... The compromise of 1850 was a major cause of the civil war as it led to the south seceding from the north because they felt like they had no power within their own government. It started when the United States acquired a vast amount of land as a result of the war with Mexico. The question was whether or not they would allow slavery or declared free, since California had the gold rush in 1849 it was petitioning to congress to become a free state. Ever since the Missouri compromise the slave to free state ratio was balanced, so letting California in as a free state would make it unbalanced. On january 29, 1850 Henry Clay, a senator from kentucky proposed a compromise. According to the compromise the territories of Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona would be organized without mention of slavery, which later the inhabitants of the area agreed to when they applied for statehood. It also noted that the slave trade in Washington D.C would be abolished although slavery would still be allowed, and finally California was admitted as a free state and in order for that to satisfy slave-state politicians the fugitive slave act was passed. The fugitive slave act was one of the most controversial, it made it so people had to aid in the return of a runaway slave, also it denied a fugitive’s right to a jury trial. More often than not these fugitive’s cases were handled by special commissioners, these commissioners would be paid Five dollars if the alleged fugitive was set free and Ten...
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...was fought for by the Northerners and the preservation of slavery, fought for by the Southerners has spiked as time went on. Though, each plan that was designed to make a compromise between the two only seemed to aggravate them even more. For example, The WIlmot Proviso Act was shot down by opposing Southerners, the Compromise of 1850 infuriated both argumentative sides, and the Kansas Nebraska Act escalated sectional tensions. With every new act or establishment that came rolling our way, another crack...
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...Democratic politicians from the South and Republican politicians from the North kept the conflict between the states at the center of the political debate for years and made the war inevitable. Key political causes of the civil war include the acts congress passed, the split that happened throughout the years between congress, and most importantly the election in 1860 that elected Abraham Lincoln as president. Congress, throughout the years since America won independence passed laws they believed would help their nation. But as slavery became more of a problem in the nation, acts passed by congress became more important and affected the outcome of the American nation and its citizens much greater. Congress passed many acts throughout the years leading to the Civil War, but some very important ones that both held off the civil war and pushed the civil war are the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Connecticut Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas – Nebraska Act of 1854. The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 after Missouri requested in 1819 to be part of the Union as a slave state. Missouri’s request may have seemed like a simple request but this small request shocked the whole nation and caused an outrage. This is because America’s delegate balance of slave and Free states was being threatened. If Missouri was passed as a slave state then slave states would out number Free states and this made the North furious and caused many fights within the government trying to decide on what to...
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...“Manifest Destiny” was used as a motto to describe the westward expansion of the United States in the 19th century, credited to John O’Sullivan who used the phrase in a newspaper article in 1845(Brumidi et al., n.d.). This expansion brought success and progression to the future of the United States, however there were many moral drawbacks, negative effects on the environment, and political disputes that came along with the expansion. In April of 1803, the United States made a deal with France, purchasing “828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River in exchange for $15 million”(National Archives). Around this time, the United States for the most part, was populated east of the Mississippi River, split into two regions, the north and south. The North...
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...but how true is it really? The United States was not truly, a “land of the free” in any time between the colonial time to the civil war. America has always treated black men, women, and children in such an unfair manner. American landowners bought blacks as slaves. They had these slaves work on their plantations for them and do most of their chores. Most slavery was in the south but that did not mean that blacks in the north were treated like human. Many slaves had said, after they were no longer in slavery, that they would rather die than ever have to go back to being slave again. Many recordings of what formers slaves were found and tell us today how dreadful their experiences truly were....
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...Essay The essay gives you the opportunity to go in-depth into an issue in American culture. Your three possible topics are: (1) relations between blacks and whites; (2) the status of women; and (3) relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world. You pick one of these topics and, using only our textbook, write 1800-2000 words on how you have seen that topic throughout the course, from the beginnings to the present. How has it changed? What were the big events or people involved in it? What analysis can you bring to the topic, in order to assess it critically? The essay is to be critical and not just a summary of sections in which your topic is mentioned in the textbook. The essay should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and a 12-point font. Frequent citations (probably one or two per paragraph) to the textbook are essential for each point you find from the textbook. Use Turabian or MLA for your citation format and be exact in your citations, including page numbers for each one. No title page or works cited page are needed. In the beginning of the African American history, there were many obstacles and struggles that the colored people had to face. They were being mistreated, sometimes even less than a white man’s dog. It all began in 1619, the first African slaves were brought to Virginia. Once a person becomes a slave, they were slaves for life and so were the next generation. The majority of the slaves worked in rice or tobacco plantations in dangerous...
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...opinion regarding the Compromise of 1850?” “Well, I feel that the Compromise was an excellent decision for Mr. Clay to make. Not only did it resolve many issues that had come to divide the North and the South, but it was also beneficial for both.” “Do you feel the Compromise of 1850 was beneficial?” “Yes, both the North and the South benefited from it. The North gained California as a free state, the South gained no slave restrictions in both Utah and New Mexico territories, such was to be decided by popular sovereignty. Slave trade was prohibited in Washington D.C. but slaveholding in the area was allowed. Texas loses the boundary dispute with New Mexico but gains 10 million dollars. All in all, the Compromise was fair and giving to everyone in the Union.” “What are your feelings on Popular Sovereignty and the consequences that have resulted from it, such as Bleeding Kansas?” “Popular Sovereignty may have been created for the people and by the people, but it does not help the people. It unconstitutional and has sparked many violent and chaotic results that have only helped to divide our nation further. Bleeding Kansas is perhaps the most obvious of these violent consequences. Not only did Bleeding Kansas present that our nation had divided into two, a North and South, it provoked the two sides into a state of war. With good hearted men from the same House fighting against each other over something as a little as whether Kansas was to be a slave or free state. Frankly, our nation...
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...Americans was the concept of equality. Specifically, who exactly was meant to be equal to whom. The Northern Americans thought that everyone was meant to be free and disagreed that slavery was a perfectly ethical institution. Contrary to that, the Southern Americans thought that slavery was a normal practice that would not only benefitting society but benefitting southern economy. The two sections...
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...CHAPTER 18: RENEWING THE SECTIONAL STRUGGLE TERMS: Mexican Cession: A major tract of land that Mexico ceded to the United States following the Mexican-America war: included California as well as parts of other Western territories. Fire-Eaters: A general unofficial term used to describe a group of Southern politicians who were extremely in favor of slavery and thus advocated for secession. Underground Railroad: A route that slaves took to secretly escape from their masters to freedom. Harriet Tubman: A particularly famous conductor of the railroad, helping to sneak hundreds of slaves out of servitude. William H. Seward: A somewhat radical politician who advocated for the abolition of slavery on moral grounds. Higher Law: The stance that...
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...Missouri Compromise of 1820 In 1819, Missouri requested statehood, and the freedom to become a slave state. This set off a heated debate, as the twenty two states then part of the union were evenly divided eleven and eleven between free and slave. While northerners, in accordance with their plan to slowly kill off slavery by not allowing new states to be free, were against the idea of Missouri being a slave state, while Southerners used a state's rights argument. They reasoned that, like the original thirteen states, new states should be able to decide the issue of slavery for themselves. In the end, both sides reached a compromise. In the immediate future, so the states were not unbalanced, Maine became a free state, and going forward no state north of the...
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...1. Northwest Ordinances This topic took place from 1784 to 1787 seeking for outlining how territories would be organized and new states created. To be recognized as territory or state, basic rights, public education, and forbid slavery should be guaranteed. In addition, if a territory has more than 60,000 people, they can become a state, which means that they could vote for senators, president, and get more benefits and tax return with the federal government. This occurred when the different colonies or states wanted to get more power and political representation in the congress, and trying to decrease slavery. 2. Articles of Confederation Approved on November 15, 1777, the Articles of Confederation were created in the national government...
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...Battle of Antietam Single bloodiest day of the entire war Casualties: 12,000 Union, 13,000 Confederates McClellan had been ordered by Lincoln to destroy the rebel army did not pursue the Confederate troops Marked a major change in Northern war aims Emancipation Proclamation Shift in public opinion Blow against slavery would make Britain and France less likely to aid the South Weaken the confederacy Emancipate- "Free" all enslaved African Americans in the South On January 1st 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Applied only to areas that the Confederacy controlled, it did not actually free anyone. Hoped it would encourage slaves to run away and many would Had the desired effect in Europe. Britain and France decided to withhold recognition of the Confederacy. Southern Victories In the winter of 1862- 1863 the south is winning The ride of war turns Lee decided to invade the North. In June of 1863 he begins moving north with 75000 troops. The two armies meet by accident on July 1st near the town of Gettysburg. Battle of Gettysburg Three days of fighting The Union held the high ground On the third day of battle, Lee decided to launch an attack the he hoped would destroy the Union army. Battle with largest number of casualties of the war. About 50,000 Often described as a turning point. It ended Lee's invasion of the North Pickett's Charge Around 14,000 Confederates advanced across and open field about a half-mile long. Barely half of the...
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...different societies can co-exist without going to war. Instead, a series of mistakes and misjudgements were made by blundering politicians. There are numerous examples of this; the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott and the Fugitive Slave Act to name just a few. In my view, the American Civil War was an irrepressible conflict since compromise on the slavery issue was impossible. Blundering politicians acted as catalysts to ignite the flames of war, however they did not create the differences which acted as the foundation for the irrepressible conflict. The issue of slavery is often cited as the most significant cause of the war. By 1860 the issue of slavery had become too great and compromise was impossible. As Frederick Douglass stated, ‘the more the issue is settled, the more it needs settling.’ The North and South failed to agree and kept compromising to fix the previous failed compromise. This series of compromises began in 1820 with the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north of the 36˙30’ line of latitude, allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, and allowed Maine to enter the Union as a free state. This compromise can be...
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...1. The Compromise of 1850 attempted to answer all of the contemporary issues pertaining to the institution of slavery. Describe the major positions on slavery and the contending issues about this institution in 1850. How did the terms of the Compromise of 1850 seek to resolve these issues? In 1850, there were five positions on the institution of slavery. The first position was anti-slavery. This was predominantly felt by those in the north. Those with this view felt slavery could exist in the south but could not be expanded into the new territories. They felt slavery should mostly for economic issues. Plantations with slaves produced higher quantities faster. This meant lower costs. The next position was the abolitionist position. This view was held by a very small minority in the north and almost none in the south. Abolitionists felt slavery should be ended everywhere, even in the south and should not be permitted to expand into the territories. There were two types of abolitionists. There were colonizers who not only wanted to end slavery in the south but they wanted people of color to be shipped to another country because they felt the different races would never get along. Colonizers thought black people could start their own colonies elsewhere. The second type of abolitionists was egalitarians. They, like colonizers, wanted slavery to end everywhere but they felt enslaved persons were Americans and therefore thought they were entitled to all the rights...
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...ISSUES TO UNDERSTAND CH. 14 1) The Compromise of 1850 was a dispute on whether or not Mexico (gained by US) would become a slave or free state. The northerners didn't want the 36'30' line to be moved to the Pacific and the southerners didn't want "free soilism" which would make Mexico a free state. Northerners gained from the Compromise California as a free state, New Mexico and Utah as likely future slave states, a favorable settlement of the New Mexico-Texas boundary, and the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Colombia. Southerners gained the burial of the Wilmot Proviso's persistence of new territories being free states, but the position of the free-soilers remained viable, for the compromise left open the question of whether Congress could prohibit slavery in territories outside the Mexican cession. How did the Compromise of 180 affect Southerners? 2) The Fugitive Slave Act affected the relationship between the two sides because often when a slave would leave and escape to the North, northerners wouldn't do anything to help get the slave back, in fact, in most incidents northerners tried to help keep slaves away from southerners if they escaped. South began to realize that opposition to slavery in the North was a threat to what they believed.-What was the Fugitive Slave Act and how did it hurt Southerners? 3) Uncle Tom's Cabin made many people convert to the belief that slavery was wrong and evil. It caused many people to view southerners as evil people. It also...
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