COMPROMISE OF 1850
Key Figures:
Henry Clay - created a series of compromises that turned into this compromise
Daniel Webster - his Seventh of March speech helped steer the North towards concessions
Why did it happen?
California wants to come into the Union as a free state - skips territorial stage because of the gold rush
-Would permanently tip balance of free/slave states in Senate
-Sectionalism grows
The government wanted to preserve the Union and try to reduce this hostility
What did it do?
-There were concessions to North and South:
-South: Slavery in Utah and New Mexico is to be determined with popular sovereignty. Stricter fugitive slave law- not enforced well in the North
-North: California new free state, slave trade abolished in the District of Columbia. The North has the obvious advantage - Control in the Senate and the House of Representatives, number of free states exceeds number of slave states
-Temporarily avoided Civil War - delayed it, giving North an eventual advantage with more advanced technology, economy, higher population, etc.
What did it lead into?
-After a short period of relative peace, sectional hostility returns—New Fugitive Slave Law stirs anger/opposition in the North. More antagonism and abolitionists-UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
-South is still angered by the admission of California and the loose enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law. Southerners start looking for more states to spread slavery
-Delays war, giving North an advantage—North forges ahead in population & wealth, add to moral strength- will to fight for the union
-Sectionalism grows—hostility, slavery opposition. The compromise showed that the slavery issue was still burning and not easy to fix — the Union edges towards Civil War
Henry Clay - created a series of compromises that turned into this compromise
Daniel Webster - his Seventh of March speech helped steer the North towards concessions
Why did it happen?
California wants to come into the Union as a free state - skips territorial stage because of the gold rush
-Would permanently tip balance of free/slave states in Senate
-Sectionalism grows
The government wanted to preserve the Union and try to reduce this hostility
What did it do?
-There were concessions to North and South:
-South: Slavery in Utah and New Mexico is to be determined with popular sovereignty. Stricter fugitive slave law- not enforced well in the North
-North: California new free state, slave trade abolished in the District of Columbia. The North has the obvious advantage - Control in the Senate and the House of Representatives, number of free states exceeds number of slave states
-Temporarily avoided Civil War - delayed it, giving North an eventual advantage with more advanced technology, economy, higher population, etc.
What did it lead into?
-After a short period of relative peace, sectional hostility returns—New Fugitive Slave Law stirs anger/opposition in the North. More antagonism and abolitionists-UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
-South is still angered by the admission of California and the loose enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law. Southerners start looking for more states to spread slavery
-Delays war, giving North an advantage—North forges ahead in population & wealth, add to moral strength- will to fight for the union
-Sectionalism grows—hostility, slavery opposition. The compromise showed that the slavery issue was still burning and not easy to fix — the Union edges towards Civil War