preview

In the Early Nineteenth Century, Americans Sought to Resolve Their Political Disputes Through Compromise, Yet by 1860 This No Longer Seemed Possible. Analyze the Reasons for This Change. Use the Documents and Your

Decent Essays

The North and South in the nineteenth century were different in lifestyle and morale as well as economy. The north had a booming industrial economy while in the South, cotton was king. Because of this, congress was continuously addressing controversial matters and providing answers that did not satisfy either one side or both. The early 1800s were full of the North and the South making many attempts at reconciliation that just fell short. Among those were the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and the Great Compromise of 1850. Other tempestuous attempts led to the Tariff/Nullification Controversy, anti slavery debates in congress, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Whether it was one side or the other, there was always someone to oppose - and in some …show more content…

In 1833, the Compromise Tariff was put into place and would reduce rates to 20% by 1842. At this time, most people considered compromise to still be possible.
As time goes on, slavery becomes as much of a moral issue as a political one. The American Anti-Slavery Society believed that the practice of slavery was against God's teaching and that those who kept slaves were man stealers. [Document B] Slaves should be set free and slaveholders shouldn't be compensated a dime. "...we concede the Congress...has no right to interfere with any of the slave states...But we maintain that Congress has a right...to suppress the domestic slave trade..." [Document B] As abolitionists started to make an even greater fuss over slavery, congress was backed into a corner. To release the slaves and prevent slavery in the new territories would incite the wrath of the South, however to allow more slave states to enter the Union would anger the abolitionists. Eventually, the gag rule was put into place. "All petitions, memorials, [etc.]...to the subject of slavery or the abolition of slavery, shall...be laid on the table and that no further action whatever shall be had thereon." [Document C] However, each time a

Get Access