5.4 Compromise of 1850

why did may southerners resent the missouri compromise and the outcomes of the Mexican American war

the missouri compromise barred slavery from the Louisiana purchase lands

the gains from the Mexican American war were not enough, as they wanted all of the Mexican territory

Ostend Manifesto

President Polk offered to buy Cuba from Spain for $100 million, however, Spain was unwilling to give the last of its once glorious empire to the Americas.

When Franklin pierce is elected president, he sends american diplomats to Ostend Belgium and secretly negotiated to buy cuba from spain

Antislavery members of congress forced pierce to drop the scheme

give an example of how expansionists attempted to expand the US’s domain with our without the support of the Federal government

WALKER EXPEDITION

1. William Walker and a force of southerners seized power in Nicaragua in 1855 in order to establish a proslavery empire. The US government gave temporary recognition in 1856, however, walker’s regime was crushed when a coalition of Central American countries defeated him

Clayton Bulwer Treaty

Because both the US and Britain wanted to build a canal through central america to increase trade, they established the clayton bulwer treaty, which provided that neither nation assume complete control of any future canal route in central america

Gadsden Purchase

President Pierce succeeded in purchasing a small strip of the Mexico Territory. This small strip forms the southern borders of New Mexico and Arizona

Free Soil Movement

Northern Democrats and Whigs supported the position that all African Americans, both free and enslaved should be excluded from the Mexican Cession

many Northerners who opposed slavery in the west, did not oppose slavery where

in the south

What did Free Soilers want

To keep the west open to white settlement only

what was the southern position

they believed that attempts to restrict the expansion of slavery were violations of their constitutional right to own property

Popular Sovereignty

instead of congress deciding the establishment of slavery in territories, the issue would be up to vote by the settlers of the territory

Zachary Taylor

whig nominee for president, Mexican American war veteran who took no stance on the slavery issue

Martin Van Buren

Free Soil party nominee

Compromise of 1850

1. admit california as a free state

2. divide the remains of the Mexican Cession into Utah and New Mexico and allow the people of these territories to decide on slavery via popular sovereignty

3. Ban slave trade in district of Columbia

4. Adopt fugitive slave law