Lecture Notes: Period 1848-1854

Key Topics

• Post Mexican-American War
• Free Soil Movement
• Slavery in New Territories
• Election of 1848
• California Gold Rush
• Compromise of 1850
• Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
• Election of 1852
• Gadsden Purchase
• Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Post Mexican-American War

• Free Soil Movement: Emerged after the war, opposing slavery in western territories (California, Nevada, etc.)
  • Free Soil Party (1848): Advocated for "free soil, free labor, free men"
  • Not abolitionists; wanted land for free white laborers, not slaves
• Southern View: Restricting slavery's expansion seen as a violation of constitutional rights

Election of 1848

• Candidates:
  • Whigs: Zachary Taylor (no stance on slavery)
  • Democrats: Lewis Cass (popular sovereignty)
  • Free Soil Party: Martin Van Buren (anti-extension of slavery)
• Result: Zachary Taylor elected

California Gold Rush (1848)

• Discovery led to rapid influx of settlers (100,000 by 1849)
• California drafted a constitution banning slavery, seeking free state status

Compromise of 1850

• Addressed tension over Mexican cession territories
• Components:
  • California: Admitted as a free state
  • Territories of Utah and New Mexico: Slavery decided by popular sovereignty
  • Slave Trade: Banned in Washington, D.C.
  • Fugitive Slave Law: More stringent law enacted
  • Border Dispute: Resolved between New Mexico and Texas
• Millard Fillmore becomes President after Taylor's death

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

• North turned into a hunting ground for fugitive slaves
• Increased Northern resistance and support for abolitionism
• Personal liberty laws and vigilance committees formed

Election of 1852

• Franklin Pierce (Democrat): Wins the election
• Whig Party: Divided over slavery

Gadsden Purchase (1853)

• U.S. purchased land from Mexico for $10 million for a future railroad route

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• Introduced by Stephen Douglas
• Established territories of Kansas and Nebraska with slavery decided by popular sovereignty
• Repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820
• Led to the dissolution of the Whig Party and the formation of the Republican Party
• Northerners opposed opening new territories to slavery

Conclusion

• The nation became increasingly polarized over slavery
• Further lectures will cover the impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act