The Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 were attempts to bring the nation together but ended up pulling it apart. The Missouri Compromise's goal was to end the feud on the border for free and slave states, end the feud on Missouri becoming a free or slave state. The solution for the border was to have an imaginary line at 36 degrees, 30' minutes anything above the line, with an acception of Missouri, would be free and anything below the line would be slave. The solution to Missouri becoming free or slave was Maine would become a free state and Missouri would become a slave state to keep the number of slave states and the number of free states equal. In time the Missouri Compromise would tear the nation apart despite its intentions.
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.
In fact, either sides at this time refused to acknowledge the other’s system and thus posed a high risk of war. Therefore, President Polk might have to spend a long time with his officers and cabinet to come up with a solution for this issue. Consequently, it was possible that both countries would eventually agree to an early Compromise proposed by Henry Clay, which was not supposed to appear until 1850 if the war was waged. This Compromise would admit California into the United States as a free state while Texas was considered a slave state and all the remaining area would remain undetermined (“ The
The Missouri Compromise was meant to relieve tension between the North and South. It established states above the 17th parallel to be slave free. It also said there must be an equal amount of slave and free states so they must balance out. After the Mexican-American war, American acquired large amounts of land through both the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Gadsden Purchase. They received modern day: California, Arizona, New Mexico, among other territories.
Vice President Millard Fillmore replaced him as President. 13. Describe the Compromise of 1850 & its component parts. The Compromise of 1850 are a set of bills proposed by Henry Clay regarding the status of the territory acquired in the Mexican American War. Clay urged that the North and South to both make concessions and that the North partially yield by enacting a more feasible fugitive-slave law.
I agree with what you have stated in your post. The Compromise of 1850 was a very important event that helped lead up to the civil war. The result of the compromise was 15 free states and 16 slave states. I also found that California was the first free state admitted as a free state and that the rest of the Mexican belongings were decided by popular sovereignty, which was a vote of the people of the territories.
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.
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
In Robert V. Remini's insightful biography, "Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union," readers gain a profound understanding of the intricate negotiations, political finesse, and sagacious statesmanship that defined these pivotal compromises. The Missouri Compromise of 1820: Addressing the Thorny Issue of Slavery The Missouri Compromise emerged against the backdrop of escalating tensions between slaveholding and free states as the United States expanded westward. Henry Clay's strategic prowess is prominently highlighted in Remini's narrative as he skillfully navigated the contentious issue of slavery in new territories. The Compromise stipulated that Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and established a parallel at 36°30' latitude, north of which slavery was prohibited in the Louisiana Territory. This delicate equilibrium, brokered by Clay, temporarily assuaged sectional tensions and showcased his ability to forge consensus on a matter that threatened to tear the nation apart.
The compromise was designed to maintain the balance of power between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in the country, and it was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Civil War. The compromise was proposed by Senator Henry Clay, who was a Republican from Kentucky, and supported by Senators Daniel Webster and John Calhoun, who were both Democrats. There were five key aspects included in the compromise, the first being the Fugitive Slave Act, the second being the admission of California as a free state, the third being the Texas Boundary Act, the fourth being the establishment of New Mexico and Utah Territories, and the fifth being the Washington D.C. slave trade (P. Scott Corbett, 2014). The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, part of the Compromise of 1850, was a controversial law that required authorities in free states to aid in the capture and return of runaway slaves to their owners in the South. The Act was seen as a compromise between the North and South to help maintain the delicate balance between free and slave states.
Unable to watch his beautiful Union crumble, Clay began solving the problems between the North and the South with a compromise. Clay stated that California would become part of the Union as a free state and organize New Mexico and Utah as territories without any slavery restrictions.
The Compromise of 1850, was submitted by Henry Clay. He thought the compromise would settle the differences between the North and South. He spoke, “I go for honorable compromise whenever it can be made. Life itself is but a compromise between death and life--the struggles continues through our whole existence until the great destroyer finally wins.” The end of January in 1850, he worked on his plan.
The compromise of 1850 was a series of resolutions to the issue of slavery. As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended and the slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished. Also, California entered the Union as a free state and a territorial government was created in Utah. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on May 30, 1854. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders.
Northern States held a commanding majority in the House of representatives and there was an equal division between the slave and free states which enabled the South to maintain a veto power in the Senate. Henry Clay, the “Great Compromiser” created six proposals that would offer concession, one to the North and open to the South. The bill admitted California as a free state , at the price of a stronger fugitive slave law, created territories of Utah and New Mexico, and allowed popular sovereignty when it came time for each to write its constitution. Most importantly, the compromise abolished the slave trade but not slavery itself arguing it was immoral to buy and sell humans. The sectional forces would soon gather strength and lead to the ultimate disunion.
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.
