The Road to Disunion! More like pulling out of the garage getting ready to get on the Road to Disunion!

Nation Divided Northern economy – manufacturing Utilizing technological advance – railroads, telegraph, etc. Industry = cities High numbers of immigrants – antislavery Slaves would compete with new immigrants for factory jobs Southern – plantations/farms Remains rural Very little manufacturing, few railroads, few immigrants Great fear that any alteration of slavery system would destroy entire southern economy

Wilmot Proviso What’s this Tacked on to military appropriations bill, called for no slavery in any lands taken from Mexico Northerners love it – limit influence of slave states in Congress Southerners hate it – addition of what were sure to be several free states would imbalance federal gov. in favor of North House, already imbalanced – WHY? - passes it, Senate does not

California Gold rush = rapid pop. Growth Bypass territory phase, go straight to statehood application State constitution bans slavery South upset; hoped Mizzou Compromise would apply to newly acquired territories

Divided Senate – Compromise of 1850 Several issues divide Senate Southerners begin to threaten secession – how can Union be preserved? Henry Clay (Kentucky) devises compromise CA admitted as free state Utah and New Mex. get to decide slavery for selves (Popular Sovereignty) Texas gives up claims to E New Mex. in exchange for $10 million Tough Fugitive Slave Act “… such a war as it would be, following the dissolution of the Union! ... none so ferocious, so bloody, so implacable, so exterminating…I implore gentlemen…to pause at the edge of the precipice, before the fearful and dangerous leap be taken into the yawning abyss below.”

Clay’s failure – Douglas’s success Senate rejects compromise, Clay gives up Stephen Douglas doesn’t Instead of pushing entire package of compromises, pushes them one at a time – predicts possible success If people didn’t like a particular part of it, they could vote against it, but could support measures they DID like John C. Calhoun’s death, support of President Millard Fillmore, Southern recognition that this was as good a deal as they could get without doing something drastic eventually lead to passage of compromise measures