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The Road to Civil War
Part 2
Saving the Union
The issue of slavery really heated up in the
1850’s. When California applied for statehood,
tempers flared. Senator Benton of Missouri was
himself a slave owner. However, he realized
most of California lay north of the Missouri
Compromise line. Senator Benton criticized
Senator Foote of Mississippi for blocking
California’s admission.
Senator Benton on the left was from Missouri, and
Senator Foote on the right was from Mississippi.
Senator Foote was so upset at Benton, that in the
Senate, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at
Benton’s chest. As other Senators watched in
horror, Benton roared, “Let him fire! Stand out
of the way and let the assassin fire!”
Fortunately no blood was shed, but many
Americans realized that a peaceful solution to
the slavery issue would not be possible.
Seeking a Compromise
 After
the Missouri Compromise, other states,
both free and slave had joined the United
States.
 Between 1821 and 1848, Michigan, Iowa, and
Wisconsin had joined as free states.
 Arkansas, Florida, and Texas joined as slave
states.
When
California
asked to join
the Union, it
would have
upset the
balance of
power.
 When
California requested statehood as a free
state, southerners were worried that the
balance of power in Congress would tip in
favor of the North.
 They feared that more free states would be
carved out of the Mexican Cession.
 Some southerners were so upset, that there
was talk of SECEDING, or leaving the Union.
Pleas for
Compromise and
Unity
 Congress
turned to 73year-old Henry Clay who
had helped 30 years
earlier with the Missouri
Compromise.
 Clay warned the country
might break apart.
Pleas for
Compromise and
Unity
 John
C. Calhoun prepared
the South’s response. He
was dying from
tuberculosis, and could only
sit, wrapped in a cloak in
Congress, and glare at his
enemies.
Debating the Compromise of 1850
 Calhoun
said that
slavery should be
allowed in all of the
new western territories.
 He also demanded that
all fugitive, or runaway,
slaves should be
returned to the South.
 Calhoun
was really
trying to get the North
to admit that slaves
were property.
 If the North would not
meet the South’s
demands, they should
agree to depart in
peace.
Daniel Webster Calls for Unity
“I speak today not as a
Massachusetts man, nor as a
northern man, but as an
American…I speak today for
the preservation of the
Union…There can be no such
thing as a peaceable
secession. Peaceable
secession is an utter
impossibility.”
Webster had been Clay’s rival for decades. However,
he supported his ideas for unity. He worried that the
states would not be able to separate without fighting a
CIVIL WAR. A civil war is a war between people in
the same country.
He felt slavery was wrong, but the breakup of the
United States would be even worse. He was willing to
compromise.
A Compromise at Last!
While the debate continued, John C. Calhoun died. So
did President Taylor who was a slave owner, but did
not want to see slavery expand in the Mexican
Cession.
Henry Clay gave more than 70 speeches in favor of
compromise. When he became too sick to continue, a
younger Senator from Illinois named Stephen
Douglas, continued promoting the compromise until it
passed.
President Taylor on the left, served as President for only 16 months. He
was succeeded by Millard Fillmore. During the July 4 celebration in the
capital, Taylor apparently ate some cherries and very cold milk, which
led to a stomach illness called gastroenteritis. He died on July 9th.
The Compromise of 1850
#1-- California was
allowed to join
the United States
as a free state.
#2 -- The rest of the
Mexican Cession was
divided into the
territories of New
Mexico and Utah.
Popular sovereignty
would decide the
slavery question.
#3 -- The borders of Texas were adjusted, and
its debts paid off by the United States.
#4 -- Slave trading was ended in our nation’s
capital of Washington, D. C. Slave trading
could continue between the different states.
#5 -- A brand new, much stricter fugitive slave
law was passed.
The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
 Many
northerners had ignored earlier fugitive slave
laws.
 The new law required all citizens to help catch
runaway slaves.
 If you were caught helping runaways, you could
receive a $1,000 fine, and/or be jailed for up to 6
months.
 New
courts were set up to handle the cases of
runaways.
 Judges were paid $10 for sending a slave back to
the South, and $5 for freeing them. Some corrupt
judges sent free blacks to the South just to earn
money.
 Some free blacks, fearing kidnappings, moved to
Canada.
 The law made more northerners hate slavery even
more.
Martin R. Delany, a black newspaper editor
spoke for many northerners—black and white.
“My house is my castle…If any man approaches that
house in search of a slave—I care not who he may be,
whether constable or sheriff, magistrate or even judge
of the Supreme Court…if he crosses the threshold of
my door, and I do not lay him a lifeless corpse at my
feet, I hope the grave may refuse my body a resting
place.”
An Antislavery
Bestseller
A
lady named Harriet
Beecher Stowe wrote a
very controversial
novel called Uncle
Tom’s Cabin.
 Although
Stowe had seen very little slavery up
close, her book was popular.
 It told the story of Uncle Tom, a slave who
was eventually beaten to death by an overseer.
 It eventually sold 300,000 copies and was
turned into a play.
 Many Americans are starting to believe that
slavery is morally wrong.