U.S. History I - From Compromise to Crisis | Art

Preview (2 of 6 Pages)

100%

U.S. History I - From Compromise to Crisis - Page 1 preview image

Loading page ...

Study GuideU.S. History I–From Compromise to Crisis1.Compromise of 1850The Compromise of 1850 attempted to address theslavery issue in the territories acquired fromMexicoand to reduce sectional tensions, but it ultimately highlighted the deepening divide betweenNorth and South.1.1Background•California was ready forstatehood, which threatened the balance between free and slavestates.•PresidentZachary Taylorhad little political influence.•Henry Claywas tasked with devising a compromise, drawing on his experience with theMissouri Compromise (1820) and the Nullification Crisis (1830s).1.2Clay’s Omnibus Bill (January 1850)Clay proposed asingle package of resolutionsaddressing multiple issues:1.Californiaadmitted as afree state2.New Mexico and Utahorganized as territories; slavery decided bypopular sovereignty3.Slave trade abolished(but not slavery itself) in theDistrict of Columbia4.Fugitive Slave Lawstrengthened5.Congress wouldnot interferein the interstate slave trade6.Texas-New Mexico boundarysettled; U.S. assumed $10 million of Texas debtOutcome:The omnibus bill initiallyfailed, because all measures had to pass together.1.3Stephen Douglas and the Final Compromise•SenatorStephen Douglassplit the omnibus bill intofive separate laws, each of whichpassed independently:

U.S. History I - From Compromise to Crisis - Page 2 preview image

Loading page ...

Study Guide1.California admitted as a free state2.Texas and New Mexico Act–New Mexico territory withpopular sovereignty,boundary settled, $10 million paid to Texas3.Utah Act–Utah territory underpopular sovereignty4.Fugitive Slave Act–federal enforcement of runaway slave capture5.Act Abolishing Slave Trade in D.C.–ended slave trade in the capital1.4Fugitive Slave Act of 1850•Key provisions:oSpecial commissioners handled cases; slave testimony not allowedoCommissioners received$10 for returning a slave, $5 if freedoSevere penalties for interfering with capture•Northern resistance:oMany states passedpersonal liberty lawsoAbolitionist crowds sometimes resisted capture attemptsoThe law was largely unenforceable in practice1.5Cultural Impact:Uncle Tom’s Cabin•Written byHarriet Beecher Stowein response to the Fugitive Slave Act•Serialized in 1851; published as a book in 1852•Portrayed thecruelty of slavery, including family separations and physical abuse•Soldtwo million copies by 1852•Northern attitudes hardenedtoward slavery•Famous (possibly apocryphal) quote attributed to Lincoln: “So this is the little lady who startedthe Civil War”

Preview Mode

This document has 6 pages. Sign in to access the full document!

Report

U.S. History I - From Compromise to Crisis

Study Now!

Document Details

Related Documents

U.S. History I - The New World

U.S. History I - The Jeffersonian Republicans 1800–1824

U.S. History I - The Civil War

U.S. History I - Slavery and the South

U.S. History I - Seventeenth Century Colonial Settlements

U.S. History I - Jacksonian Democracy

U.S. History I - From Discontent to Revolution

U.S. History I - Exploration and Early Colonization

U.S. History I - Expansion, War, and Sectional Tensions

U.S. History I - Era of Reconstruction

Company

Explore

Study Tools