Renewing The Sectional Struggle 1848-1854 By Dr. Eboni S. Brown,phd & Sir D’andre Q. Taylor, esq

The Popular Sovereignty Panacea The Mexican War ended in 1848 due to The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo but this sparked a debate about what to do with the Mexican Cession Lands Northerner supported the Wilmot Proviso, which supported that these lands be free. Southerners did not support this. This also affected the public support of the Democratic party and the Whigs. The Democratic candidate, General Lewis Cass was the “reputed” father of popular sovereignty

Political Triumph for Gen. Taylor The Whigs nominated General Zachary Taylor, a hero in the Mexican American War. He had no prior political experience, but he was very popular. Many anti-slavery Northerners decided to form their own party, the Free Soil Party, who were against the expansion of slavery. Their candidate was Martin Van Buren During the Election of 1848, the slavery issue was pretty much avoided and Taylor narrowly won.

Election of 1848

“Californy Gold” In 1848, gold was discovered in California and thousands of people flooded into the land to strike it rich. But they didn’t and many of them became lawless men. Due to this California made a constitution and applied for statehood. By doing this they avoided becoming a slave state.

The Sectional Balance By the year 1850, the South was in a great state. Their was a southern president, majority in the Cabinet and the Supreme Court, and equality in the Senate. But the balance of power in the nation was in trouble due to California attempting to enter the union as a free state (at the time there was 15 slave states and 15 free states)

The Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a system of secret passage ways and secret routes that led runaway slaves to freedom in Canada. Harriet Tubman was a major leader on the Underground Railroad, helping more than 300 slaves escape to freedom in only 19 trips. Due to the increase of runaway slaves, the South tried to pass a stricter Fugitive Slave Law.

The Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman

Twilight of the Senatorial Giants Since the South was worried about the balance of free and slave states being tipped to the North’s advantage, the 3 giants decided to meet for the last time. 1. Southerner Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, urged that the North and South try to reach a compromise. 2. Southerner John Calhoun pleaded for states rights, the practice of slavery to be left alone, and that runaway slave be returned. 3. Northerner Daniel Webster stated that the new lands couldn’t hold slaves since the land couldn’t sustain the cotton crop. His Seventh of March actually convinced the North to compromise with the South.

Breaking the Congressional Logjam When Zachary Taylor died suddenly in 1850, his Vice- President, Millard Fillmore, took over as President. Fillmore, being impressed by arguments of concilliation , decided to sign a series of agreements that came to be known as the Compromise of 1850. The North agreed to it and signed it. The South hated it, but eventually signed it.

The Compromise of 1850 California became a free state. Texas lost their disputed territory ( which is now Oklahoma and New Mexico). Washington D.C. couldn’t trade slaves. Slavery was still legal. Popular Soveriegnty in the lands gained from the Mexican Cession. Texas was paid $10 million for lost land. A tougher and stricter Fugitive Slave Law. The North Got… The South Got…

Defeat and Doom for the Whigs In the Election of 1852, the Democrats chose Franklin Pierce (mostly because the couldn’t agree). The Whigs nominated an old war vet named Winfield Scott. Both parties had platforms based on the Compromise of 1850. But the Democrats actually followed their word and accomplished more then the Whigs thus causing the death of the Whigs Party.

Expansionist Stirring South of the Border Pierce tried to impress the American people by reciting his inaugral address by heart. His cabinet was filled with many southeners like Jefferson Davis. In 1856, American adventurer, William Walker, gained control of Nicaragua, proclaimed himself president, and legalized slavery. He was eventually overthrown by other latin leaders. After all of this occurred, America started to view expansion to places like Cuba.

Pacific Railroad Promoters and the Gadsden Purchase The U.S. owned both California and Oregon. They found out that getting outh there was very difficult due to the sea routes being extremely long and difficult. The only real solution to this problem was to build a railroad that would traverse the nation. Southerners wanted the route to go through the south. The best route for this railroad would go thru Mexico. Knowing this Jefferso Davis sent James Gadsen to buy some land from Mexico. When Gadsen arrived he discovered that Santa Anna was once again in control. Gadsen did manage to buy the Gadsen Purchase for $10 million dollars. After this purchase the South appeared to have control of the new transcontinental railroad. The North had other plans, they wanted to organize Nebraska.

Gadsen Purchase

Douglas’s Kansas-Nebraska Act Now it was the problem of wether or not Kansas and Nebraska would be slave or free state. To do this Sen. Stephen Douglas came up with a plan in which the states decided if they wanted to be slave or free (popular sovereignty. This was known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Their was just one problem…. The Missouri Compromise banned all slavery north of the 36’30’ line. Southerners never thought of Kansas as a possible slave state, so they backed. Northerners on the other hand rallied against it. The Southerners won, the bill was passed, and the Missouri Compromise was repealed.

Stephen Douglas and The Kansas-Nebraska Act