10.1

Issue of slavery remains divisive, grappling with fairness, equality, race, and class issues.
Notable events:
- Wilmot Proviso, a significant political challenge.
- Rising tensions leading to secession in the early 1850s.

Compromise of 1850: Attempt to balance interests of free and slave states.
Popular Sovereignty: Concept introduced to address territorial status, allowing residents to decide on the legality of slavery.
Stephen A. Douglas: A key proponent of the compromise.
Millard Fillmore: The President who supported the Compromise after Taylor's death.

Calhoun's Illness: Missing four months of debate due to health; his address delivered through Senator James M. Mason.
Personal Voice: "I have, Senators, believed from the first that the agitation of the subject of slavery… end in disunion… the Union is in danger."
Calhoun's Views:
- Claimed the North must provide the South with “justice, simple justice.”
- Advocated for slavery's allowance in territories acquired from the Mexican War.
- Warned of secession if demands were unmet.

North:
- Rapid industrialization; factories produced textiles, sewing machines, and more.
- Development of extensive railroad systems (~20,000 miles in the 1850s).
- Urbanization of small towns into cities (e.g., Chicago).
- Vast immigration from Europe contributed to labor force with anti-slavery sentiments.
- Major fears regarding competition between free and slave labor, maintaining status of white workers.
South:
- Predominantly rural; economy reliant on cotton and other staple crops.
- Approximately one-third of the U.S. population but under 10% of manufactured goods produced.
- Transport mainly via rivers, limited immigrant settlement; African Americans, whether enslaved or free, filled most labor roles.
- Immigrants showed significant opposition to slavery, advocating for rights.

In some Southern states, African Americans outnumbered white populations (e.g., Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina).
Fears among Southern whites of societal upheaval if slavery was challenged; Calhoun warned against the disastrous consequences of abolition.
Contrasting List: The North focused on industrial growth while the South relied on agricultural output and slavery.

Greek Revival Architecture:
- Became widespread in the U.S. (1825-1860).
- Characterized by columns resembling ancient Greek temples.
- Adaptations in the South for climate suitability (high porches for cooling).

Proposed by David Wilmot on August 8, 1846, aimed at preventing slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.
Stipulations of the Proviso:
- Closed territories of California, Utah, and New Mexico to slavery permanently.
The Proviso divided Congress along regional lines, with Northerners supporting it due to concerns over slave labor.
Southern opposition, viewing slaves as property protected by constitutional rights.

House approved the Proviso but the Senate rejected it.
Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia predicted dire political turmoil should the Proviso pass.

Population surge from the Gold Rush allowed California to skip the territorial phase and apply directly for statehood.
California's constitution forbidding slavery raised alarms among Southerners, who believed it should be a slave state based on its geographical location.
General Zachary Taylor's support for California as a free state angered many in the South; fears grew over losing power in Congress.

The debates were heated; tensions escalated over statehood for California and conflicting claims between Texas and New Mexico.
Henry Clay proposed a compromise containing elements for both the North (California as a free state) and the South (stricter fugitive slave laws).

Calhoun vs. Webster:
- Calhoun presented a Southern perspective defending slavery.
- Webster urged for national unity and compromise, highlighting the dangers of secession.
Clay's speech focused on the potential for devastating conflict and implored both sides to seek unity.

Though rejected initially in July, Douglas's strategy of unbundling resolutions allowed the individual measures to be reconsidered.
The death of President Taylor facilitated support for the compromise from his successor, Fillmore.
Southern leaders eventually embraced compromise, approving individual proposals that were perceived as beneficial.

The Compromise of 1850 was eventually passed into law, viewed as a temporary solution to the slavery crisis.
However, tensions regarding the enforcement of the new fugitive slave law posed further complications, indicating that the resolution may only be fleeting.

Stephen A. Douglas: Known as the "Little Giant"; pivotal in passage of the Compromise of 1850; became prominent due to his oratorial skills and political maneuvers.