Effects of Territorial Expansion Chapter 5, Section 3

America Achieves Manifest Destiny In February, 1848, the U.S. and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War. The U.S. agreed to leave captured Mexico City and pay $15 million for the territory acquired (1.2 million miles) This land was known as the Mexican Cession. In 1853, the U.S. purchased an additional part of Mexico to build a southern railroad route. This was known as the Gadsden Purchase. In total, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and Gadsden Purchase increased the size of the U.S. by 1/3.

The Wilmot Proviso The issue of slavery in the new territories was being debated even before the war was over. David Wilmot had proposed a law that would ban slavery in the newly- acquired territories, whether located North or South of the 36’30° line. This became known as the Wilmot Proviso. This was the parallel established under the Missouri Compromise as being the dividing line for slavery.

The California Gold Rush In 1848, gold was discovered at John Sutter’s sawmill in California. This led to a flood of settlers to the west, seeking gold. These were known as forty-niners because most of them arrived in 1849. New mining techniques developed to extract as much of the gold as possible– placer and hydraulic mining. However, these techniques caused environmental problems through erosion and destruction of wildlife.

Effects of the Gold Rush Indian and Mexican miners faced discrimination as more settlers moved westward. Often times they were excessively taxed, forced off their land, or beaten. California applied for statehood in 1849. Their application once again raised the debate over slavery. California wanted to enter as a free state, tipping the balance once again between the # of free and slave states. With California as a free state, there would be more free than slave states in Congress.

Compromise of 1850 Once again, the Great Compromiser (Henry Clay) came up with a middle ground. California would be admitted as a free state; The voters in a territory would decide via popular sovereignty whether or not to allow slavery; Slave trade would end in D.C. Congress would pass a stronger Fugitive Slave Act– making it illegal not to return slaves to their owners; Texas would give up claims to New Mexico for $10 million

Outrage over the Fugitive Slave Law Though the North was granted more concessions (allowances) in the Compromise of 1850, the one aspect that Southerners would not budge on had been a stricter Fugitive Slave Law. They were granted this concession, but its passage angered many Northerners. Many Northerners though it violated their personal liberties (freedoms) by forcing them to do things against their will, or risk being thrown in jail or fined. It also invigorated the fight against slavery in the North.

Do you think this was a successful solution? Why or why not? Questions to Answer How does the actual Compromise of 1850 compare/differ from your goals from the worksheet yesterday? Do you think this was a successful solution? Why or why not?