The Compromise of 1850 consisted of five pieces of legislation designed to address the perennial problem of slavery. The initial impetus for the Compromise was the request of California to enter the Union as a free state. As this would inevitably disturb the balance of power between slave states and free states, supporters of slavery thought it necessary to put in place appropriate measures that would prevent their power from being undermined. Furthermore, the Compromise sought to take the heat out of an increasingly tense political situation in which the gap between North and South was growing ever wider.
Yet there were numerous problems with the 1850 Compromise, and here are just four of them:
Most seriously, it did nothing to address the issue of slavery itself. The institution remained as controversial as ever, stirring deep emotions on both sides of the debate. As time went on, it became clear that the main issue with which the country would have to contend was not really the spread of slavery, but whether or not slavery should even be permitted to exist. Instead of dealing with the problem head-on, the Compromise simply kicked the can down the road, making it more likely that only an armed conflict could settle the issue once and for all.
One of the provisions of the Compromise—the hugely controversial Fugitive Slave Act—caused deep resentment in the North, as Northern states were effectively required under the Act to assist in the apprehension and return of runaway slaves. For many in the North, this was not just a moral outrage, but also a violation of states' rights. The Fugitive Slave Act unwittingly allowed the North to appropriate the language of states' rights previously used by the South to mount a rearguard action against the new legislation. Far from cooling tensions between North and South, this key measure of the Compromise had actually inflamed them.
The Compromise established the principle of popular sovereignty in deciding whether a state would allow slavery on its territory. Yet no mechanism was established by the federal government to give voice to the will of the people in each state. Electoral fraud was rampant in border states such as Kansas, and so without proper supervision by the federal government, it was all too easy for political elites to manipulate the vote for their own ends.
The Compromise, despite its name, actually gave far more to the South than it did to the North. Although California entered the Union as a free state, it proceeded to elect pro-slavery representatives. And the territories of Utah and New Mexico enacted slave codes, potentially opening themselves up to slavery.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
What four main problems occurred after the Compromise of 1850?
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