A NATION TORN: THE STORY OF HOW THE CIVIL WAR BEGAN

CHAPTER FIVE: A MAN NAMED LINCOLN

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES
On August 21, 1858, twelve thousand people flocked to the dusty town square
of Ottawa, Illinois, and waited impatiently for the great showdown to egin! "hey
had come from miles around to watch a heated deate etween two challengers
competing for the office of senator from Illinois! "he more famous candidate was
Stephen Douglas, the fireall congressman who had created such a ruckus y
introducing the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 185#! $is opponent was a plain%
spoken country lawyer named Abraham Lincoln! "he two men were longtime
political rivals! "hey had stood on opposite sides of national issues ever since
their first meeting twenty%five years efore!

"hroughout the 18&&s, political speeches were a favorite form of
entertainment for Americans! "he deate etween 'incoln and (ouglas was the
social event of the season in Ottawa! As more and more people arrived and
streamed toward the wooden platform in the center of town, the gathering took
on a carnival air! )ands and military companies paraded through the dirt streets
eneath a canopy of right anners and flags! On each corner, peddlers cried
out, tempting the crowds to uy their wares! At the pulic square, a group of
spectators, eager for the deate to egin, climed on the wooden awning aove
the stage! *uddenly, the overhang gave way, dumping its load of men and oys
on the heads of the reception committee elow!
At last the two candidates appeared! "hey had arrived in town in very
different styles! 'incoln rode into Ottawa on a crowded train filled with his
supporters, while (ouglas came in an elegant carriage drawn y four purered
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horses! +our miles outside of town, the 'ittle ,iant was met y hundreds of his
admirers, who escorted him to his hotel amid the ooming of cannon! Once the
candidates had pushed their way to the platform, it took officials a half hour to
ring the e-cited crowd to order! At two%thirty, (ouglas rose and opened the
deate! +or the ne-t three hours, the competitors attled with words under the
scorching August sun!
.ust as the audience had e-pected, (ouglas immediately tackled the su/ect
of slavery! On this issue, like most, the candidates strongly disagreed! Araham
'incoln was a memer of the R-./%i+an Part!, a political group founded to halt
the spread of slavery through government action! (ouglas, a memer of the rival
(emocratic 0arty, had once revealed that he did not care whether slavery 1was
voted down or voted up!2 $e elieved that each state should have the right to
decide this question for itself% that is, he elieved in the policy of -o-.%ar
0o$ri&nt!!
THE DRED SCOTT DECISION
Another recent event had driven the candidates even farther apart in their
views! In 1853 the 4!*! *upreme 5ourt reached a decision in the case of a slave
named Dred Scott! "he verdict stunned antislavery forces across the nation!
(red *cott had een the personal servant of (r! .ohn 6merson, an army
surgeon! 7hen 6merson was transferred to posts in Illinois and the 7isconsin
"erritory, he rought *cott along! +our years later the surgeon8s assignments in
these free lands were complete, and he and *cott returned to the slave state of
9issouri! 7hen his master died, *cott decided to sue in the courts for his lierty,
arguing that the years he had spent on free soil made him a free man!
Dr* S+ott
+or more than ten years the case dragged through the courts, raising many
prickly questions along the way! As a lack man, did *cott have the right to sue
in the federal courts: 7as a slaveowner entitled to take his servants into the free
territories of the 4nited *tates:
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7hen the eighty%year%old chief /ustice, Ro&r Tan!, announced the *upreme
5ourt8s decision, the ruling was startling in its strictness! *cott did not have the
right to sue, the /udge declared in a high, thin voice! )lacks, even if they were
free, were not citi;ens! "herefore, "aney continued, they were not entitled to the
same rights as whites! As for *cott8s freedom, this was also denied! "aney
stated that slaves were property, and owners certainly had the right to take their
property onto free soil! And carrying the ruling one step further, the chief /ustice
proclaimed that 5ongress had no power to keep slavery out of the territories!
Ro&r Tan!
BAC1 TO THE DEBATES
7hile opponents of slavery were dismayed y the Dr* S+ott *+i0ion,
(ouglas and most (emocrats completely agreed with "aney8s opinion aout the
inferiority of lacks! As the huge crowd in Ottawa listened closely, (ouglas
oasted these views with a thundering voice and clenched fists! 1+or one! I am
opposed to <egro citi;enship in any and every form,2 (ouglas cried! 1I elieve
this government was made on the white asis! I elieve it was made y white
men, for the enefit of white men!2
As he talked aout slavery, (ouglas tested the strategy that he would rely on
throughout his campaign! (ouglas knew that many of the whites who opposed
slavery were also pre/udiced toward lacks! In speech after speech, he shrewdly
played upon the voters8 racial fears! 1Are you in favor if =giving> the <egro the
rights and privileges of citi;enship:2 (ouglas asked the crowd! Are you for letting
<egroes flow into Illinois and 1cover your prairies with lack settlements:2 1<o?
<o?2 someone answered! (o you want <egroes to vote and to marry with white
people: 1<ever?2 yelled several whites! If you8re for all this, (ouglas ellowed,
1then support 9r! 'incoln and the )lack @epulican 0arty!2
5heered on y his supporters, (ouglas hotly defended his policy of popular
sovereignty! $e insisted that the +ounding +athers had made America a divided
landAhalf slave and half freeAfor good reasons! 1"hey knew that the laws and
regulations which would suit the granite hills of <ew $ampshire would e
unsuited to the rice plantations of *outh 5arolina,2 (ouglas said! 0eace could
not e-ist in the nation unless each state had 1the full and complete power to do
as it pleased!2 (ouglas accused 'incoln of steering the nation toward civil war y
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trying to wipe out slavery across the land! 1I elieve that this new doctrine
preached y 9r! 'incoln and his party will dissolve the 4nion if it succeeds!2
@ising to reply, 'incoln looked like a poor match for the 'ittle ,iant8s high%
handed ways! (ouglas was dressed in the style of a wealthy plantation owner,
wearing a wide%rimmed white hat, a ruffled shirt, and a dark lue coat with
shining uttons! <e-t to the stocky congressman, 'incoln%%%standing si- feet four
inches%%%appeared gangly and awkward in his ill%fitting suit! 7hen he egan to
address the crowd, his voice sounded sharp and a key too high!
)ut despite his humle ways, 'incoln commanded a large numer of
supporters in the audience! @epulican forces and antislavery feelings were
strong in the free state of Illinois%%%especially in the northern part of the state,
where Ottawa was located! "he audience applauded so wildly for 'incoln when
he rose to speak that he had to wait several minutes efore he could e heard!
Once the spectators had calmed down to listen, they were charmed y 'incoln8s
wit and the sincere look in his deep%set eyes! "hey interrupted the speaker again
and again with cheers and shouts of encouragement!
In his speech, 'incoln set out to deny (ouglas8s charges one y one! $e
claimed that the *enator was twisting and misrepresenting his views, using 1a
fantastic arrangement of words, y which a man can prove a horse chestnut to
e a chestnut horse!2 +irst, 'incoln e-plained, he had never said that lacks
should e given perfect equality with whites, as his opponent had claimed! 1)ut,2
he added, 1there is no reason in the world why the <egro is not entitled to all the
rights enumerated in the (eclaration of IndependenceC the rights to life, lierty,
and the pursuit of happiness!2
"he sun was eginning to set when 'incoln and (ouglas stepped down from
the stage, ut the attle etween the candidates was not over! "he two rivals
met in si- other towns across the state for a series of outdoor deates! At each
stop, thousands of people dropped their chores for the day and pushed through
the dust%choked streets to hear the candidates and choose their favorite man!
*oon people throughout the nation were eager for news of the e-citing *enate
race in Illinois! 6verywhere the 'ittle ,iant and 1'ong Ae2 went, a flock of
reporters trailed close ehind!
After four e-hausting months of speechmaking, it was time for the candidates
to return home and wait for the voters to cast their allots! 'incoln was an-iously
pacing the telegraph office in *pringfield, Illinois, when the results came in!
(ouglas had won the election y a narrow margin of votes! "he defeat cast a
gloomy shadow over 'incoln! It was not easy to shrug off all the weary hours of
campaigning or his supporters8 disappointed faces! 1I feel like the oy who
stumped his toe!2 'incoln told his friends! 1I am too ig to cry and too adly hurt
to laugh!2
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LINCOLN BECOMES A NATIONAL FIGURE
Det the *enate campaign had not een a compete loss! "he 1,reat (eates2
had thrown 'incoln into the spotlight, and created a national reputation for this
private lawyer and his nole ideas! A few @epulican newspapers in Illinois were
even hinting that 'incoln would make a fine candidate for 0resident! 7hile
'incoln did not take these reports seriously, many others did%%%including his
friend, .esse +ell, a leading @epulican in Illinois!
One (ecemer evening, shortly after the *enate election, +ell met 'incoln
coming out of the courthouse in the town of )loomington! $e caught his friend
y the arm and led him to a neary law office to discuss his latest notion! +ell
had /ust returned from a trip to the eastern states! 6verywhere @epulicans had
talked aout (ouglas8s tough opponent, and asked, 17ho is this man, 'incoln:2
If the nation learned more aout his ackground and antislavery efforts, +ell told
'incoln e-citedly, he could ecome a serious challenger for the presidency!
7hen +ell had finished outlining his plan, 'incoln still was not convinced! 1I
admit that I am amitious and would like to e president,2 he replied! 1)ut there
is no such good luck in store for meEesides there is nothing aout my early
history that would interest you or anyone else!2 7ith those words, 'incoln
wrapped an old gray shawl around his ony shoulders, said good%night, and
stepped off into the cold night!
Once again 'incoln turned his attention to his law practice in *pringfield, ut
he still remained active in the @epulican 0arty! ,radually he discovered that he
had een wrong aout the pulic8s interest in his personal life! 0eople were
fascinated y tales of his humle childhood on the frontier%%%how he lived in a log
cain, earned money y splitting fence rails, and worked his way up from a
ackwoods farm oy to a respected young lawyer! 6ven more important, political
figures and citi;ens from all over the country were an-ious to hear his views on
slavery and the future of the nation! @epulican groups from Fansas to <ew
Dork invited 'incoln to come and speak! As the election of 18G& drew closer,
running for the office of president no longer seemed like such a farfetched idea!
2OHN BROWN
In the fall of 185H, 'incoln egan to address a new su/ect in his speechesC
.ohn )rown and his crusade for freedom! "he massacre of five proslavery men
in Fansas had not een enough for this osessed aolitionist and his followers!
7hen the uproar over his crime had quieted in the 7est, )rown moved on to the
rocky hills of 9aryland! "here he spent the summer in a rented farmhouse, filling
his hideout with weapons and putting the final touches on his master plan!
+or years, )rown had dreamed of leading a reellion of slaves! $e was
convinced that lacks all over the *outh were urning with hatred for their white
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masters and were on the verge of a huge revolt! As )rown lay awake at nights
plotting this uprising, his schemes ecame more and more grand! $e would
personally lead the daring march through the thickly wooded mountains of
9aryland and Iirginia! At the town of $arper8s +erry, where the two states
touched orders, he and a trusted and of followers would capture the federal
weapons supply house! 7hen the time came, hundreds of slaves would reak
away from the plantations and swarm to his side! "ogether, he and his army
would transform the *outh into a land of freedom!
)rown was so da;;led y his amitious ideas that he ignored the practical
details essential for success! $e never carefully e-plored $arper8s +erry to find
secret trails and hiding places for escape! $e never worked out an emergency
plan in case his attack went wrong! )rown did not even other to warn all the
slaves in the area that the reellion was aout to take place! "he Old 9an
elieved the invasion would go smoothly ecause ,od would 1guard and shield2
him and show his army the path to safety!
On Octoer 18, 185H, thirty%si- hours after his raiders stormed the weapons
arsenal in $arper8s +erry, )rown finally reali;ed that his mission was doomed!
Instead of inspiring a mighty uprising, his dreams had ended in horrile failure!
7hen news of the attack spread to neary farms, not a single slave rushed to
/oin the reellion! 7ithout organi;ation and a leader to guide them, many slaves
were unprepared for this old move! Others were too frightened of the punish%
ment they would suffer if captured! *o )rown, trapped in the arsenal at $arper8s
+erry, faced hundreds of armed and furious townspeople with only twenty%one
men at his side!
@umors of )rown8s attack swept through the *outh like shock waves! After
sei;ing the armory, the raiders took prisoners during the dri;;ly night, and fatally
wounded a railroad worker who stumled upon the scene! )y morning, churches
in towns throughout Iirginia and 9aryland were tolling ells of alarm! "he
telegraph wires sent out e-aggerated accounts of the attack! 1<egro @eellion at
$arper8s +erry?2 1*laves @ampaging and 9urdering in the *treets?2 7hen they
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heard the reports, southern whites reacted hysterically! "he nightmare that had
frightened them for years was coming true! +armers from the surrounding
countryside graed their shotguns, a-es, or any weapon they could find, and
headed for $arper8s +erry! 7ith special orders from 7ashington to protect the
citi;ens from attack, ninety 4!*! 9arines oarded a train for the little mountain
town!
"he townsmen showed no mercy for .ohn )rown and his followers! "hey
pumped ullets into the fire%engine house and rifle works where most of the
raiders had retreated in confusion! 7hen )rown sent his son 7atson and
another messenger out under a white flag of truce, the mo in the street gunned
oth men down! At the sight of the vicious crowd outside, the youngest of the
raiders lost his courage and tried to escape! )ut as he dashed across the
railroad tracks and /umped into the 0otomac @iver, he was chased down y a
group of citi;ens and shot to death at close range!
Inside the engine house, .ohn )rown paced ack and forth in the shadows,
trying to decide what to do ne-t! $is scattered rangers had killed the mayor of
$arper8s +erry and a slaveowner! <ews of the latest deaths, along with whiskey
from the local tavern, made the townspeople and the militiamen more violent!
)ut as always, )rown remained unshakale, his eyes still la;ing with a stuorn
light! $is two wounded sons lay in the corner of the uilding, oth of them crying
out in pain! One of )rown8s prisoners later recalled that Oliver )rown egged his
father to shoot him and end his agony! "he Old 9an turned to his son and
answered itterly, 1If you must dieE!die like a man!2
It was not until the ne-t morning, after he peered out into the courtyard, that
)rown admitted that the reellion was over! "he company of marines had
arrived! <ow they stood ready to charge the engine house, armed with ayonets
and sledgehammers!
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"he two thousand spectators who had gathered on the streets cheered as the
soldiers stormed the uilding, and they eagerly waited for the villains to e
marched out to face punishment! 9any of the townspeople were stunned y
what they saw! <o army of aolitionists appeared from the engine house! "he
leader of the revolt was an old man, unconscious and leeding, with a flowing
white eard! "here were only four other raiders left to stand trial! "en of )rown8s
followers had een killed, and the rest had escaped into the mountains!
Although no slave war ever took place, the incident at $arper8s +erry sent a
tidal wave of panic across the *outh, /ust as )rown had hoped! +or weeks after
the raid, whites lived in fear that their slaves would turn against them at any
moment! If a arn accidentally urned down or a slave escaped, rumors of a
revolt sprung up like weeds! "o aggravate matters, hundreds of <ortherners
were calling .ohn )rown a champion of freedom%%%the ravest and humanest
man in all the country!2 *outherners were deeply offended y this praise! 9any
insisted that the attack was /ust another step in the Dankee plot to eliminate
slavery and ring down the *outh! "hey pointed fingers at @epulicans in
particular, claiming that the party8s aolitionist speeches had inspired )rown8s
loody acts!
.ohn )rown was hanged for his crimes in (ecemer of 185H, ut his restless
spirit continued to haunt the nation! In the *outh, a warlike mood filled the air!
"housands of men /oined military companies, eagerly preparing for the day when
1those )lack @epulicans2 would decide to strike again! *tate lawmakers
devoted more pulic money to the purchase of weapons! Iisitors from the <orth
found that they were no longer welcome in southern cities and towns!
THE ELECTION OF 3456
As the election year of 18G& opened, Araham 'incoln tried to reak through
this atmosphere of hostility and distrust! 1'et us @epulicans do our part2 to
preserve peace and harmony throughout the country, he told his fellow party
memers! 16ven though much provoked, let us do nothing through passion and
ill temper! 6ven though the southern people will not so much as listen to us, let
us calmly consider their demands!2 "here were several well%known @epulicans
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competing for the presidency in 18G&! 7hile 'incoln was not the favorite choice
for many voters, this peacemaking approach won him a great deal of support!
In 9ay the R-./%i+an Part! held its national convention in 5hicago, Illinois,
to choose a presidential candidate! )y the opening day of the meeting, the city
was overflowing with enthusiastic convention%goers! @epulican representatives
from all over the 4nion had traveled to 5hicago to cast their allots! 6very hotel
was packed with delegates, reporters, and ordinary citi;ens swept along y the
e-citement of the affair! "he crowd for the convention was so large that the
@epulicans of 5hicago uilt a special hall for the event%%%%a gigantic arn%like
uilding nicknamed the 7igwam!
Although 'incoln was not e-pected to win the nomination, his followers
outnumered other supporters at the convention! 7ith only a short distance to
travel, citi;ens from around Illinois poured into 5hicago to cheer for $onest Ae!
"o help 'incoln8s campaign along, one group of young men printed stacks of
counterfeit convention tickets to hand out to his supporters! 7hen the doors of
the 7igwam opened! 'incoln men shoved into the drafty gallery, crowding out the
opponents8 followers!
+rom the moment the convention was called to order, 'incoln8s campaign
managers worked feverishly to promote their candidate! As they usily moved
among the delegates in the convention hall and hotel loies, they made a
special effort to point out the drawacks of the other candidates! One had owned
slaves in the past, which contradicted the principles of many @epulicans!
Another was widely considered to e too e-treme and dangerous in his views!
5learly, 'incoln was the candidate of compromise%%%the only challenger who
could satisfy all sides of the party at once!
On the third day of the convention, the commotion inside the 7igwam shook
the rough wooden flooroards! It was time for the nominating to egin! "he
chairman of the convention called the roll, and representatives from each state
and territory rose to announce how their delegates had voted! (uring the first
round of alloting, 'incoln8s strongest rival, William Seward of <ew Dork, led the
race! )ut slowly the numer of votes for 'incoln egan to clim! $is supporters
screamed with the growing suspense and threw their lack hats into the air! One
reporter, hoping to give his readers some idea of the deafening noise, wrote,
1Imagine all the hogs ever slaughtered in 5incinnati giving their death squeals
together, a score of ig steam whistles goingE!A herd of uffalo or lions could
not have made a more tremendous roaring!2
At last the final votes were announced! As the clerks tallied the allots, the
crowd of ten thousand fell silent! 5ampaign managers hushed their hoarse
chatteringJ ladies stopped fluttering their fans! *uddenly, the leader of the Ohio
delegation leaped onto his chair and announced the change of four more votes to
'incoln! "he spectators roke into a roar of approval, and the tension of the past
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three days faded from the hall! 'incoln, the ackwoods rail splitter, had captured
the @epulican presidential nomination?
)y now, 'incoln8s chances for the presidency were eginning to look strong!
"wo weeks earlier, the (emocratic convention had met in 5harleston, *outh
5arolina, and the meeting had ended in disaster! 4nlike the @epulicans, the
(emocrats could not agree on the issue of slavery! (elegates from the *outh
wanted to adopt federal laws that would protect the rights of slaveholders
anywhere in the 4nionJ delegates from the <orth wanted to allow the people of
each state to decide on the prolem! 7hen the <ortherners refused to surrender
to their demands, fifty southern (emocrats stormed out of the 5harleston
convention, vowing that they would never support the Dankees8 choice for
president!
6fforts to reunite the group were hopeless, and the party divided into two
separate wings! "he northern (emocrats met in )altimore, 9aryland and
nominated 'incoln8s old rival, *tephen A! (ouglas, for president! *outhern
(emocrats quickly organi;ed their own convention in @ichmond, Iirginia, and
nominated John C. reckenridge of Fentucky! @epulicans were delighted with
news of the split! "he more the (emocratic 0arty stumled, the more powerful
the @epulicans ecame!
On election day, <ovemer G, 18G&, 'incoln remained remarkaly calm! 6ven
when the returns started to show a @epulican lead and his friends whooped with
pleasure, 'incoln sat sprawled on the couch in the *pringfield telegraph office!
$e listened quietly as the instrument clicked out its messages and the operator
happily announced the resultsC 5iti;ens from Illinois had voted @epulicanJ the
same was true in 5alifornia, 0ennsylvania, and the crucial state of <ew Dork!
'incoln had swept the northern states!
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Around midnight, the results from the southern states egan to appear, telling
a different story! 1<ow, we shall get a few licks ack,2 'incoln commented from
his place on the sofa! 9any southern states had not even placed his name on
their allots! Det the numer of northern votes was large enough to keep 'incoln
ahead in the race! 7ith the telegraph lines still humming, he and his friends left
for a anquet given y the @epulican ladies of *pringfield! "he hostesses
greeted 'incoln with a new air of respect! "hey clustered around him, offering
him sandwiches and coffee! Admirers serenaded him with @epulican songs!
)ut 'incoln was too restless to en/oy this special treatment! $e soon returned to
the telegraph office and watched over the results until his election was certain!
Although 'incoln did not go to ed until long after midnight, he could not
sleep! Outside, triumphant @epulicans were parading through the streets! "he
windowpane rattled with the last of a victory cannon! As he lay awake, his
tremendous new responsiilities preoccupied his thoughts! $e would soon
ecome president of a nation that was deeply divided! 5ould he find a way to
settle the old arguments once and for all: 5ould he reak down the arriers
etween the <orth and the *outh:
SECESSION
"he task would e more difficult than 'incoln ever imagined! In the days
efore the election, many *outherners had warned that a 1)lack @epulican2
victory would surely mean disunion! 1'et the consequences e what they mayE
the *outh will never sumit to such humiliation and degradation as the
inauguration of Araham 'incoln,2 a newspaper in ,eorgia proclaimed! Det
southern leaders had een threatening to withdraw from the 4nion for years!
9ost @epulicans, including 'incoln, elieved the talk of secession was nothing
more than luff and e-aggeration!
In (ecemer of 18G&, So.th Caro%ina proved the douting @epulicans
wrong! (elegates from across the state met in 5harleston and voted
unanimously to estalish an independent nation%%%one where the right to own
slaves would never e questioned! "he years of southern indecision came to an
end! *oon seven other southern states rushed to leave the 4nion! Americans
everywhere turned their attention to 5harleston, the hoted of the reellion, and
a huge rick fort within the city8s haror!
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