Compromise of 1850 Flashcards
What events meant that the Compromise of 1850 was necessary?
Mexican-American War added 525,000 square miles of territory
Wilmot Proviso (1846) tried to ban slavery in all new territories but not passed by Senate
California’s application for statehood in 1850 after Gold Rush
What were the key provisions of the 1850 Compromise?
- California admitted as a free state
- New Mexico and Utah organised under popular sovereignty
- Texas relinquished claims to New Mexico
- Slave trade abolished in Washington DC
- Fugitive Slave Act- $1000 penalties and 6 month imprisonment for officials who didn’t arrest fugitive slaves, denying escapees the right to testify
What political figures were key in the Compromise of 1850 debate?
Henry Clay- proposed the compromise to preserve the Union
Daniel Webster- ‘Seventh of the March’ speech supporting the compromise
John Calhoun- opposed concessions to the North
Pres. Zachary Taylor- opposed the bill but died
Pres. Millard Fillmore- supported and signed the compromise
How did the Compromise of 1850 affect the North vs South?
North- 16-15 free state advantage, moral concern addressed with DC slave trade ban
South- liked Fugitive slave act and potential new territory with New Mexico and Utah
How did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 exacerbate sectional tensions?
- nationalising issue of slavery by involving Northerners in slave system
- northern states passed ‘personal liberty laws’- Vermont, Massachusetts and Wisconsin nullify it
- Anthony Burns case cost $40,000 to return one man to slavery
RADICALISED NORTHERN PUBLIC OPINION
How did Northern and Southern culture respond to the Compromise of 1850?
North- Resistance literature e.g. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ which sold 300,000 copies in a year, slave rescue societies,
