The Compromise of 1850 and Its Consequences

Overview

• Four-Part Plan:
  1. California admitted as a free state.
  2. Outlawed slave trade in Washington D.C. (not slavery itself).
  3. Enacted a harsh Fugitive Slave Law.
  4. Popular sovereignty to decide slavery in new territories (Utah and New Mexico).
• Celebrated as a way to avert Civil War.

Lesser Parts of the Compromise

• Texas and New Mexico:
  • Texas gave up claims in New Mexico.
  • U.S. assumed Texas's debt.
  • Texas funded a white-only public school system with the money.

Main Parts of the Deal

• California:
  • Admitted as a free state.
• Washington D.C.:
  • Slave trade outlawed, but slavery remained.
  • Depictions of slavery against government buildings showed government hypocrisy.
• Utah and New Mexico:
  • Popular sovereignty determined the status of slavery.
• Fugitive Slave Law:
  • Harsh laws enforcing the return of runaway slaves.
  • Denied suspected slaves jury trials and basic rights.
  • Required all Northerners to assist in the capture of runaway slaves.
  • Financial incentives increased enforcement.

Impact on the Abolitionist Movement

• William Lloyd Garrison (1854):
  • Burned the U.S. Constitution.
  • Called it a "covenant with death" and an "agreement with hell".
• Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852):
  • Written in response to the Fugitive Slave Law.
  • Inspired by the death of her son.
  • Emphasized the immorality of slavery.
  • Encouraged civil disobedience.
• Anthony Burns Case (1854):
  • Runaway slave captured and returned to Virginia, sparking outrage.
  • Northerners viewed it as proof of the "slave power" conspiracy.

Growing Divide Between North and South

• Northern View:
  • Southern pro-slavery conspiracy dominating the government.
  • Unfair privileges for slave owners.
• Southern View:
  • Northern conspiracy against property rights and expansion of slavery.
• Filibustering:
  • Southern attempts to acquire new territories for slavery (e.g., Texas, Nicaragua).

The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• Stephen Douglas's Proposal:
  • Organized Kansas and Nebraska territories.
  • Introduced popular sovereignty, repealing the Missouri Compromise.
• Impact:
  • Outrage in the North.
  • Concession to slavery without equivalent to the North.
  • Led to the dissolution of the Whig Party.

Franklin Pierce's Expansion Plan

• Southern sympathizer aiming to expand slavery into Latin America.
• Failed attempts to acquire Cuba.
• Leaked plans led to public outrage and denial by the administration.
• Political cartoon "The Democratic Platform" criticized the expansionist policies.

Conclusion

• The Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Law, and Kansas-Nebraska Act significantly deepened the divide between North and South.
• Set the stage for increased sectional conflict leading up to the Civil War.