VOCABULARY Missouri Compromise – Slave state – Free state – Sectionalism – Manifest Destiny – Wilmot Proviso – Free Soil Party –

And the story continues. . . Tariffs are passed to keep American factories from going bankrupt, but this angers the South – contributing to a growing sense of sectionalism in the country. With the passing of tariffs a separation between the North and South becomes wider. The economy of the South depends on cotton and slave labor. The economy of the North depends on industry and paid labor. Slave codes are passed by many southern states to discourage black slaves from rebelling or running away. A slave, Nat Turner goes on a killing spree, murdering his master’s family and 60 other white southerners. Over 200 innocent slaves are killed in the aftermath. Abolitionists took many forms (newspaper editor, public speaker and “conductors”) to help encourage slaves to escape to the North. The Underground Railroad helped many slaves to freedom.

Should Congress prohibit slavery in the territories and later admit the states to the Union as free states? Should Congress permit slavery in the territories and later admit states to the Union as slave states? By the mid-1800s, American settlers continued to move west. As more settlers arrived, territories with large populations asked to become states and join the Union. But tensions remained high as Congress debated whether to allow these new territories to join as slave states or free states.

In 1820, the amount of slave and free states was equal In 1820, the amount of slave and free states was equal. So when Missouri asked to join the Union as a slave state, it caused an uproar in the Congress!

Congress is divided into two branches Congress is divided into two branches. The House of Representatives and the Senate. In the Senate, each state receives two votes. In 1821, the free states and the slave states each had 12 votes in the Senate. If Missouri was admitted as a slave state, then the slave states would have MORE votes (more power!) than the free states!

I’m a Genius! Congress argued for many months over how Missouri should be admitted into the Union. Finally, senator Henry Clay proposed a compromise. While Congress had been debating about Missouri, another state, Maine, had also applied for statehood. Clay suggested admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state! This plan was called the Missouri Compromise, and it kept the number of slave and free states equal.

As part of the Missouri Compromise, Congress drew an imaginary line across the southern border of Missouri at latitude 36 degrees, 30 N. Slavery WAS permitted in that part of the Louisiana Purchase south of that line. It was banned slavery north of the line, the only exception to this was Missouri.

In the 1840s, Mexico owned most of the southwest (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado). The U.S. tried to purchase California from Mexico several times (the U.S. wanted the ports along San Francisco and San Diego). The U.S. believed it was the greatest nation in the history of the world and it was their destiny by GOD to spread or rule to the Pacific Ocean. This is called Manifest Destiny = an idea that America should expand from “sea to shining sea.”

James K. Polk ran for president with the promise he would expand the territory of the United States. He won the election. Polk offered to pay Mexico 30 million for California and New Mexico. Mexico didn’t want to sell. Many Americans felt that Mexico stood in the way of Manifest Destiny. A border dispute finally sparked war. In 1846, Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and began fighting with American soldiers. By 1848, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo giving the United States all of California and New Mexico. Texas was annexed during this time and became a U.S. territory.

Should these future states be free or slave? Many northerners feared that the south would extend slavery into the west. David Wilmot, a congressman from Pennsylvania, called for a law to ban slavery in any lands won from Mexico. It was called the Wilmot Proviso.

If the Wilmot Proviso had passed both houses then these future western states would be admitted as “free” states. Southern leaders angrily opposed the Wilmot Proviso. They said that Congress had no right to ban slavery in the western territories. In 1846, the House passed the Wilmot Proviso, but the bill failed in the Senate, where the South had greater representation.

NORTH Many northerners saw the South as a foreign country, where American rights and liberties did not exist. SOUTH Many southerners were united by their support for slavery. They saw the North as a growing threat to their way of life.

Any new state north of the line would be a free state. Any new state south of the line would be allowed slavery. Between these two extreme views there were more moderate (in the middle) positions. Some moderates agreed that the Missouri Compromise line should be extended across the Mexican Cession to the Pacific Ocean.

An idea that white men living in the western territories should vote to determine if slavery is allowed. The moderates supported the idea of popular sovereignty, which means government is created and sustained by the approval of its people, through their elected representatives. Moderates believed white voters in the new territories should decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery in the territories.

Slavery is morally wrong. ABOLITIONISTS Slavery is morally wrong. Ban slavery throughout the entire country. SLAVEHOLDERS Allow slavery in every territory. Return escaped slaves to their owners. MODERATES Extend Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific. Allow voters in each territory to decide on slavery.

In 1848, the nation was getting ready for a presidential election In 1848, the nation was getting ready for a presidential election. Many northerners in both the Democratic party and the Whig party opposed the spread of slavery. However, the leaders of both parties would not take a stand against slavery because they feared they would lose popularity and votes in the South if they spoke up. Later that year, anti-slavery members of both parties met in Buffalo, New York. There they founded the Free Soil Party and nominated Martin Van Buren as their candidate.

The Free Soil Party’s slogan was “free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men.” The main goal of the free soil party was to keep slavery out of the western territories. Although the Free Soilers did not want to expand slavery in the west, very few were abolitionists who actually wanted to end slavery in the south.

Democrats chose Lewis Cass of Michigan. The Whigs selected Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican War. The Whig Party nominated Zachary Taylor The Democratic Party nominated Lewis Cass The Free Soil Party nominated Martin Van Buren

For the first time, slavery was an important election issue, with three candidates all supporting different views: Van Buren called for a ban on slavery in the newly acquired land from the Mexican Cession. Cass supported the right of the western territories to vote on the slavery issue (popular sovereignty). Taylor, who was a former slave owner from Louisiana, had many southern votes because most southerners assumed he supported slavery.

The Whig Party nominee, Zachary Taylor won the presidential election. Thirteen other Free Soil candidates also won seats in Congress. Although the Free Soil party’s candidate (Martin Van Buren) did not win the presidential election, Van Buren still took 10% of the popular vote. This showed that slavery had become a national issue.

The Missouri Compromise may have solved the problem of slavery by creating a precedent of admitting states two at a time (one slave and one free) to keep the balance of power in the Senate equal. But the solution was only temporary, three short years after the Missouri Compromise was passed, it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The court ruled that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. The issue of slavery would once again continue to surface that no amount of compromise would fix as the nation inched toward civil war.