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A concept where the federal government does not decide on the issue of slavery.
Territories decide for themselves in their state constitution if they want slavery or not.
Championed by Stephen Douglas, a senator from Illinois.
Douglas takes the place of Henry Clay as the most famous politician trying to keep the country together amid the slavery issue.
- Clay is getting old and there is a new generation of politicians.
Douglas believes popular sovereignty is the way to preserve the balance.
For a territory to become a state:
- Population of 60,000 people.
- Write a state constitution.

Politics and slavery collide.
James K. Polk added more territory than any other president in a short time.
- Texas, Oregon, and Mexican territory were added within four years.
Polk declined to run again, possibly knowing his health was failing due to overwork.
- He worked long hours six days a week and died shortly after his presidency.

Democrats run "dough faces" - Northerners with Southern sympathies.
The strategy is to appeal to both northerners and southerners.
Lewis Cass from Michigan is an example; he is from the North but won't interfere with slavery.
Cass is described as lacking charisma.

Whigs (W) run war heroes.
Zachary Taylor, fresh off victories in the Mexican War, becomes their candidate.
Taylor had never voted and is not a political man.
His VP is Millard Fillmore.
Politicians practice the politics of avoidance by ignoring the issue of slavery.
Lewis Cass says he believes in popular sovereignty and won't discuss slavery again.
Zachary Taylor refuses to talk about slavery at all.
Taylor owns a plantation in Louisiana and owns slaves.
- Taylor runs two different election campaigns depending on whether he is in the North or in the South.
- In the North Taylor does not mention he owns slaves and in the South Taylor makes sure to mention he owns slaves.

The Free Soil Party is a third party that cuts to the heart of the slavery issue.
It consists of abolitionists who want to end slavery.
They realize the Whigs and Democrats aren't addressing the issue.
They are exclusively a northern party and have no chance of winning the presidency.
Martin Van Buren runs for president for the Free Soil Party.
About 10% of people voted for the Free Soil Party.

California had a population of over 60,000 and was ready to become a state.
Gold is discovered on John Sutter's property, leading to the California Gold Rush.
People from all over the world rush to California, known as "49ers."
The population increases drastically.

California wants to write a constitution, but there are 15 slave states and 15 free states.
California will tip the balance.
States like South Carolina threaten secession if California becomes a free state.
Zachary Taylor wants California to decide for themselves via popular sovereignty.
Taylor threatens to respond to secession with military force.

Zachary Taylor opposes any compromise.
Taylor dies suddenly after consuming contaminated food and drink on July 4th.
He suffers from cholera.
Millard Fillmore becomes president and is more open to compromise. Millard Fillmore says if the right compromise comes to his desk, I will sign it.
Stephen Douglas revives Clay's compromise.

Stephen Douglas takes the place of Henry Clay as the most famous politician in the country.
Douglas was anywhere between four foot eleven and five foot three.
Stephen Douglas separated each piece of the compromise out separately.
Douglas knew behind the scenes how to negotiate with people to get laws passed.
The Compromise of 1850 is passed and signed into law.

California is admitted as a free state.
Texas accepts a reduced boundary and receives $10,000,000$ to pay off debts.
The modern order of Texas borders we have today comes from the compromise of 1850.
New Mexico and Utah will be organized using popular sovereignty.
The slave trade is abolished in Washington D.C., but slavery remains legal.
A new Fugitive Slave Act is created.

Makes it easier for southerners to recover runaway slaves.
Federal marshals (slave catchers/kidnappers) are hired to track down runaway slaves.
Marshalls kidnap any person of color who couldn't prove their freedom.
Judges were paid more money to determine someone who was a runaway then if they were a free person.
Judges are complicit.
There is corruption amongst politicians and planters.
Helping a runaway slave results in fines or imprisonment.
The Fugitive Slave Act turns many northerners against slavery.
Nobody feels good about the compromise.

Whigs run Winfield Scott, another general from the Mexican War.
1852 will be the last election the Whigs ever run someone for president.
The Whig party split into two factions: northern "conscience" Whigs and southern "cotton" Whigs.
The Whig Party died because they could not agree on the issue of slavery.
Democrats run Franklin Pierce, a "dough face" from New Hampshire.

Pierce was the youngest candidate for president and a popular senator.
He is destined to become one of the worst presidents in American history, a tragic figure.
He served in the Mexican War, but his service was embarrassing.
Pierce wins an electoral landslide, because of the disintegrating Whig party.

Franklin Pierce's wife, Jane, was religious, shy, and opposite to her husband in personality.
They were both wonderful parents but struggled with losing children.
Jane accused her husband for the sin of ambition.
She prayed for her husband to lose the election.
Their son, Benny, was decapitated in a train accident weeks before Pierce's inauguration.
Jane blamed Franklin for the death of Benny.
Jane wore black every day and spent all her time writing letters to Benny(dead son) which is morbid and depressing.
She cut herself off from Franklin.
Franklin immersed himself in alcohol again. He was a tragic President.