Lecture Notes: Period 1848-1854

Context

• Time Period: Post Mexican-American War (1848-1854)
• Key Issue: Slavery in new territories from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Free Soil Movement

• Emerged post-Mexican-American War.
• Free Soil Party: Formed in 1848.
  • Slogan: "Free soil, free labor, and free men."
  • Opposed slavery expansion in western territories (e.g., California, Nevada).
  • Not true abolitionists; they wanted opportunities for whites only.

Southern Perspective

• Viewed restrictions on slavery as constitutional rights violations.
• Election of 1848:
  • Whigs: Zachary Taylor (no position on slavery).
  • Democrats: Louis Cass (popular sovereignty).
  • Free Soil: Martin Van Buren (opposed slavery extension).
• Outcome: Zachary Taylor wins.

California and the Gold Rush

• Gold discovered in 1848, Sutter's Mill.
• Population surge by 1849 due to Gold Rush.
• California drafts a constitution banning slavery and seeks free state status.
  • Potential disruption of balance (15 free, 15 slave states).
  • Southern secession threats by radicals ("Fire Eaters").

Compromise of 1850

• Key Figures: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas.
• Components:
  • California admitted as a free state.
  • Utah and New Mexico to decide on slavery via popular sovereignty.
  • Slave trade banned in Washington D.C.
  • Tougher Fugitive Slave Law enacted.
  • Texas-New Mexico boundary settled.
• President Millard Fillmore: Called it the "final settlement."

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

• Turned North into a hunting ground for fugitive slaves.
• Increased Northern resistance to slavery.
  • Growth of abolitionist sentiment in the North.
  • Support for Underground Railroad, personal liberty laws, and vigilance committees.
• Notable case: Anthony Burns.

Election of 1852

• Democrats: Franklin Pierce (winner).
• Whig Party: Divided and weakened over slavery.

Expansion Challenges

• Manifest Destiny: Slowed by slavery debates.
• Cuba Purchase Plan: Opposed by Free Soilers.
• Gadsden Purchase (1853): $10 million land purchase for future transcontinental railroad.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• Introduced by Stephen Douglas for a railroad route and western settlement.
• Territories: Kansas and Nebraska; slavery decided by popular sovereignty.
  • Repealed Missouri Compromise of 1820.
  • Northern opposition; Whig Party collapses.
  • Formation of the Republican Party.

Conclusion

• The lecture ended with a promise to explore the Kansas-Nebraska Act's impact in future lectures.