Bellwork• Throughout this class, what has been the

connection between slavery and political representation and power?

American History

Section 12, Unit 1An Uneasy Balance

Objectives

• Explain why the admission of Texas and new territories created conflicts in Congress and how Congress tried to solve these problems?

• Determine how the slavery issue affected the election of 1848.

• Explain why proslavery and antislavery forces opposed the passage of the Compromise of 1850.

Missouri Compromise

• The Missouri Compromise of 1820 admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state and banned slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase.

• While it helped resolve a serious issue about slavery at the time, the issue once again would rear its head.

Question: What was the Missouri Compromise?

The debate continues

• The Missouri Compromise did not end the debate over the spread of slavery.

• While Congress was able to admit Arkansas and Michigan into the Union without dispute in 1836 and 1837 respectively, the annexation of the Republic of Texas proved to be a problem.– Texas, which permitted slavery, would tip

Congressional balance yet again.

The debate continues

• In 1845, Congress settled the dilemma to please the South.

• Congress allowed Texas to have slaves and, at the consent of the state legislature, would allow Texas to break up into as many as 5 states to keep balance. – As well, Congress extended the Missouri

Compromise line westward and barred slavery in the rest of the former Louisiana Territory.

Issues continue

• No sooner than was Texas added that a new problem arose.

• People began to question if slavery should be allowed in the new Mexican territory.

• Proslavery and antislavery forces in Congress took sides.

Question: What lands did the U.S. just gain after the Mexican War?

Issues continue• To quiet the debate,

President Polk and others suggested that the Missouri Compromise line be extended to the Pacific Ocean.

• However, Senator Lewis Cass (MI) and Senator Stephan A. Douglas (IL) offered another solution:– Let each territory decide on

slavery through a popular vote.

Wilmot Proviso• However, this proposal

did not satisfy Congress. • Congressman David

Wilmot (PA) introduced an amendment- the Wilmot Proviso- that would ban slavery in all lands acquired in Mexico.

Question: How might the South react to this?

Reaction

• John C. Calhoun responded by introducing a series of resolutions that argued that a ban on slavery was unconstitutional because the Constitution protected slaveholders’ rights to their property (i.e. slaves) in all U.S. territories.

1848 Election

• As the new election approached, Congress had not yet settled the issue of slavery.

• The Democrats chose Lewis Cass, who favored states voting to have slaves or not.

• The Whigs nominated Mexican War hero Zachary Taylor, whose views on slavery were unknown. – Because he had slaves, most assumed he had

proslavery leanings.

1848 Election

• Angered by the reluctance for either side to address the slavery issue, antislavery Whigs and Democrats formed the Free-Soil Party.

• The Free-Soilers demanded that Congress prohibit the expansion of slavery into the territories.

1848 Election

• To attract farmers, workers, and land reformers, the Free-Soil platform also included a push for Federal support for western homesteads and funding for internal improvements.

1848 Election

• Proclaiming, “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men,” the party nominated Martin Van Buren.

• However, they only received a fraction of the 2.9 million votes cast.– But, it won enough votes to

make the Democratic candidate lose to the Whig candidate.

1848 Election

• As well, the existence of the Free-Soil Party, while not winning the election, did show that politicians can no longer ignore the issue of slavery in America.

Slavery Issue

• When Congress assembled in December of 1849, the Congressional members could not see eye to eye and voted 63 times on the issues.

• Congress was primarily concerned with the addition of California and New Mexico– two states that were won in the Mexican cession.

Slavery Issue

• California wished to enter as a free state, something the South opposed.

• As well, Texas claimed that their boundary extended westward into New Mexico Territory, meaning slavery would expand farther.

Slavery Issue

• Antislavery members of Congress became intent on limiting the size of Texas and barring slavery from New Mexico, a proposal southern delegates opposed.

• Arguments over questions of slavery spread through Congress.

Slavery Issue

• Southern Congressmen resisted a plan to abolish the slave trade in the District of Columbia and also continued to block passage of the Wilmot Proviso.

• As well, they demanded that Congress issue a statement affirming the right of settlers to have slaves in the New Mexico Territory.

Slavery Issue

• Southerners also pushed for stronger fugitive slave laws.

• They wanted to overturn a Supreme Court decision that said that states did not have to assist federal agents in capturing slaves.

• Southerners now wanted a law that forced state officials to help.

Slavery Issue

• Once again, Henry Clay rose within Congress to urge compromise.

• He argued that “All society is formed upon the principle of mutual concession.”

Slavery Issue

• Clay proposed admitting California as a free state, abolishing the slave trade in the District of Columbia (but not slavery), and paying Texas $10 million to abandon its attempt to expand westward.

• He also pushed for the New Mexico territory to be split into the Utah and New Mexico Territories.

Slavery Issue

• Lastly, he also pushed for tougher fugitive slave laws, to further appease the South.

• For months, Congress debated Clays proposals.

Question: Do you think his compromise will work?

Slavery Issue

• Calhoun, by this time, was old and very ill. • However, on March 4, 1850, he was carried into

the Senate chamber and allowed another to read his speech:

• Calhoun argued that nation cannot compromise again and that they can only avoid civil war if they allow slavery in the territories.

“If something decisive is not now done… the South will be forced to choose between abolition and secession… the responsibility of saving the Union rests on the North and not the South.”

Slavery Issue

• Three days after Calhoun’s speech, veteran Whig leader Daniel Webster rose to support Clay’s compromise.

• He argued that since the climate of the territories is not well suited for cotton, slavery would not take root.

• Therefore, legally barring slavery would not be necessary, as it would phase out on its own.

Slavery Issue

• However, Northern Whigs and Democrats in Congress objected to both Webster and Clay.

• They argued that the Constitution did not protect slavery and that people were morally bound to be above slavery. – In this, compromise would

be unacceptable to them.

Daniel Webster

Compromise

• Calhoun did not live to see the outcome of this debate and neither did President Taylor.

• President Taylor died July 1850 from a stomach ailment.

• Taylor, who had opposed Clay’s compromise, was succeeded by his Vice-President Millard Fillmore.

Compromise

• President Fillmore, unlike his predecessor, supported compromise.

• With his support, Senator Douglas was able to push a compromise measure through Congress.

Compromise of 1850• The Compromise of 1850 made it so that California

was admitted to the Union as a free state and pushed forth many of the other measures Clay had supported, such as a Fugitive Slave Act.

Keep in mind that we got California by 1847.

Compromise of 1850

Compromise of 1850

• The Compromise did four things:1. Texas would give up its claims to New Mexico2. California would be admitted as a free state3. Slavery would be allowed in Utah and New

Mexico territories by popular vote4. Slave trade in Washington DC would end

Compromise of 1850

• Americans hailed the Compromise of 1850, which they saw as a triumph of national unity.

• However, Americans failed to notice voting records which showed the deep divide in Congress.

• As well, the Compromise failed to resolve whether or not slavery would be allowed to expand.

Questions

• Any questions so far?

Next Lesson

• In the next lesson, we are going to discuss the end of compromise.

Review1. How did the Free-Soil Party affect the urgency of Congress to

address the slavery issue? 2. How did Henry Clay attempt to compromise on the issue of

slavery? 3. Daniel Webster argued that the west was unsuitable for cotton,

therefore slavery would die out and wouldn’t need to be banned. Do you agree or disagree with him? Please explain.

4. Why do you think Calhoun believed that the responsibility of “saving the Union” was the North’s responsibility and not the South's? Consider who had the most political power in Congress at this time.

5. What were two demands the antislavery proponents made during these debates?

6. What were two demands that proslavery proponents made during these debates?