7. "A Hell of a Storm": The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Birth of the Republican Party, 1854-55

The Civil War and Reconstruction (HIST 119)
Professor Blight narrates some of the important political crises of the 1850s. The lecture begins with an account of the Compromise of 1850, the swan song of the great congressional triumvirate--Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun. The lecture then describes northern opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act passed as part of the Compromise, and the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. Professor Blight then introduces the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the most pivotal political event of the decade, and the catalyst for the birth of the Republican party.
00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction
06:39 - Chapter 2. Slavery in the Capital? Texas? Underground Railroad? Issues of 1850
14:49 - Chapter 3. How the Compromise of 1850 Was a Compromise
21:33 - Chapter 4. Consequences of the Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom's Cabin
29:32 - Chapter 5. The Case of Anthony Burns
35:43 - Chapter 6. The Development of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
45:38 - Chapter 7. The Birth of the Republican Party and Conclusion
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: open.yale.edu/courses
This course was recorded in Spring 2008.