Politics of Expansion

James W. Marshall

an American carpenter and sawmill operator whose discovery of gold flakes in the American River at Coloma, California, on January 24, 1848, triggered the California Gold Rush

Wilmot Proviso

a proposed amendment that intended to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War; vehemently opposed by the South through their power in the Senate

Lewis Cass

"Father of Popular Sovereignty;” ran for president in 1848 but lost to Zachary Taylor

“Popular Sovereignty”

residents of a federal territory—not Congress—should decide whether to allow slavery within their borders

Election of 1848

pivotal US presidential contest, won by Whig war hero Zachary Taylor

Barnburners

radical, anti-slavery faction of the New York State Democratic Party in the 1840s

Free-Soil Party

a minor, anti-slavery party in the antebellum US that opposed the expansion of slavery into Western territories

Compromise of 1850

a five-part legislative package proposed by Henry Clay and championed by Stephen Douglas to defuse tensions over slavery in territories acquired from the Mexican-American War

Stephen Douglas

promoted the Compromise of 1850

How did the end of the war bring up the issue of slavery?

forcing Congress to decide if slavery would be permitted in the vast new territories acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

What argument did Calhoun make about slavery in the territories? What demand did he make of Congress?

Calhoun argued that the U.S. territories were the common property of the states and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery within them

demanded that the North allow slavery's expansion, enforce fugitive slave laws, and accept a constitutional amendment protecting the Southern minority's political equality

How was the standoff in Congress solved?

not solved, but postponed by the Compromise of 1850

How did Zachary Taylor run his presidential campaign?

relying heavily on his reputation as a "war hero" from the Mexican-American War. Avoiding specific political platforms, he used his "Old Rough and Ready" persona to appeal to a broad base

How did slavery split the Democratic Party?

pitting Northern "popular sovereignty" supporters against Southern advocates for absolute slavery protection

What problems did the Gold Rush in California create? How did Taylor propose to solve the issue of California applying for statehood as a free state?

creates an issue because the Missouri Compromise line splits the state in half; no slave state to balance out California as a free state

more Northerners moved to Cali, so they wanted a free state

How was the Compromise passed? What did this demonstrate about the terms?

in five separate pieces, showing the extreme sectional division surrounding the issues addressed in the Compromise.

What were the terms of the Compromise of 1850?

1. Texas gave up New Mexico and all land north of 36°30’ line and federal govt. took on debt

2. California admitted as a free state

3. Wilmot Proviso rejected: Utah and New Mexico territories would be open to slavery by popular sovereignty 

4. slave trade (but not slavery) was outlawed in D.C.

5. new Fugitive Slave Law was enacted