1. Renewing the Sectional Struggle

2. Popular Sovereignty Panacea -The two parties held the country together, were national not sectional -Both just sat on the lid ignoring the boiling pot of slavery under them -Popular sovereignty threw the issue to the people in the new territories; it solved the slavery problem for politicians except that it might allow it to spread

3. Political Triumphs for General Taylor -The Whigs fence straddled again on all major issues and focused on Taylor -Democrats put up Cass an old veteran of 1812 -Free Soil party—for the Wilmot Proviso, against the extension of slavery, also for internal improvements, and free land for homesteaders -Had a broad base that wanted free soil to help the wage earner rise up, The American Dream was based on cheap free (no slavery) land in the West -Were the precursor to the Republican party

4. Gold Rush 1848 -Sutter’s Mill—John Marshall -How to get there? Cape Horn, Panama, across the plains -Expansion of San Francisco -A lawless place to live, gold dust was standard currency, many made more money selling goods and services to the miners than mining -California skipped territorial status and went straight to statehood

5. Sectional balance and the Underground RR -The Senate was balanced, North controlled the House, South had Taylor as Pres -15 slave vs. 15 free -D.C. had slavery -Texas borders were being disputed -Underground RR gave runaway slaves places to hide out all the way to Canada -Harriet Tubman freed 300+ -Slave were still more likely to buy their freedom than gain it running -South wanted harsher fugitive slave laws

6. Senatorial Giants -Clay (73) the Great Compromiser, was already involved in the Missouri Compromise and the nullification crises -Stephen A. Douglas (37) Little Giant from Illinois -Calhoun, championed for states rights to his death -Daniel Webster (68) supported the compromise

7. Deadlock and Danger on Capitol Hill -Younger Senators like William H. Seward tried to stop the compromise, they were ardent abolitionists and appealed to a higher law -Taylor threatened to veto any compromise and send troops to Texas to hang the traitors causing problems with the boundaries

8. Breaking the Congressional Logjam -Taylor died, most convenient for the compromise, and replaced by Millard Fillmore who signed all of the compromise -Northerners gave in because of a feeling of goodwill produced by how well the economy was doing with the influx of California gold -2 nd Era of Good Feelings

9. Balancing the Compromise Scale -North came out ahead -California came in as a free state -Utah and New Mexico territories with slavery based on popular sovereignty -Texas was paid 10$ million for the disputed territory -Slavery was outlawed in DC -Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 -Slaves couldn’t testify and were denied a jury trial -Federal commissioners were given 5$ to free a slave and 10$ not to -People that helped the slaves were given jail time and fines -Pushed many people to becoming abolitionists -Stepped up the Underground RR -Some states made it illegal to enforce in their states -Nothing else caused such a large spirit of abolitionism

10. Downfall of the Whigs -Democrats put up Franklin Pierce (another dark horse) in 1852 -The platform held to territorial expansion and the Compromise of 1850 -Whigs put up Winfield Scott -The Election of 1852 ended up focusing on personalities again, no major issues -Pierce won 254-42 -Marked the end of the Whigs and the beginning of sectional parties

11. Expansionist Stirrings -1848 treaty with New Granada (Colombia) to guarantee the right of transit on the Isthmus of Panama -In reaction to British encroachment in Nicaragua -Lead to a transcontinental RR in Panama in 1855 -Clayton-Bulwer Treaty 1850 -US and Britain, neither side could fortify in the area (Panama) -William Walker -Tried to stage several coups to put himself in power in South America, worked shortly in Nicaragua -Several Filibuster expeditions attacked Cuba but failed -Pierce tried to scheme for Cuba using the Ostend Manifesto, American Ministers in 3 countries suggested buying it for 120$ million or taking, the plan failed

12. Asia -Caleb Cushing went to China to get trade concessions in 1844 -Treaty of Wanghin July 3, 1844 gave US trade rights -1852 Fillmore sent a fleet of warships to Japan under Matthew Perry and got the Treaty of Kanagawa signed in 1854 -Coaling rights, proper treatment of sailors, created a consul, and opened trade

13. Gadsden Purchase -The Mexican War showed desperate need for better transportation into the west -Needed more land in Mexico for the RR, would have made the best route -Gadsden Purchase for 10$ Million 1853 -South had the better route for the RR, no mountains, no unorganized territory

14. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois

15. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad

17. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad to get to Oregon Split the unorganized territory into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska

19. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad to get to Oregon Split the unorganized territory into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska Overturned the Missouri Compromise

20. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad to get to Oregon Split the unorganized territory into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska Overturned the Missouri Compromise

22. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad to get to Oregon Split the unorganized territory into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska Overturned the Missouri Compromise Each territory could vote whether to have slaves or not

23. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad to get to Oregon Split the unorganized territory into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska Overturned the Missouri Compromise Each territory could vote whether to have slaves or not Popular Sovereignty

24. Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Introduced by Stephen A Douglas from Illinois Settlement for the areas was long overdue Ulterior motive was to find a route for the transcontinental Railroad to get to Oregon Split the unorganized territory into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska Overturned the Missouri Compromise Each territory could vote whether to have slaves or not Popular Sovereignty Another in a long series of compromises over sectional issues

25. Congress Legislates a War -Neither side liked it -Shattered the Democratic Party -Created the Republican Party

26. Sectional Issues Slavery

27. Sectional Issues Slavery States Rights

28. Sectional Issues Slavery States Rights Hartford convention

29. Sectional Issues Slavery States Rights Hartford convention Tariff Compromise

30. Sectional Issues Slavery States Rights Hartford convention Tariff Compromise Missouri Compromise

31. Sectional Issues Slavery States Rights Hartford convention Tariff Compromise Missouri Compromise Compromise of 1850

32. Sectional Issues Slavery States Rights Hartford convention Tariff Compromise Missouri Compromise Compromise of 1850 Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854