Download When the nation gained new territory, the slavery

When the nation gained new territory, the slavery controversy intensified. Would new
states be slave or free? Who would decide? States that allowed slavery were determined
to prevent free states from gaining a majority in the Senate. Political compromise broke
down by 1860, and when Lincoln was elected president, many Southern states decided to
secede.
IMPACT WITH OF WAR WITH MEXICO
Many Southern states believed that Article 4, Section 2 of the Constitution
(any citizen charged with a crime from another state and fleeing to another state can be
delivered to the State having Jurisdiction)
Many Northerners had strong beliefs to the contrary and sheltered runaways and helped
them escape.
POLK SEES TROUBLE AHEAD
A Southern Democrat-though dry climate in Southwest would not support slavery.
A strong debate broke out in the Senate and Polk realized the slavery issue was not going
to end.
i. Wilmot Proviso (Rep. David Wilmot, PA)=proposed that any territory
the United States gained from Mexico, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude
shall ever exist.
ii. Outraged Southerners. Despite Southern opposition, Northern
Democrats and Whigs passed Wilmot Proviso in the House of Rep., but Senate
refused to vote on it.
John C. Calhoun proposed (Calhoun Resolution)=stated that the states owned the
territories in of U.S. in common and Congress has no right to ban slavery.
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY
Passion stirred on both sides over Wilmot Proviso
Popular Sovereignty=each new territory should be allowed to decide for themselves if
they wanted to permit slavery or not.
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY appealed to Congress because it removed slavery issue
from national politics. Northerners and Midwesterners supported because they though
most Northerners would settle area.
FREE SOIL PARTY EMERGES=the merging of the Conscience Whigs,
Democrats and Abolitionist Liberty Party. Opposed slavery in “free soil” of western
territories.
“Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men”
ELECTION of 1848
Three parties support candidates. Whigs-Free Soil Party-Democrats
Zachery Taylor-Whig (Mexico War hero) Lewis Cass-Democrats Martin Van Buren-Free
Soil Party
Zachery Taylor wins election
GOLD IS DICOVERED IN CALIFORNIA!
Once gold was discovered, California quickly apply for statehood. Would Calif. Enter as
a slave or free state.
FORTY-NINERS=discovery of gold brought thousands to California, nearly 80,000
by the end of 1849. Gold rush forces the nation to confront the issue of slavery.
THE GREAT DEBATE BEGINS
If California entered the Union as a free state, slave holding states would become a
minority. Southerners feared they would lose power and lead to limits on slavery and
state right’s.
A few southern states talked of secession = taking states out of the Union
Henry Clay tries to find a compromise again. He group resolution in pairs
1. Allow California to come in as a free state, but organized the rest of the Mexican
cession without any restrictions on slavery.
2. Settle the border between New Mexico and Texas by having Federal government
take on its debts.
3. outlawed slave trade in District of Columbia but did not outlaw slavery itself.
4. Congress would be prohibited from interfering with the domestic slave trade and
would pass new slave acts to help the South recover slaves from Northern states.
-concession were necessary to assure the South that the North would not use its control of
majority in the Senate to abolish slavery.
Calhoun opposes Clay’s proposal, Calhoun is a slave owner and defender of Southern
rights. Union needs to accept Southern rights or the only option is to secede from the
Union
Webster rises to put sectional disputes aside and come together as a Union.
COMPROMISE OF 1850
President Taylor did not support Clay’s bill (he was a southerner) and Congress in turn
did not pass the bill. But Taylor dies in office and Fillmore succeeded him. Fillmore
supported the bill. Calhoun dies after Taylor.
Bill was sectioned off into different smaller bills so some states could vote for or against
parts they did or did not like. Congress passes the bill. Now a law.
COMPROMISE OF 1850, eased tensions but for only a few years.