Stepping Stones to The Civil War F U Post
The Compromise of 1850 was a way to try to defuse political clash between slave and free states. The U.S. gained a large portion of territory in the west known as the Mexican Cession. This event took place after the Mexican American War. Many Northerners were against slavery so they were still following the 1846 Wilmot Provision: that is, slavery would not expand into the area’s taken, and later bought, from Mexico (U.S. History 2013). Keep in mind, this was a provision and never came into law. A party that took the name The Free-Soil party made sure to keep the issue of slavery at the forefront of political debates. Neither group wanted to rid slavery of the states that already existed, just wanted to stop future slavery in the non-existing states. The idea was to protect the whites that would settle there. The Free-Soil party thought if slavery came to presence in that territory the whites would have to compete with slaves for work. Steven Douglas pushed five bills through congress composing The Compromise of 1850. In the end, The Compromise of 1850 continued to cause strife. It stood as a truce rather than a compromise. (U.S. History, 2013). The truce did not last long when the Fugitive Slave Act came into play. This once again caused major conflict.
The Fugitive Slave Act ties in with The Great Compromise of 1850. The federal law enforced heavy fines and prison time on Northerners and Midwesterners who aided those trying to escape slavery. (U.S. History, 2013). Many of the Northerners felt as though they were slave catchers. The Fugitive Slave Act proved that those who were slave holders would use the federal government’s power to persuade people in other states to side with them. The Fugitive Slave Act provoked reactions from the Northerners. The abolitionist believe that violence was created by standing up to the government. The saga continues. The Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act did nothing to create peace. They in fact created bigger issues.
The novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin came into play. Her novel published in a paper in, soil free states, told accounts of slaves. With her story being told it portrayed slavery as a sin because of the effects it had on families. Harriet also portrayed how slavery corrupted white people as well. Some of the white slave holders believed slaves did not emotionally feel like white people did. She believed through her witness that the institution of slavery dehumanized the white slaveholders.
The Civil War ultimately had to take place because of the expansion of slavery into the territories that were acquired after the American Mexican War. Slavery was not going to go away. After the failed attempts by influential people and groups, it did not abolish slavery, it was not going to go away easily. It still remained a major political issue of the 1900’s. (McPherson, James 2008).
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References:
OpenStax. (2019). U.S. history. OpenStax CNX. Retrieved from //cnx.org/contents/
McPherson, James (2008), A defining time in Our Nation’s History
Retrieved from https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-american-civil-war (Links to an external site.).
Article aptly recounts events leading to the American Civil War, a culmination of a series of political and legislative milestones in the United States. On September 25, 1850, five acts were enacted in the House of Representatives to address the issue of enslavement in the newly acquired territory after the Mexican-American War. Allowing slaves in Washington; admitting California to the Union as a "free state"; Creating the territory of Utah and New Mexico, which would have the power to determine whether or not to allow slavery via popular sovereignty were some of the issues addressed in the five bills.
The Compromise of 1850's principal actors, including Whig senator Henry Clay and Democrat senator Stephan Douglas, are identified by the author. Henry Clay of Kentucky, known as "The Great Compromiser" for his role in the Missouri compromise, is mentioned in this article. Because of the lingering dissatisfaction with its provisions, the Civil War broke out. After the American-Mexican War, slavery spread throughout the newly-acquired lands, sparking the Civil War.
