of the Court’s
opinion.
CONNECT
to Language Arts
Election Coverage
Ask students to suppose that they are reporters
for a Washington newspaper assigned to cover
the 1856 presidential election. Have students
write the front page story announcing the
election results. The story should include:
• an attention-getting headline that summarizes
the main idea
• a lead sentence that states the main idea
• supporting details that answer the who, what,
when, where, and why of the story
Teacher’s Edition • 493