POLITICS IN THE 1850S Slavery Dispute Leads to Breakdown

Effects of the Missouri Compromise Crafted in 1820—brought Missouri and Maine into Union as states, banned slavery in territories north of MO southern border Mexican War ended with U.S. gaining large amounts of land in SW, where slavery would be allowed In Election of 1848, both parties ignored the issue, so a group broke off to form the Free Soil Party

Effects of the Missouri Compromise Free Soil Party took enough votes to allow Zachary Taylor to win election In 1850, California met the requirements for statehood and the balance maintained by the Missouri Compromise was threatened

Compromise of 1850 First attempt to solve issue was proposed by Henry Clay (leader of Western Senators):  A series of laws of which some favored the North, some favored the South  California as free state  Popular sovereignty in New Mexico and Utah  Fugitive slave law  Abolishing slave trade in Washington, D.C.

Compromise of 1850 Leader of Southern Senators, John C. Calhoun opposed Clay’s plan:  Said South felt threatened by North’s control of government  Said Southern states had right to leave the Union for own protection (made clear that they did not want to leave)  Said banning slavery in Western territories would infringe on property rights (slaves as property)  Government taking away rights was not a government worthy of respect

Compromise of 1850 Daniel Webster (leader of the Northern Senators) was an ardent abolitionist He gave a long, passionate speech in favor of Clay’s compromise as a means of preserving the Union Compromise was eventually passed, but South was not happy with it and it only delayed actually dealing with the issues Would contribute to the demise of the Whig Party, as abolitionist were upset about Whig support for Compromise

Kansas-Nebraska Act Stephen Douglas, a Senator from Illinois with Presidential ambitions, was trying to push for further development of the west in a way that would not hurt his future Introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act which would make issue of slavery open in those territories the choice of the settlers This would make Southerners happy, as well as people from Illinois as railroads to these territories would go through Illinois

Bleeding Kansas The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) allowed the citizens of those territories to determine whether slavery would be allowed there  Both sides organized settlers to go to the territories to influence the upcoming vote On May 21, 1856, a group of Southerners looted newspaper offices in Lawrence, KS, a center of free- soiler activity

Bleeding Kansas Three days later, John Brown led a group to a pro- slavery camp and dragged 5 men from their home and killed them in front of their families These events led to a series of murderous raids and counter-raids throughout the summer

Violence spreads to D.C. On May 22, Sen. Charles Sumner gave a speech called “The Crime Against Kansas,” which denounced slavery  Attacked Southerners for forcing slavery on Kansas and insulted Andrew Butler of S.C. in particular  Two days later, Preston Brooks, Butler’s nephew, approached Sumner on the Senate floor and beat him with his cane in order to defend the honor of the South and of Butler  Another SC Representative, Laurence Keitt prevented others from intervening by branding his pistol  Brooks resigned following the attack, but was overwhelming re- elected to the seat