The Compromise Of 1850 After The United States

The compromise of 1850 was a settlement on a series of issues plaguing the unity of the states. The primary issue to address was the institution of slavery, which was causing much dissension between the north and the south. Additional items to be addressed were territory issues and to prevent secession by the south. Henry Clay stepped forward to present a compromise, which had Congress in an eight-month discussion known as the “Great Debate”. As a result of the proposal, there were strong oppositions. One outspoken person who opposed the proposal was John C Calhoun. Calhoun was an intellectual southern politician, political philosopher and a proponent to the protection of Southern interests. He was an advocate for states’ rights and

Henry Clay stepped in May 1850 and passed The Compromise of 1850 which consists of five laws which dealt with slavery issues. During that year, this was an attempt to solve the tensions over slavery by claiming it could stop slavery or even reduce the influence of southern states on this issue whenever California entered the Union as a free state and New Mexico and Utah became territories where slaves would be decided by popular sovereignty, along with the acceptance of New Mexico and receiving $10 million from the federal government. Some people recognized the Compromise to be bring peace, others viewed it as a way to touch deeper conflicts over slavery. For the most part, the compromise began to come apart leading to brining horrors of slavery

The Compromise of 1850 includes five bills passed by congress to attempt to keep balance. This compromised contained key points to end the boundary dispute with the land gained in the Mexican-American war. In which the addition of California would create an imbalance that would happen if added as a free state. Also the inclusion of the borders between Texas and Mexico. So congress solved the issue of addition of a free state with the Fugitive Slave Act to please southerners in consequence this gave rise to more hostility between the North and South .

At the beginning, the Compromise of 1850 settled the dispute of the land from the Mexican Cession. The Compromise of 1850 pleased both the North and South. California was admitted as a free state and slave was ban in Washington D.C. as it favors the North. For the South, popular sovereignty decided if slavery was used in the western territories, along with the fugitive slave law passed. The Fugitive Slave Act 1850 allowed special government officials to arrest any person accused of being a runaway slave, as shown in Document B, a poster of capturing fugitive slaves. Additionally, the Kansas-Nebraska Act (Stephen Douglas) was passed. It undid the Missouri Compromise, having popular sovereignty in the western territories, therefore “to cease the agitation of the

One of the legislative bills that were passed as part of the Compromise of 1850 was California was accepted in the

This stayed true, until the forming of California came into discussion. California demanded to keep its long borders, due to the oil, which was blocked by the Sierra Nevada, of the Rocky Mountains (OI). Congress would allow California to keep its unusual shape, but the Missouri Compromise’s lateral line went through the middle of California and gave Henry Clay an idea of a new compromise (OI). The Compromise of 1850 was relief for the nation (Doc. 3). Its provisions included Utah and New Mexico territories being decided if they were free or slave states by popular sovereignty (Doc. 3). California would enter the Union as a free state, border disputes between New Mexico and Texas was settled and slave trade, but not slavery, was banned in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. (Doc. 3). One other decree was enacting the Fugitive Slave Law, which meant that escaped slaves in the North would be returned to their owner, and even Northerners were required to help find escapees (Doc. 3). If people were found to have been harboring slaves, they were faced with either a $1,000 fine or 6 months in prison

To resolve the sectional strife throughout America, Henry Clay offered a set of resolutions, which collectively was known as the 'omnibus' bill, and was designed to gratify both pro-slave and anti-slave groups. This compromise said that California was to be admitted into the union as a free state; that New Mexico and Utah were to be organised into territories, allowing popular sovereignty; and as a sop to win over both sides, the Fugitive Slave Act which already existed was to be made more stringent, and slave-trading but not slavery was to end in the District of Columbia. Clay made the mistake of trying to past all five bills at once, this consequently caused in every call for compromise, some Northerners or Southerners to rise and in A. Farmer, a historians words 'Inflame passions'. In July 1850 Clay's 'omnibus' bill was defeated, due to countless Northern senators voting against it, on account of the benefits it brought for the opposition. It was only in September of the same year, when Senator Douglas of Illinois replaced Clay as the leader of the negotiation, and having separated out the conciliation into a five-part compromise was able to pass it.

The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt to smooth out confrontations of the acquired land from the mexican war in 1846-1848. The compromise consisted of the admission of california as a free state, the termination of slave trade in washington, and the ratification of fugitive slave law. The fugitive slave law granted southerners to be more authoritative as laws became harsher, stricter, and harder for the slaves the escape. On the other hand, northerners gained more power in the government as they obtained another free state. Under these consequences, tensions continued to escalate between both sections instead of fixing the problems which then increased the chances of civil war from occurring.

The northerners were able to make California a free state and also end slave trade in the capital. The southerners were able to pass the Fugitive Slave Act and they also outlawed the slave trade in Washington D.C. The north was not pleased with the new Fugitive Slave Act. Both the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Law were a debatable

The Compromise of 1850 had many upsides to it. Among them is that it made slave trade legal but slavery was not. Of course, there were mixed emotions about the whole situation. Also California was admitted to the Union which made a lot of people content. This benefitted the government in many ways such as creating a more unified society. The compromise made it so people did not have to fear for who they were. Especially if you were black in the North or South, but that would soon change in the South because of the hatred between the two races.

In efforts to better understand the Civil War most historians examine the Sectional Crisis and the Compromise of 1850 in the decades leading up to the worst years in American History. Some historians prefer to focus on the underlying theme of the war, others tightly examine individual leaders, events, and political parties, connecting them all together like puzzle pieces to define the years prior to the war. Despite the contrasting views, it is clear to realize the constant prevailing issues of the Antebellum Period, the Sectional Crisis and the Compromise of 1850. In particular, the Compromise of 1850 is deceivingly taught as only establishing 3 pivotal elements: the status of slavery in future territories (popular sovereignty), California statehood, and the fugitive slave law. Granted these elements of the compromise provide a great amount of controversy long after their birth, but one element of the compromise perceives to fail in obtaining recognition. The Texas-New Mexico boundary resolution seems to find itself fading away from its relevancy to the civil war, shadowed by more prominent issues regarding the stability of the Union. Abandoning the traditional teaching of the compromise, the Texas-New Mexico border decision figuratively and literally changed the identity of Texas. This was the long awaited result caused by deep rooted social and political issues dating back to the Texas Revolution.

In the early nineteenth century, most states had banned the importation of slaves to America, but kept the slaves they already held. The Compromise of 1850 (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica) also did several things to build tension. The compromise added California as a free state, and allowed any territory that was applying for statehood the choice of becoming a slave state or free state. This new law also granted southern slaveholders the ability to recapture slaves that had escaped to the North. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed Kansas and Nebraska, two American territories at the time, the ability to decide their own fate.

The compromises merely worked, and with the passing of time, tensions rose more between the sections, thus making these compromises less and less effective. The Compromise of 1850 enraged both the North and the South. When California was annexed, it was assigned to become a free state and the South did not appeal to that because the land boundaries that was made by the Missouri Compromise was large. Another part of this compromise that angered Southerners was that slave trade was banned in Washington D.C. The Fugitive Slave Law, which was a part of the Compromise of 1850 angered the North, because it allowed bounty hunters to hunt down slaves and the people who helped them to hide. Also, Northerners rejected this because they rejected Popular Sovereignty, which created possibilities of having slavery in any Northern states.

As a raging crisis was emerging, moderates and unionists were attempting to create a great compromise that would settle such issues. On January 29, 1850, Henry Clay has written a compromise and presented it to the Senate. The document consisted of admitting California as a free-state, the formation of territorial governments, and the abolition of slavery. Instead of a peaceful settlement, the resolutions launched a raging debate for seven months. As time went by, there has been numerous of events and court cases that led to the Civil War. The Compromise of 1850 was just the beginning of a series of debates in regards to slavery.

The Compromise of 1850 was a compromise proposed by Henry Clay regarding the future of slavery, especially in the territories acquired during the Mexican American War. This vital compromise delayed the Civil War for several years, and temporally extinguished the slavery issue. Despite the balance brought through the compromise neither North nor South was content with the compromise. Several speakers made speeches stating their opinions on the compromise, and their plan for the future of the country.