What Were The Causes Of The Compromise Of 1850
During the years of 1846 to 1848, America and Mexico were in war due to conflicts regarding slavery and territories. Henry Clay (the Secretary of State at that time) tried to end the war by introducing a series of bills called The Compromise of 1850. The Compromise had five laws that were put in place to help the Northern Free States and the Southern Slave States come to a natural balance. In September 9, 1850, the government passed three of the laws from the Compromise of 1850. The first three bills were regarding territory between New Mexico and Utah, in addition to adding California to the Union. Then on September 18, 1950, the government passed the fourth bill which was regarding fugitives and slaves. The fifth law was introduced on September 20, 1850, this bill was regarding abolition of slave trade from Columbia. The sectional crisis in 1850 was mainly due to conflict of opinions about slavery in America. The conflict began because leaders in the United States split into two categories, the first wanted to
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free the slaves and the second believed in keeping slaves for cheap labor. The 1850 Compromise, helped in resolving this conflict, however, it did not calm down the issues that began due to existence of slaves in some areas of America. The northern states continued to criticize slavery and the southern states continued to support slavery. Due to the extreme conflict, it was very difficult to compromise. The Union was unable to force the South to stay in the Union, and therefore, to resolve the issue, the country had to be split into two different countries in order to avoid war. In 1854, Stephen Douglas (an American Politician from Illinois) introduced the Kansas Nebraska bill.
This bill (known as popular sovereignty) would allow the people of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they want to allow slavery in these areas. This bill won sectional votes and therefore, became a law in Kansas and Nebraska. This bill of popular sovereignty, cancelled the 1820 Missouri Compromise which had banned the expansion of slavery. This made the Northern States angry because they wanted to end slavery, however now, they feared that slavery would spread in the West. Furthermore, the confrontation from the North made the South slavery supporters angry because they believed that the Kansas Nebraska bill had been approved. The bill also created conflict between the citizens of Nebraska and Kansas. All the conflicting cities and states led to riots (Bleeding of Kansas). This unrest kept on raising between Kansas, Nebraska and North and
South. Moreover, the southerners began to fear the northerners because Harriet Beecher Stowe published a book called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. This book became extremely successful, it sold over 300,000 copies in just one year. This book was published in 1852 and is about Uncle Tom who gets sold and becomes a slave leaving his wife and children behind. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a very powerful book which touched some of the slave supporting Southerners hearts. The book depicts slavery as extreme violence and an inhumane act. The Southerners did not want to end slavery and therefore, they banned the book from the South. Additionally, Southerners stopped sending their children to the North to study, to ensure they were not exposed to antislavery. In October 1859, a gentleman named John Brown lead a raid on Harpers Ferry in Virginia. He Led 18 man which included five blacks. Although the raid was not successful and Brown got hung for his act, this raid further shook the hearts of slaveholders in the South. In conclusion, the conflict between the North and South was due to one main reason which is “slavery”. The Northern States were industrial and did not require slaves to provide free labor. However, the Southern States were agricultural and relied on slaves for planting and harvesting. As years passed, the conflict and tension increased between the two areas creating a split. After the Republican election, the South decided to split because they feared the power of the anti-slaveries. Additionally, the Southerners believed that Declaration of Independence gave each state the right to withdraw from the Union. Unfortunately, the conflict was too strong and therefore, nothing apart from the split would have saved the situation.
free the slaves and the second believed in keeping slaves for cheap labor. The 1850 Compromise, helped in resolving this conflict, however, it did not calm down the issues that began due to existence of slaves in some areas of America. The northern states continued to criticize slavery and the southern states continued to support slavery. Due to the extreme conflict, it was very difficult to compromise. The Union was unable to force the South to stay in the Union, and therefore, to resolve the issue, the country had to be split into two different countries in order to avoid war. In 1854, Stephen Douglas (an American Politician from Illinois) introduced the Kansas Nebraska bill.
This bill (known as popular sovereignty) would allow the people of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they want to allow slavery in these areas. This bill won sectional votes and therefore, became a law in Kansas and Nebraska. This bill of popular sovereignty, cancelled the 1820 Missouri Compromise which had banned the expansion of slavery. This made the Northern States angry because they wanted to end slavery, however now, they feared that slavery would spread in the West. Furthermore, the confrontation from the North made the South slavery supporters angry because they believed that the Kansas Nebraska bill had been approved. The bill also created conflict between the citizens of Nebraska and Kansas. All the conflicting cities and states led to riots (Bleeding of Kansas). This unrest kept on raising between Kansas, Nebraska and North and
South. Moreover, the southerners began to fear the northerners because Harriet Beecher Stowe published a book called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. This book became extremely successful, it sold over 300,000 copies in just one year. This book was published in 1852 and is about Uncle Tom who gets sold and becomes a slave leaving his wife and children behind. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a very powerful book which touched some of the slave supporting Southerners hearts. The book depicts slavery as extreme violence and an inhumane act. The Southerners did not want to end slavery and therefore, they banned the book from the South. Additionally, Southerners stopped sending their children to the North to study, to ensure they were not exposed to antislavery. In October 1859, a gentleman named John Brown lead a raid on Harpers Ferry in Virginia. He Led 18 man which included five blacks. Although the raid was not successful and Brown got hung for his act, this raid further shook the hearts of slaveholders in the South. In conclusion, the conflict between the North and South was due to one main reason which is “slavery”. The Northern States were industrial and did not require slaves to provide free labor. However, the Southern States were agricultural and relied on slaves for planting and harvesting. As years passed, the conflict and tension increased between the two areas creating a split. After the Republican election, the South decided to split because they feared the power of the anti-slaveries. Additionally, the Southerners believed that Declaration of Independence gave each state the right to withdraw from the Union. Unfortunately, the conflict was too strong and therefore, nothing apart from the split would have saved the situation.