The Underground Railroad, Bleeding Kansas and the Election of Honest Abe

There were many events or movements that led up to the tipping point that was the Civil War in the United States. A few of the major topics are the underground railroad, bleeding Kansas and the election of 1860. Both of these things had major repercussions after they took place. These events have direct ties to the secession of the southern states and the start of the Civil War.

The Underground railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses that ensured a safe pathway for escaped slaves to travel to the north. Once the escaped slaves got to the north they were then "safe" because technically they were now free in these states because slavery was outlawed. However, this is what caused the popularization of bounty hunting. Slave owners would put out a reward for whoever could find their escaped slaves and return them. This led to bounty hunters going into the north and kidnapping any one who was black, whether they were escaped slaves or not. This pitted the North and South against each other. 

Bleeding Kansas took place throughout 1854-1861. This was a series of violent confrontations revolving around the discussion of the legality of slavery. Kansas and Missouri were border states which meant that they were in the front lines of confrontation between the north and south. This led to people coming in from surrounding states, north and south to vote on state government issues to attempt to sway the state either pro or anti slavery.

Finally, the election of 1860 was the final tipping point that led to the secession of the southern states and start of the civil war. The election of 1860 was the election that saw Abraham Lincoln chosen as the president of the United States. Lincoln was very vocal during his campaign about his anti slavery views, as he was from the north. This angered Americans living in the southern states as they saw it as a threat to their livelihood. Lincoln was eventually elected and this resulted in South Carolina seceding from the United States in 1861 and ten other southern states later following their lead. 

The Laws Behind State V. Mann

The North Carolina court case of State V. Mann is an interesting one. John Mann, a slave owner, was charged with battery and assault on a slave named Lydia who was being loaned to Mann by Elizabeth Jones. The state fined Mann five dollars. Mann appealed the fine under the grounds that he had done nothing wrong. 

Legally considered property, slaves were not allowed to own property of their own. They were not allowed to assemble without the presence of a white person. Slaves that lived off the plantation were subject to special curfews. In the courts, a slave accused of any crime against a white person was doomed. In October 1705, Virginia passed a law stating that if a master happened to kill a slave who was undergoing “correction,” it was not a crime. Furthermore, the legislation said, when slaves were declared runaways, it was “lawful for any person to kill and destroy by such ways and means as he shall think fit.” When it comes down to it, slaves were considered property at this time and you can not be charged for assault on a piece of property.

The court ruled in favor of Mann and he was payed back the five dollar fine. While this decision is obviously morally wrong, the court has to make decisions based on laws and facts and the facts were that Mann hadn't broken any precedented laws. The ruling stated that slave owners had absolute authority over their slaves and could not be found guilty of committing violence against them.

John Brown and His Relationship with Slavery

 John Brown was born on May 9th, 1800. His relationship with slavery was a very interesting one. John Brown was a white man, but he grew up poor so as a result his family did not have slaves but he did witness the negatives of slavery as a young kid. Brown hated what he witnessed as a kid. He hated it so much that he dedicated a large portion of his time to helping free slaves whatever ways he could.

John Brown worked with the Underground Railroad, helping runaway slaves hide from bounty hunters and their masters by hiding them. He also opposed many laws and peacefully petitioned government to make his voice heard and help the enslaved community.

Sadly, John Brown decided that fighting peacefully would never work. In 1856 Brown led his five sons to Kansas where they slaughtered five pro slavery men. Three years later, on October 16th, 1859, John Brown would lead twenty men with the intent of starting a slave rebellion. He was unsuccessful and was arrested and executed by Robert E. Lee.