Compromise Of 1850: A Comparative Analysis

Americans went to war with each other because they were no longer able to reach a compromise (Schultz, 2009). The social, economic, and political differences between the two parties had finally reached a breaking point. There were unsuccessful attempts made to reach a compromise. Unfortunately, those attempts resulted in distrust between the North and South. The Mexican War introduced conflict between the two parties over the “would-be” outcome of the new territories (Schultz, 2009). The Compromise of 1850 attempted to settle differences between the two; however, the components angered both sides. Northern states were angered by the tough Fugitive Slave Act, and it initiated talks of secession in the southern states. The South was quickly becoming out populated by the North and they were desperate to keep the Senate balanced. Additionally, each side began taking drastic opposing measures against the other. Moreover, The Kansas Nebraska Act was introduced and left the outcome of the territories to popular sovereignty (Schultz, 2009). This resulted in tension, conflict, and violence.

This election ultimately led to the secession of the southern states because of state versus federal rights. The South did not want to remain in a Union in which they had no control. They feared that Abraham Lincoln, a anti-slavery advocate, would order all states Free. All of the aforementioned reasoning reiterated the differences between the two parties. Money and power ultimately drove Americans to war because each felt their way of life and survival was “the way.” The North relied upon industrial growth and believed in free labor for the expansion in the West. Whereas, the South’s survival was based upon agriculture, more prominently cotton. Thus, the risk of slavery being abolished by the Federal Government would be detrimental to their way of