The Compromise of 1850: Attempt to Resolve Slavery Issue in the U.S.

Context and Background

• The Compromise of 1850 was an effort to address and resolve sharp differences in the U.S. regarding slavery, which threatened to split the country.
• Southerners wanted slavery to be legal in territories acquired during the Mexican-American War, while Northerners wanted these areas to be free of slavery.

Key Issues

• New Territories from Mexico:
  • The Mexican War resulted in new territories: California, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
  • California had formed a constitution and sought admission to the Union as a free state.
  • The status of slavery in New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona was a contentious issue.

Southern Concerns

• Southerners feared that banning slavery in new territories would shift the balance in favor of abolition, threatening their economy.
• Southern states threatened secession.

The Compromise

• Key Figures: Whig Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, and Democratic Senator John Calhoun.
• Proposals:
  • A series of laws aimed at placating both sides.
  • California admitted as a free state.
  • Implementation of popular sovereignty in the remaining Mexican territories, allowing the people to decide on slavery.

Fugitive Slave Law

• A new, stricter Fugitive Slave Law was enacted.
• The law forced northern states with abolitionist traditions to participate in the capture and return of escaped slaves.
• Demonstrated the federal government's alignment with slaveholders and the national significance of slavery.

Impact and Legacy

• Initially hailed as a triumph of statesmanship.
• Temporarily postponed conflict between North and South.
• By 1856, conflict over the Nebraska territory reignited tensions, setting the path to the American Civil War.

Summary

• The Compromise of 1850 sought to reconcile differences over slavery but ultimately delayed inevitable conflict.