The Compromise of 1850

Background

• The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt to resolve differences in the U.S. over slavery, which were threatening national unity.
• Southerners wanted slavery to be legal in territories won during the Mexican-American War.
• Northerners wanted these territories to be free of slavery.

Key Issues

• New territory acquired from Mexico included California, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
• California had its own Constitution and wanted to join the Union as a free state.
• The main concern was the status of slavery in these new territories.
  • Southerners feared the Union might favor abolition, impacting their economy.
  • Southern states threatened secession over this issue.

The Compromise

• Crafted by Whig Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, and Democratic Senator John Calhoun.
• Proposed a series of laws to appease both sides.
  • California admitted as a free state.
  • Popular sovereignty implemented for other territories (New Mexico, Utah, Arizona).
    • People in these territories would decide on the legality of slavery, postponing the issue.

Laws and Implications

• A new, tougher Fugitive Slave Law was part of the compromise.
  • Empowered the federal government to capture and return escaped slaves from the North.
  • Affected Northern states with abolitionist traditions, implicating them in the capture of escaped slaves.
  • Aligned government actions with Southern slaveholders, indicating slavery’s national presence.

Aftermath and Criticism

• Politicians initially hailed the Compromise of 1850 as a triumph of statesmanship.
• The Compromise merely postponed conflict over slavery.
  • By 1856, tensions over Nebraska set the stage for further conflict, leading to civil war.