Chapter 18 Flashcards
Popular sovereignty
Politicians burried the slavery issue for sectional unity
Cass was a father
Popular bc it was democratic
Issue of it could spread slavery
Election of 1848
Whigs nominated Zachary Taylor
Platform: none
Dems nominated general lewis Cass
Platform: silent on slabey
Free Soil party chose van buren
Platform: no extension of slavery, federal aid for internal improvements
Tyler won
Free Soil party
Anti slavery men in the n that distrusted Cass and Tyler created it
Advocated federal aid for internal improvements
Attracted industrialists, some dems, ns who hated blacks, and “conscience Whigs”
Argues w/ only free Soil in the w, could a mobilitu flourish
California gold
Only a few got rich
Those who made $ did do by selling services to the miners at high proved
Gold Rush attracted 10s of 1000s
Outburst in crime
1849: drafted a const. that excluded slavery
Tipping of sectional balance
Admission of Cali would tip balance away from slave states
Land in Texas in dispute
S mad at abolition of sslavery in dc
Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman
S demanded better fugitive slave laws
Very few escaped
Trying to preserve unity
Oct 1849, s announced they would reconvene the following yr to withdraw from the Union
Congress came togethet to discuss options
Clay argued for a comp
Calhoun thought it didn’t have enough for the s
Seventn of March speech
Seventh of March speech
Webster urged for a complete with better figitve slave law
Webster said God decreed that a plantation economy wouldn’t work in the w.
Helped n towards comp
New guard
Were more interesting in purifying the nation than perserving it
William H Seward came out against comp
Argue legislatures had to listen to gods “higher law”
Pres Taylor agreed and was hesitant to sign a comp
Ending the congressional stalemate
Pres Taylor died suddenly and vp Fillmore takes over
Compromise of 1850
N “union savers” like clay and Webster advocated for the comp
In the end, s unionists and glow of prosperity had the South
Finally passed
Benefits of the comp in the n
Cali tipped the Senate balance away from s
“Higher law” made more people for free soil
Texas territory give to new mex
Gains of comp in the s
Texas was payed 10 mil towards ending it’s debt
Only outlaws slaves trade in DC
Fugitive slave law
Mexican cession up to popular sovereignty
Fugitive slave law of 1850
Slaves couldn’t testify on their own behalf.
No trial by jury.
Judge would receive 5 if innocent, 10 if guilty
Ns who helped slaves would be fined and jailed
Effects of the fugitive slave law
Many n hated the law and halfheartdly enforced it
Underground RR stepped up their time line
Stated passed “personal liberty laws”
S angered n wouldn’t excecute the law
Election of 1852
Dems set forth Franklin Pierce
Enemy less
Platform: territorial expansion, endorsed the comp and fugitive slave law
Whigs nominated gen Winfield Scott
Not loved by the people
Platform: pro comp
Free Soil party took votes
Piece won by a landslide
End of the Whig party