cat in the csgj

Caroline Simon
Liz Fleischer

Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820-1861.

I. Introduction
1. Background Information
a. sectional tensions had been causing disjunction between the North and the South ever since the the country’s founding
b. political compromises were supposed to fix the issues but usually only led to temporary resolving of the problems
c. slavery was the cause of the sectional tensions
d. while cotton was king in the South, the North was rapidly industrializing
2. Thesis
a. The Compromise of 1820, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Compromise of 1850 were ineffective in reducing the sectional tensions in the period 1820-1861.
II. Body Paragraph 1.
1. Compromise of 1820
i. The Facts:
1. Maine enters as a free state
2. Missouri enters as a slave state
3. Slavery is prohibited above the 36 30 parallel.
4. created by Henry Clay ii. The Analysis:
1. contradicted itself because Missouri is above the 36 30 parallel and it had slavery
2. position of the line ultimately allowed for an uneven balance of slave states and free states
3. the division of the country by an official line promotes sectionalism
III. Body Paragraph 2
1. Kansas-Nebraska Act
i. The Facts:
1. Popular sovereignty for Kansas-Nebraska territory
2. divided territory into two parts (Kansas and Nebraska)
3. one likely to become a free state and one likely to become a slave state
4. repealed Compromise of 1820
5. Created by Stephen Douglas ii. The Analysis:
1. Created disorganization as to what states could be free and what states could be slave
2. Destroyed the Whig Party, divided the Democratic Party, created the Republican party
3. Caused disruption in the political balance of the country
IV. Body Paragraph 3
1. Compromis of 1850
i. The Facts:
1. Created by Henry Clay (Ultimately passed through Congress by Seward, Davis and Douglas)
2. TX gets 10 million dollars for giving up claims to Utah and New Mexico
3. California entered as a free state
4. Utah and New Mexico get popular soverignty
5. Slave trade abolished in D.C. but slavery still leagal
6. Tougher fugitive slave laws ii. Analysis:
1. Slave laws force North to pass personal liberty laws
2. Not everyone supported it
3. Kept the nation’s capitol as a slave district
4. Passed for self intrest of the creaters but not for the well being of the nation iii. Put off the crisis and allowed the situation to get worse