Question 1: Industrialization in the Northeast produced great benefits and also major problems. What are they - what are they? Who benefited and who suffered? Did the benefits outweigh the problems, or vice versa? One of the major benefits from industrialization in the Northeast was that citizens could be employed in jobs that established sources of income. Individuals that were not experts in their jobs could still stand a chance against the price of living in America. This is vastly different to the times before when citizens struggled to find jobs to provide for their families, which is evident in the economic depression America faced after the Revolution. However, there were still many issues that accompanied the benefits of Industrialization …show more content…
Americans viewed the Compromise of 1850 as their solution because it was carefully crafted to equally benefit both the North and the South states. For example, the southern states would be granted the Fugitive Slave Act and allow them the opportunity to vote as to whether the new territory from the Mexican Cession would be a free or slave state using the democratic idea of popular vote. As for the northern states, they were given the California as a free state, a limit on the size of the newly-acquired territory, the slave trade ban in Washington, DC, and also the ability to participate in the popular vote for or against slavery as a resident for their own territory. These compromises were created in hopes of satisfying both sides since the Wilmot Proviso enraged the pro-slavery citizens because it placed an immediate stop on slavery for the new territories from the Mexican Cession, providing an uneven balance between free and slave states. Through the Compromise of 1850, the northern and southern states would be able to stand on an even ground based on the bills passed through Congress. Question 9: Was it possible to save American democracy in 1860? What steps might have been taken to maintain unity? Why do you think these steps were not taken? No, it was not possible to save American democracy in 1860 because the issue of whether or not slavery should be abolished was a major point of contention that prevented them from uniting. Slavery has been a topic that the entire nation struggled to compromise, despite citizens hoping that the Compromise of 1850 could serve as their solution and avoid a civil war. The fact that this problem was never fully resolved further emphasizes its importance among the citizens, which is why the division of the American democracy was inevitable. However, there still could still be