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Fugitive Slave Law In California In 1850

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In 1850, California was admitted to the Union with the understanding that it is a free state; meaning that it did not allow the practice of slavery. That was the intention at least, to forbid the practice of slavery, but as these scholars discuss, there were varying definition of “slavery” and the different terms being used in lieu of the specific term. Morrison writes, “[During] Off-year congressional elections in 1850 and 1851 demonstrated the public’s general acceptance of the compromise .” There seemed to be a general conscious of the admittance of a free state in California, but the Southern Democrats, also known as the Chivs, did not stand for it and felt that the admission of California as a free state was a detrimental fraud to the South . …show more content…

Using this clout, they were able to bring in “slaves” and title them under different pretenses; whether it be indentured servants or apprentices. Therefore, being able to work around the federal legislation, and sometimes using the state court system to bring a portion of the south with them. The Chivs helped push through Fugitive Slave law acts against African American slaves and freed persons, exclusionary laws and practices against foreigners, especially coolies, the act of “god parenting” with Native Americans, issuance of apprenticeships and indentured servitude to a multitude of groups --in regard to the intentions of the Chiv party in California, exclusion of non-white men, these terms were all synonymous with slavery. Smith and Morrison both use these formalized exclusionary practices as a basis to their argument of the importance of California and the Civil

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The Hartford Convention took a similar threatening turn when a set of constitutional amendments were added in order to limit and take away government rights from the Southern states. This also had its mark on later political decisions finally culminating in a total war. The Compromise of 1850, which meant the admission of California for the Union and a fugitive state law for the South, was also an acceptable and fair sacrifice on behalf of the Southern states. This claimed that it is the natural obligation of every

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As a result of the Compromise of 1850, which defused the quarrel between the free Northern States and the slave Southern States, the territories acquired during the Mexican-American War were determined to be free, slave, or dependent upon the principle of popular sovereignty. California was admitted as a free state, the Utah and New Mexico territories were to be determined by popular sovereignty, the Texas-New Mexico boundary was solidified, and slave trade was terminated in Washington, D.C., making it easier for the South to recover fugitive slaves (Document A). As stated by an Anonymous Georgian in “Plain Words for the North,” everything the South could ask for was embodied in the Constitution, but two provisions were necessary to the South’s success – “the recognition of slavery where the people choose it and the remedy for fugitive slaves” (Document B). The North saw popular sovereignty and the remedy of fugitive slaves as deceptive encouragement of immoral and unconstitutional activity (Document C). But, southerners viewed the North’s assumption of ownership to be unconstitutional.

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Compromise of 1850 - 1850 The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, declared the remaining territory from the Mexican cession to be voted slave or free through popular sovereignty, abolished slave trade in the District of Columbia, and created the Fugitive Slave Act. The south felt cheated by the compromise as the

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Thus, the Compromise of 1850 became a temporary band-aid to the issue as the North received California as a free-soil state and the South agreed because of the stricter Fugitive Slave Code (Doc A). This obtained free-soil state assisted in the sectionalism growth in the United States as the power in government tilted towards northern favor from emerging free-soil and the previous Missouri Compromise boundaries for slavery. While the southern states were in desire of obtaining new slave territory, but their inability to expand slavery into their purchased territories tipped the equilibrium between the two (Doc B). Since the constitution outlined property, the southerners felt strongly about their deemed rights over their slaves because they were viewed as property. These emotions tie similar to the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, where the Supreme Court extended the clause of slavery into any territory because slaves, like Dred Scott, were claimed as property and the government was incapable of robbing a person of their property.

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8. Why did southerners object to California’s admission as a free state? The southerners objected to California’s admission as a free state because it would destroy the delicate equilibrium in the senate, perhaps forever. Potential slave territory under the American flag was running short and agitation had already developed in the territories of New Mexico and Utah for admission as non-slave states. The fate of California might well establish a precedent for the rest of the Mexican Cession territory, an area purchased largely with Southern blood.

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The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt by the U.S Congress to settle divisive issues between the North and South, including slavery expansion, apprehension in the North of fugitive slaves, and slavery in the District of Columbia. The Compromise of 1850 failed because Senator John C. Calhoun from the South and Senator William Seward from the North could not agree on what Henry Clay was putting down. Part of the compromise was to make California a slavery free state which benefits the North, and enforcing a stricter fugitive slave law which benefits the South. Both the North and South opposed what the other was benefiting from. What sparked the failure of the Compromise was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

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Texas was added to the United States after a war with Mexico. This questions whether Texas would be added as a slave state or not. Further west California was a troubling state as it fell above and below the line in the Missouri compromise. The Missouri Compromise was created so that these issues would be solved in a way that would benefit both the North and South, but primarily helped the North. The compromise states that there would be a line at a certain latitude in the United States that would be a “Border” between Slave states and non-slaves states.

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In contrast, other politicians were trying to create temporary solutions to the slavery issue. One of these provisional plans was the Compromise of 1850 which was a series of bills planned by Henry Clay and later overseen by Stephen Douglas that would try to resolve the concerns of slavery in new territories. Therefore, California was admitted to the Union as a free state and the territories in the west determined the issue of slavery based on popular sovereignty. Following this, slave trade was abolished in Washington, D.C. and the new Fugitive Slave Act was passed. The Fugitive Slave Act was a portion of the Compromise of 1850 and it gave a new protection to slavery.

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With the adding of California in the Compromise of 1850, the issue of territorial expansion had become subject to debate. This was replaced by the argument over whether the states would be added as slave states or free

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To be more specific, when a new state was entered into the Union, there was debate on if that state would be a “free state” or “slave state”. After years in the army, Taylor had come to disapprove of new slave states, leading him to admit California and New Mexico immediately into

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However, if California was admitted as a free state, then the North would have control over all the bills and laws, while if California was admitted as a slave state, then the North would not be able to stop the expansion of slavery. After all, the South would control the Senate. Therefore, the compromise of 1850 was brought before the Senate.

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California was born in the middle of many issues of conflict. Crisis over slavery, political legitimacy, and conflict over land, labor, race and ethnicity ( Competing Vision 132 ).During the mid 1800’s California saw many transformations, some positive some negative. There was a slow reservations development for Indians, but a better established land ownership. With certain political figures, who rallied to remove laws, which discriminated against African Americans and rather high religious tolerance, California was taking a distinct shape.

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Clay’s compromise fell through, because he attempted to force all of his ideas into one package. Later on in the year, Douglas managed to pass Clay’s compromise, albeit slightly altered. The goal of the compromise was to settle the conflict about slavery, but it only helped to push back the inevitable. Many Southerners were upset about how California was allowed into the Union as a free state, upsetting the balance of free vs slave states. Utah and New Mexico were allowed to chose whether or not they would become slave states (using popular sovereignty), only highlighting Douglas’s wishy-washy attitude about slavery.

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“ The white man’s happiness cannot be purchased by the black man’s misery”. Slavery and Labor are central themes that are similar in both slave girl in california and the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass. However there are very opposing themes such as Family and Time as well. Both of these stories talked of slavery; moreover, they are in different ways. Douglass was born into slavery and Shymia was sold into it by her own family.

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