Heimler’s History: Tension Over Slavery and the Compromise of 1850

Context and Background

• Unit 5 of AP U.S. History: Focus on the growing tension caused by slavery from 1844 to the Civil War.
• Mexican-American War: Led to acquisition of new territories, raising the question of slavery's expansion.
• Wilmot Proviso: Proposed banning slavery in new territories, narrowly defeated.

Key Positions on Slavery Expansion

1. Southern Position

   • Argued slavery was a constitutional right.
   • Relied on the Missouri Compromise (1820) which set a precedent for where slavery could exist.
   • Proposed extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean.

2. Free Soil Movement

   • Composed of Northern Democrats and Whigs.
   • Advocated for new territories to be free from enslaved labor—"free soil" for white laborers.
   • Mixed views within movement: some were motivated by racial exclusion, others by abolitionist values.
   • Led to the founding of the Free Soil Party.

3. Popular Sovereignty

   • Proposed that residents of each territory decide on slavery themselves.
   • Appeared a middle-ground solution but increased tensions as outcomes could favor either side.

Intensification After Mexican-American War

• New Territories: California and New Mexico added as free states.
• Balance in Senate: Critical to maintaining equilibrium between slave and free states.
  • Admission of free states tipped the balance, causing Southern states to threaten secession.

Compromise of 1850

• Proposed by Henry Clay to maintain union and ease tensions.
• Key Provisions:
  1. Division of Mexican Cession: Utah and New Mexico territories to decide slavery by popular sovereignty.
  2. California Admitted as Free State
  3. Ban of Slave Trade in Washington D.C.
  4. Stricter Fugitive Slave Law: Required return of escaped enslaved individuals; controversial in the North.

Implications and Next Steps

• Temporary Relief: The Compromise provided temporary calm but did not resolve underlying issues.
• Fugitive Slave Law: Became a flashpoint, especially in the North where abolitionist sentiments were rising.

Conclusion

• Need for Further Study: The Compromise of 1850's impact and the Fugitive Slave Law will be explored in subsequent videos.
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