1. The Road to Disunion!
More like pulling out of the garage getting ready to get on the Road to Disunion!

2. Nation Divided Northern economy – manufacturing
Utilizing technological advance – railroads, telegraph, etc.
Industry = cities
High numbers of immigrants – antislavery
Slaves would compete with new immigrants for factory jobs
Southern – plantations/farms
Remains rural
Very little manufacturing, few railroads, few immigrants
Great fear that any alteration of slavery system would destroy entire southern economy

3. Wilmot Proviso
What’s this
Tacked on to military appropriations bill, called for no slavery in any lands taken from Mexico
Northerners love it – limit influence of slave states in Congress
Southerners hate it – addition of what were sure to be several free states would imbalance federal gov. in favor of North
House, already imbalanced – WHY? - passes it, Senate does not

4. California Gold rush = rapid pop. Growth
Bypass territory phase, go straight to statehood application
State constitution bans slavery
South upset; hoped Mizzou Compromise would apply to newly acquired territories

5. Divided Senate – Compromise of 1850
Several issues divide Senate
Southerners begin to threaten secession – how can Union be preserved?
Henry Clay (Kentucky) devises compromise
CA admitted as free state
Utah and New Mex. get to decide slavery for selves (Popular Sovereignty)
Texas gives up claims to E New Mex. in exchange for $10 million
Tough Fugitive Slave Act
“… such a war as it would be, following the dissolution of the Union! ... none so ferocious, so bloody, so implacable, so exterminating…I implore gentlemen…to pause at the edge of the precipice, before the fearful and dangerous leap be taken into the yawning abyss below.”

6. Clay’s failure – Douglas’s success
Senate rejects compromise, Clay gives up
Stephen Douglas doesn’t
Instead of pushing entire package of compromises, pushes them one at a time – predicts possible success
If people didn’t like a particular part of it, they could vote against it, but could support measures they DID like
John C. Calhoun’s death, support of President Millard Fillmore, Southern recognition that this was as good a deal as they could get without doing something drastic eventually lead to passage of compromise measures