Pre-Civil War Compromises From 1820 To 1860

In the years leading up to the Civil War, the Nation struggled to resolve many different sectional issues. These issues and conflicts produced a distinct series of crises and subsequent compromises made in attempts to unify the nation. Nevertheless, the pre-Civil War compromises from 1820 to 1860 only contributed to growing tensions over slave states’ rights.
The first compromise of the 1800s that contributed to growing tensions over slaver and states’ rights would have to be the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Leading up to the compromise, tensions between supporters of slavery and those against were very high. This feud reached a climax in 1819 after Missouri requested admission into America as a slave state. This did not go over well with many

Zachary Taylor, or “Old Rough and Ready” as he was commonly referred to as, became a public figure as a military commander during the Mexican-American War. During the war, Taylor was revered for his willingness to fight alongside his men on the stage of battle. This constant readiness, coupled with a military victory in Buena Vista that had been directly ordered against by President Polk, garnered Taylor support from the Whig Party. In 1849 Zachary Taylor took presidential office, while the Union was in the midst of conflict over slavery and westward expansion. After the discovery of gold in California the year before, Americans were eager to find the riches of this region. Consequently, over 80,000 people rushed to California in 1849 alone, and then in 1850 the state of California applied for statehood. This then raised the question, would California be a slave or free state? Due to the high stakes of the matter, a compromise had to be struck. This leads America to the Compromise of 1850. At the time the compromise seemed to serve as a fix to all of the Union’s problems, but this philosophy was proved to be short

Douglas had expressed a distinct want for a transcontinental railroad. This railroad would connect Chicago directly to California, but many states were against the proposal. In spite of the benefits that the railroad would offer, the Southern States refused to have federal funds spent on a railroad that would pass strictly on territory that was closed to slavery. In an attempt to appease the Southern States, Douglas introduced the Nebraska Bill, also known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The act split the large area of Nebraska into two sections, Nebraska and Kansas. Both sections were to be able to decide on the issue of slavery based upon popular sovereignty, and the Missouri Compromise would be gotten rid of. This act was passed some years later under the administration of President Franklin Pierce. In an attempt to end the spread of slavery, anti-slavery northerners formed the Republican Party in direct opposition of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Moreover, uprisings began in Kansas and pro and anti-slavery forces began acting against each other. In 1856 pro-slavery men attacked Lawrence, Kansas. A raid on Pottawatomie Creek led by Jon Brown followed this. Feuds were then further perpetuated by the election of 1856 and the important events that took place during that