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How Did The Compromise Of 1850 Contribute To The Cause Of The Civil War

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The point at which the Civil War became seemingly unstoppable can be traced to the Compromise of 1850, its passage known as the Fugitive Slave Act. This legislation marked a significant intensification of tensions between the North and South. Prior to the Compromise of 1850, the nation had experienced a series of political compromises attempting to maintain the balance between free and slave states. However, the Fugitive Slave Act incited widespread opposition in the North and galvanized abolitionist sentiment. The Compromise of 1850 also set the stage for future legislation and decisions that would further divide the country. Throughout the early U.S., tensions grew and divided the nation over issues such as slavery, and the state’s rights. Legislations such as the …show more content…

Southern slave owners were pleased with this, but northern abolitionists were greatly opposed to such actions. This fueling of tensions solidified the positions of pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions to the point that future attempts at compromise would be ineffective. As northern abolitionists gained support for their cause, the South began to fear northern dominance and aggression. Setting the stage to make things worse, the Compromise of 1850 influenced and led to events such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dredd Scott decision. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed new territories to determine whether or not they would allow slavery via popular sovereignty. This created further division within the United States as more new territories chose sides. The Supreme Court ruling in Dredd Scott v. Sanford in 1857 declared that African Americans were not citizens and therefore Congress could not prohibit the expansion of slavery into the territories. That ruling emboldened slave owners, seeing it as validation of their rights, while it enraged

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