Major Events Leading To The Compromise Of 1850

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Additionally, vital political actions carried out by the federal government during the 1850s, led to more division between abolitionists and proslavery Southerners, as the decisions were more one-sided. Major events leading to this war included the Compromise of 1850, introduced by Henry Clay, who intended to unite the North and South, preventing secession, which John Calhoun strongly encouraged. However, the set of laws passed within Clay’s compromise led to more territorial conflict in the west. Next, the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854 was written by Stephen A. Douglas, who wanted to organize the territory of Nebraska. However, the act resulted in the outbreak of extreme fight and bloodshed in the border of Kansas, because of popular sovereignty and the Missouri Compromise being repealed. Besides this, the Dred Scott Decision of 1857, was an unfair ruling against Dred Scott, a slave who should have been entitled to freedom. This injustice greatly enraged Northerners because to them, it was an evident victory of Southerners. Although …show more content…

John Calhoun, senator of South Carolina, thought of slavery as a positive good and engaged secession of South if a slave-based society wasn’t established (Hakim 171). On the other hand, Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts agreed with Clay’s compromise for the sake of uniting the collapsing nation. The four components of the compromise included the fugitive slave law, California being admitted into union as a free state, abolishing slave trade in the nation’s capital, and New México and Utah becoming territories, deciding whether they were free or slave states by voting. Following the compromise, a great debate took place about whether or not the Compromise should be accepted, in which Webster took part, giving many famous speeches to unite the