If we acquire any land from Mexico in the Mexican War, the land should be banned from slavery(Mexican Cession)
Some people said not to worry about it because they believed slavery had reached its natural limit and couldn’t spread any further(weak argument and people will find a way to make slaves do anything)
Northern stand: Congress can make slavery illegal in that area
Southern stand: they feel that they are being discriminated against by being prohibited from moving to this area if they want with their slaves
An idea that was tossed around was the idea that the 36-30 line could be extended
They come to the conclusion that they are going to let people vote on how they wanted the territory to be (Stephen A. Douglas is a huge advocate for popular sovereignty)
We did win the war and get the land
Election of 1848
The Democrats are running Lewis Class
The Whigs are running Zachary Taylor: general who won a lot of battles on the border; his platform was based on the fact that he was a war hero; no political history
The Free Soil Party runs Martin Van Buren with Vice President Charles F. Adams
The Free Soilers believe that slavery should be banned in the new territory
Zachary Taylor(whig) wins the election
Crisis of 1850
California Gold Rush happens(1849) and people flock to California and the population spikes
Because California’s population is spiking, there are questions about California becoming a state and whether it would be a free or slave state
Zachary Taylor suggests skipping the territorial stage and goes straight to applying for statehood
Southerners want to create a fugitive slave law to make it easier to get back runaway slaves
Abolitionists want to ban slavery in Washington D.C. as sort of a symbolic thing
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay(the great compromiser)
California comes into the country as a free state
This throws off the balance of free versus slave states
This would settle border of Texas and New Mexico
The slave trade would be banned in Washington D.C.
The issue of slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty
The South gets a fugitive slave law to make it easier to go get runaway slaves
John C. Calhoun: senator from South Carolina who believes the southerners shouldn’t have to make any compromises because he believes they are doing nothing wrong
Jefferson Davis and William Seward are on Calhoun’s side
Zachary Taylor dies in office and the Vice President, Millard Fillmore, takes over
Millard Fillmore signs the compromise
Election of 1852
The whigs run Winfield Scott: general, and legend in the army; platform runs on the fact that he’s a war hero
The Democrats(largely in favor of the compromise) runs Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce wins the election
Continuing Sectionalism
There was opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act because Northerners thought it was immoral
Northerners were breaking slaves out fo jail and keeping them in the North
This was infuriating to the Southerners because the North was not holding their end of the bargain
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: 1852
This book discouraged slavery and helped gain support for abolitionists; piece of propaganda
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