By 1850 sectional disagreements related to slavery were straining the bonds of union between the North and South. These tensions became especially critical when Congress began to consider whether western lands acquired after the Mexican-American War would permit slavery. In 1849, California requested permission to enter the Union as a "free state" – meaning one where slavery was banned. Adding more "free state" senators to Congress would destroy the balance between "slave" and "free" states that had existed since the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Because everyone looked to the Senate to defuse the growing crisis, Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky proposed a series of resolutions designed to "adjust amicably all existing questions of controversy...arising out of the institution of slavery." Clay attempted to frame his compromise so that nationally minded senators would vote for legislation in the interest of the Union. In one of the most famous congressional debates in American history, the Senate discussed Clay’s solution for seven months. It initially voted down his legislative package, but Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois stepped forward with substitute bills, which passed both Houses. With the Compromise of 1850, Congress had addressed the immediate crisis created by the recent territorial expansion. But one aspect of the compromise – a strengthened fugitive slave act – soon began to threaten sectional peace. Though a fugitive slave clause was included in the Constitution and supported by legislation since the founding of the nation, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 added several new regulations. For example, both federal and local law enforcement in all states (both "slave" and "free") were required to enforce the legislation and arrest suspected fugitive slaves. In addition, anyone aiding an enslaved person escape from bondage was subject to imprisonment and a fine. The enforcement of these strict requirements angered many in the North. The Compromise of 1850 is composed of five statutes enacted in September of 1850. The acts called for the admission of California as a "free state," provided for a territorial government for Utah and New Mexico, established a boundary between Texas and the United States, called for the abolition of slave trade in Washington, DC, and amended the Fugitive Slave Act. The document presented here is Henry Clay’s handwritten copy of the original resolutions, which were not passed. The transcription includes Clay’s Resolution and the five statutes approved by Congress.
How did the Compromise of 1850 affect the north and south?By September, Clay's Compromise became law. California was admitted to the Union as the 16th free state. In exchange, the south was guaranteed that no federal restrictions on slavery would be placed on Utah or New Mexico. Texas lost its boundary claims in New Mexico, but the Congress compensated Texas with $10 million.
How did the Compromise of 1850 cause conflict between the north?The Compromise of 1850 also introduced a new and stronger Fugitive Slave Act—a law almost unanimously hated by Northerners—which obligated the federal government to aid in the recapture of liberated Black people and criminalized free people who aided the escape of the formerly enslaved.
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How did the Compromise of 1850 lead to conflict between the northern and southern states?
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