Compromise of 1850 and Sectional Tensions over Slavery

These flashcards cover key concepts and events related to the Compromise of 1850 and the surrounding tensions regarding slavery in the United States.

Compromise of 1850

A package of five bills designed to defuse the tensions between slave and free states, allowing for California to enter as a free state and leaving the rest of the newly acquired territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful 1846 proposal to ban slavery in territory acquired from the Mexican-American War, which heightened tensions between Northern and Southern congressmen.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, who can decide on issues such as the expansion of slavery.

Missouri Compromise

An 1820 agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, also establishing a boundary for slavery in the Louisiana Purchase territory.

Fugitive Slave Law

A law passed in 1850 that required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied a jury trial to accused runaways.

Henry Clay

A prominent American politician known as the "Great Compromiser" for his role in crafting the Compromise of 1850.

Abolitionists

Individuals and groups who sought to end slavery in the United States and prevent its expansion into new territories.

California's application for statehood

California's request to join the Union as a free state in 1849, which upset the balance of power between slave and free states.

Federal vs. State Authority

The ongoing conflict over whether federal laws, like the Fugitive Slave Law, supersede state laws that may counter those federal regulations.

Judicial Nullification

The act of a judicial body invalidating a law or regulation as unconstitutional, exemplified by the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision regarding the Fugitive Slave Law.

Mexican-American War (Historical Event)

Context: Conflict between the U.S. and Mexico ($1846$-$1848$) regarding territorial disputes and manifest destiny. Description: A military conflict resulting in a decisive U.S. victory. Cause and Effect: Caused by the U.S. annexation of Texas and border disputes; resulted in the acquisition of vast Western territories, which immediately reignited the national debate over the expansion of slavery.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Historical Document/Agreement)

Context: Signed in $1848$ to conclude the Mexican-American War. Description: The peace treaty that ceded approximately $525,000$ square miles of territory to the United States. Cause and Effect: Caused by the military defeat of Mexico; resulted in the U.S. gaining California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of other states, creating the immediate need for political decisions regarding slavery in these lands.

Wilmot Proviso (Policy/Document)

Context: Proposed in $1846$ by Congressman David Wilmot during the Mexican-American War. Description: An amendment to an appropriations bill intended to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. Cause and Effect: Caused by Northern fears of expanding 'Slave Power'; resulted in a failure to pass in the Senate but successfully intensified Southern fears of political marginalization.

California's Statehood Application (Historical Event)

Context: Followed the $1849$ Gold Rush and rapid population growth. Description: California's formal request to enter the Union as a free state. Cause and Effect: Caused by the sudden influx of settlers and the need for organized government; resulted in a crisis because its admission threatened the delicate balance of slave and free states in the U.S. Senate.

John C. Calhoun (Historical Figure)

Context: A prominent South Carolina Senator and former Vice President during the mid-$19$th century. Description: A leading political theorist for the South. Views: Argued that slavery was a constitutional right and that slaveholders should be able to take their 'property' into any territory ('slavery follows the flag'). Impact: His hardline stance galvanized Deep South opposition to any federal restrictions on slavery.

Popular Sovereignty (Policy/Theme)

Context: Introduced by Lewis Cass and later championed by Stephen Douglas as a middle-ground solution. Description: The principle that the actual residents of a territory should decide by vote whether to allow or ban slavery. Cause and Effect: Caused by the need to find a democratic compromise between North and South; resulted in political ambiguity and future violent conflicts as different factions rushed to populate territories to influence votes.

Free Soil Party (Political Group)

Context: Emerged in the late $1840$s as a third-party movement. Description: A group focusing on preventing the expansion of slavery into Western territories. Views: Believed that stopping the spread of slavery would eventually lead to its demise and protect free labor. Impact: Pressured the major political parties to take firmer stances on slavery and influenced the later formation of the Republican Party.

Henry Clay (Historical Figure)

Context: Known as the 'Great Compromiser,' a senior statesman and Senator from Kentucky. Description: The primary architect of the Compromise of $1850$. Views: Believed in preserving the Union through legislative negotiation and mutual concession. Impact: Successfully brokered the agreement that temporarily staved off secession, though it failed to settle the underlying moral conflict.

Compromise of 1850 (Agreement/Law)

Context: A package of five separate bills passed in September $1850$. Description: A legislative compromise involving territorial organization and fugitive slave laws. Cause and Effect: Caused by the threat of Southern secession over California's statehood; resulted in California entering as a free state, Utah/New Mexico territories using popular sovereignty, the end of the slave trade in D.C., and a new Fugitive Slave Act.

Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 (Law/Policy)

Context: A key component of the Compromise of $1850$ demanded by the South. Description: Federal law requiring citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denying defendants the right to a jury trial. Cause and Effect: Caused by Southern demands for stronger federal protection of slave property; resulted in massive Northern resistance, the rise of the Underground Railroad, and deepened sectional animosity.

Personal Liberty Laws (Policy/Law)

Context: Passed by several Northern states in response to federal Fugitive Slave legislation. Description: State laws designed to protect accused runaways by ensuring they had access to legal counsel and jury trials. Cause and Effect: Caused by moral outrage over the Fugitive Slave Law; resulted in legal conflicts between state and federal authorities and Southern accusations of Northern bad faith.

Abelman v. Booth (1859) (Historical Decision)

Context: A Supreme Court case arising from Wisconsin's attempt to nullify the Fugitive Slave Act. Description: A legal ruling addressing the hierarchy of state versus federal power. Cause and Effect: Caused by state-level resistance to federal slave-catching mandates; resulted in the Supreme Court reaffirming federal supremacy, meaning states could not legally obstruct the enforcement of federal laws like the Fugitive Slave Act.

Oregon Territory (Geography/Impact)

Context: Established in $1848$ after settlement with Great Britain. Description: A vast region in the Pacific Northwest. Impact: Since its organizing act included an explicit ban on slavery, its existence added to the Southern perception that they were losing political control over the future of the American West.