HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

FROM THE COMPROMISE OF 1850

TO

THE FINAL RESTORATION OF HOME RULE AT THE SOUTH IN 1877 VOL. I

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE COMPROMISE OF 1850 TO THE FINAL RESTORATION OF HOME RULE AT THE SOUTH IN 1877 BT JAMES FORD RHODES, LL.D., Litt.D. MEMBER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Vol. I 1850-1854

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1910 All rights reserved


COPYRIGHT, 1893, By JAMES FORD RHODES. First published elsewhere. Reprinted December, 190a; March, 1902; October, 1904; October, 1906; November, 1907; January, 1910. Berwick & Smith, Norwood, Mast., U.S.A.

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME

CHAPTER I

Introduction 1

Negro slaves brought to Virginia 3

Growth of slavery 3

Introduction of slavery into Georgia 5

Slavery in the northern colonies 6

English opinion of slavery and the slave-trade 7

Creditable attitude of Virginia towards slavery 8

Decision of Lord Mansfield 9

Washington's and Jefferson's opinions of slavery 10

Franklin's opinion of slavery 11

Extent of the slave-trade 11

The Declaration of Independence 12

Slavery in the Revolutionary War 13

Legislation of Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts 14

Jefferson Ordinance of 1784 15

Ordinance of 1787 16

Slavery and the Constitution 17

America in advance of Europe in moral attitude towards slavery 20

Washington as a slave-holder, and his opinion of slavery 21

Position of Hamilton and Madison 21

Jefferson and John Adams 22

Slavery question in the First Congress 23

The first Fugitive Slave law, 1793 24

Effect of the invention of the cotton-gin 25 

Purchase of Louisiana 27

Belief in 1804 that slavery was diminishing in power 28

Prohibition of the foreign slave-trade 29

The question of the admission of Missouri 30

Growing importance of the Senate 33

Speech of William Pinkney 34

The Missouri Compromise 36

The Missouri Compromise, a political necessity 38

Beginning of the Nullification trouble 40

John C. Calhoun 41

Debate between Webster and Hayne 42

Calhoun and Nullification 44

Nullification Ordinance of South Carolina 46

Compromise Tariff of 1833 49

Debate between Webster and Calhoun 50

William Lloyd Garrison and the Liberator 53

The Nat Turner Insurrection 56

Southern excitement regarding the abolitionist movement.... 57

American Anti-slavery Society 59

Mob violence at the North directed against the abolitionists.. 61

The influence of Garrison 62

Dr. Channing on "Slavery" 64

The President and Congress on publications of the abolitionists 67

Change in Southern sentiment regarding slavery 68

John Quincy Adams 69

Webster's description of Northern sentiment on slavery 72

Growth of abolition sentiments 73

Character of the abolitionists 75

Texas question 75

Webster on Texas annexation 77

President Tyler and Texas annexation 78

Calhoun and Texas 80

Clay and Polk 83

Annexation of Texas by joint resolution 85

The Oregon question 86

The Mexican War 87

The Wilmot Proviso 90

Peace with Mexico, and acquisition of New Mexico and California 93

The Calhoun theory 94

The question of slavery in the territories 95

CHAPTER II

Zachary Taylor 99

"To the Victors belong the Spoils" 101

Fillmore and Seward 101

Taylor's ideas of the civil service 102

Nathaniel Hawthorne 103

John C. Calhoun 104

Southern sentiment 105

Northern sentiment 107

President Taylor's position 109

California 111

Californians form a State government and prohibit slavery... 115

Public sentiment on the assembling of Congress, December, 1849 116

Cobb of Georgia elected speaker 117

The President's message 119

The Senate of 1849-50 119

Henry Clay 120

Clay's plan of Compromise 122

Clay's speech 123

The rendition of fugitive slaves discussed 125

Calhoun's speech 127

Was the Union in danger in 1850? 131

General Taylor 133

The real danger to the Union discussed 135

Daniel Webster 137

Webster's 7th-of-March speech 144

The 7th-of-March speech discussed 149

Reception by the country of the 7th-of-March speech 154

The altered verdict on the character of Webster discussed 157

Webster and Burke compared 160

William H. Seward 162

Seward's speech 163

Seward's speech discussed 165

The debate on the Compromise Measures 168

Benton and Foote 169

The Committee of Thirteen 171

The Nashville convention 173

The position of the administration 175

Illness and death of President Taylor 175

Millard Fillmore 178

State government formed in New Mexico 180

The Compromise Measures 181

The Compromise completed 183

The Fugitive Slave law 185

The reason of its enactment 187

Fillmore and the Fugitive Slave law 188

The Compromise discussed 189

Clay and Webster 190

Seward and Chase 192

Northern sentiment 194

Southern sentiment 196

Northern sentiment on the Fugitive Slave law 196

CHAPTER III

The Clayton-Bulwer treaty 199

The Galphin Claim 202

The Hulsemann letter 205

The finality of the Compromise 207

The Fugitive Slave law 207

The rescue of Shadrach 209

The rendition of Sims 211

Proclamation by vigilance committee 212

Faneuil Hall refused for a reception to Webster 213

Allen's attack on Webster 213

Reduction of rates of postage 215

The Lopez expedition to Cuba 216

Riot in New Orleans 220

The working of the Fugitive Slave law 222

The "Jerry Rescue" 224

Southern sentiment 226

Charles Sumner 227

Benjamin F. Wade 228

The Thirty-second Congress 229

Kossuth 231

The finality of the Compromise 243

The Democratic national convention of 1852  244

Lewis Cass 244

Stephen A. Douglas 244

James Buchanan 246

Marcy 246

Proceedings of the convention 247

Nomination of Pierce 248

Character of Pierce 249

The Whig national convention of 1852 252

Speech of Rufus Choate 254

Nomination of Scott 256

Why Webster was not nominated 257

Character of Scott 259

Disappointment of Webster 260

Death of Clay 261

Disaffection to Scott 262

Democratic enthusiasm for Pierce 264

Sumner and the Fugitive Slave law 265

The Presidential campaign of 1852 269

Tour of Scott through the country 274

Election of Pierce 277

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" 278

Death of Webster 285

Theodore Parker 288

Edward Everett 291

Everett's letter on the Cuban question 294

Fillmore 296

Thomas Corwin 298

Fillmore's administration 301

CHAPTER IV

Slavery 303

Frederic Law Olmsted 303

Cost of keeping slaves 305

Overseers 307

Negro regarded merely as property 308

Women under slavery 310

Cotton and slavery 311

The value of slaves 314

The breeding of slaves for market 315

Slaves were chattels 318

Slave auction 319

The domestic slave-trade 323

The flogging of slaves 325

Legislation forbidding the education of slaves 327

Religious teaching 329

 Intellectual and moral condition of the slaves 333

The house servants 334

Amalgamation 335

Morals of slavery 336

The mulattoes 339

Effect of slavery on white children 343

The poor whites 344

The Southern oligarchy 345

The Southern aristocracy 347

Lack of comfort among the mass of slave-holders 349

Lack of schools 350

Criticism of Northern school-books 350

Criticism of Northern literature 352

Material prosperity of the North and the South 354

Differences between the North and the South 356

The virtues of the Southern aristocracy 359

The disadvantages of Southern society 361

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" 363

Southern defence of slavery 365

European opinions 373

Southern description of slavery 374

Denial of free speech at the South 375

Fear of slave risings 376

Fugitive slaves 378

The judgment of history on the Southern men 379

Jefferson, Calhoun, and Jefferson Davis 379

Reflections 380

CHAPTER V

Inauguration of Franklin Pierce 384

Formation of the cabinet 387

Jefferson Davis 388

Caleb Cushing 390

Buchanan 393

Soule 394

Hawthorne 396

Office-seeking 399

The yellow fever at New Orleans 400

The Crystal Palace Exhibition 414

The case of Martin Koszta 416

Standing of Pierce at the close of 1853 419

The Thirty-third Congress 421

Stephen A. Douglas 424

Douglas's report on Nebraska Territory 425

Political repose, January 1st, 1854, disturbed by Douglas 428

The amendment of Dixon 433

Interview of Douglas with Dixon 434

Douglas consults the President 437

The Kansas-Nebraska bill 439

The Appeal of the Independent Democrats 441

Douglas's speech 444

Chase's speech 448

Wade's retort to Badger 452

Seward's speech 453

Sumner's speech 454

Everett's speech 455

Cass's position 458

Differing constructions of the Kansas-Nebraska bill 459

Douglas's parliamentary management 461

Chase, the leader of the opposition 462

Public sentiment as seen in the press 463

Public sentiment as seen in public meetings 465

Public sentiment as seen by action of State legislatures 467

Petitions against the Kansas-Nebraska act 468

Southern sentiment 468

Douglas's closing speech 470

The vote on the Kansas-Nebraska bill 475

"Popular Sovereignty" 477

The petition of the clergymen 477

The Kansas-Nebraska bill in the House 480

The Kansas-Nebraska bill passed 489

The Kansas-Nebraska bill discussed 490

Power and influence of Douglas 491

Character of Douglas 492

Northern sentiment 494

Southern sentiment 496

The Kansas-Nebraska bill, and the Fugitive Slave law 498

The Burns case 500



Source: Rhodes, James Ford. History of the United States; from the compromise of 1850 to the final restoration of home rule at the south in 1877, v.1. New York: Macmillan, 1910 [c1892].