Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850–1851 was a group of five important laws passed by the United States Congress in September 1850. These laws helped calm down big arguments between states where slavery was allowed and states where it was not, during the time leading up to the American Civil War. The compromise was mainly created by two senators, Henry Clay, a Whig, and Stephen A. Douglas, a Democratic senator, with support from President Millard Fillmore.

One big part of the compromise was allowing California to join the United States as a state where slavery was not allowed. It also made new rules to help catch people who had escaped from places where slavery was allowed. The compromise stopped the buying and selling of people in Washington, D.C., but still allowed slavery itself there. It set borders for the state of Texas and created new areas called the New Mexico Territory and the Utah Territory. In these new areas, the people living there would get to decide if slavery would be allowed.

The arguments over slavery became very heated, with many people on different sides. After President Zachary Taylor passed away, President Fillmore helped pass the compromise. Even though these laws helped delay big problems, the question of slavery in new areas came up again later, showing how difficult these issues were for the country.

Background

Further information: Presidency of James K.. Polk

The Republic of Texas became its own country after the Texas Revolution in 1836. Soon after, Texas joined the United States as its 28th state in December 1845. President James K. Polk, who owned slaves, wanted the U.S. to grow bigger. He tried to buy land from Mexico, especially Alta California, but this upset Mexico. Mexico and the United States argued over where the border between Texas and Mexico should be.

In 1846, fighting began between American soldiers and Mexican forces, leading to the Mexican–American War. During the war, American troops captured Mexico City in 1847. Later, Mexico agreed to give up Alta California and New Mexico to the United States and to accept the Rio Grande as Texas’s southern border. This created big debates in the United States about whether slavery should be allowed in these new lands. President Polk tried to use a rule from earlier, called the Missouri Compromise, to decide where slavery could go, but many people disagreed. Before leaving office, Polk set up the Territory of Oregon as a place where slavery was not allowed.

When Zachary Taylor became president in 1848, many people were worried about whether new lands would allow slavery. Taylor promised not to stop any law about slavery, which upset some people in the South. As elections approached in 1849, tensions grew, and it became very difficult for Congress to agree on anything related to slavery in the new lands. The debates were so heated that some lawmakers even got into fights. Finally, after many votes, they managed to choose a leader for their group. This was the start of a very difficult time in the 1850s.

Issues

The Compromise of 1850 tried to solve three big problems: land boundaries, new territories, and slavery. Both people who supported slavery and those who did not wanted to know how much land could be used for slavery and how many new states would allow it.

Texas was a state where slavery was allowed, and it wanted more land. This caused disputes with nearby New Mexico, which did not allow slavery. California, which had recently joined the United States, was also important. After gold was found there, many people moved in, and California wanted to become a state where slavery was not allowed.

Other problems included disagreements about slavery in Washington, D.C., and issues with people trying to escape from places where slavery was allowed. There were also concerns about new territories like Utah.

Passage

Taylor takes office

Further information: Presidency of Zachary Taylor

When President Zachary Taylor started his time in office, people were arguing about whether slavery should be allowed in lands taken from Mexico. Taylor owned slaves but thought slavery would not work well there. He wanted California to join the United States as a state, not just a territory. He thought this would keep the slavery question away from Congress. Many people were moving to California because of gold discoveries, and in October 1849, California agreed to join the United States as a state without allowing slavery.

Main figures

The question about the new lands became a big issue in Congress, leading to famous debates. Three important leaders, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun, were key in these discussions. Clay and Webster wanted compromises to keep the country together, but Calhoun warned that if things weren’t fair, it could lead to problems. Sadly, Calhoun became too sick and passed away.

Other important people included William H. Seward and Salmon P. Chase, who later worked with Abraham Lincoln, as well as Jefferson Davis, who would lead the Confederacy, and Stephen A. Douglas, a rival to Lincoln.

Clay proposes compromise

On January 29, 1850, Senator Henry Clay presented a plan with eight bills. These included letting California join as a free state, helping Texas give up some land for money, creating the territories of New Mexico and Utah, stopping the sale of slaves in Washington, D.C., and creating a stricter law to return escaped individuals to their owners. Clay hoped this plan would get more support, even if not everyone liked every part.

Opposition

President Taylor did not support this plan and wanted California and New Mexico to become states right away. Senator Calhoun and other leaders from the South thought the plan favored the North because it might create more free states. Many Northern Whigs, led by William Henry Seward, also opposed the plan because they didn’t want rules forcing people to help capture escaped individuals.

Debate and results

In April 1850, thirteen senators agreed on Texas’s borders as part of Clay’s plan, though the lines changed later. Debates became very heated, and at one point, a senator pulled out a gun during an argument.

After President Taylor passed away in July 1850, Vice President Millard Fillmore took over and began supporting Clay’s plan. Fillmore worked to get support for the compromise, especially to stop a possible fight between Texas and New Mexico over borders. With Fillmore’s help, Congress passed several bills. California joined the United States as a free state, New Mexico and Utah became territories, and a new law was created to return escaped individuals to their owners. Fillmore signed all these bills into law.

Provisions

The Compromise of 1850 was a set of laws to help settle disagreements between states that allowed slavery and those that did not. One big change was that California could join the United States as a state where slavery was not allowed.

Another important law dealt with people who had escaped from places where slavery was allowed. This law said that officials everywhere in the United States had to help catch and return these individuals, even in places where slavery was not allowed. This made many people in the northern states very unhappy because they did not want to help catch people who had escaped slavery.

Implications

See also: Presidency of Franklin Pierce and Origins of the American Civil War

When the Compromise of 1850 was passed, many people thought it would keep the United States together. President Fillmore called it a "final settlement," but questions about slavery in New Mexico and Utah still remained.

Not everyone was happy. Some Southerners felt less powerful, and many Northerners disliked the new rules about returning escaped individuals. The debate over slavery continued and grew stronger.

Historians say the Compromise did not truly solve the problem; it only delayed bigger conflicts for about ten years. During this time, the Northern states grew more industrial, while the Southern states, which relied on farming with enslaved people, did not change as quickly.

Other proposals

There were many ideas about what to do with new lands in the United States in the late 1840s and early 1850s. One idea was to ban slavery in lands taken from Mexico, but this idea did not become law.

Some people suggested letting people in each area decide about slavery by voting. Others wanted no rules to stop slavery in new lands.

There were also plans to create new states from these lands. Some wanted two free states, while others wanted two states where slavery would be allowed. All these ideas tried to balance different views about slavery as the country grew.