Chapter 15 A Divided Nation – Section 1 (pgs 476-481) Key Terms & People The Debate Over Slavery popular sovereignty Compromise of 1850 Wilmot Proviso Fugitive Slave Act
Sectionalism Anthony Burns
Free Soil Party Uncle Tom’s Cabin Secede Harriet Beecher Stowe
New Land Renews Slavery Disputes *US won 500,000 acres of land from Mexico, (called Mexican Cession) in Mexican American War (1848) * the issue: should this land be admitted as slave states or free states? * many leaders said citizens should vote/decide what to do with the new states *popular sovereignty- idea that political power belongs to the people (voters)
Regional Differences About Slavery *Northerners wanted to outlaw slavery in all parts of the Mexican Session land *Wilmot Proviso- document stating that neither slavery now involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of {the} territory -Wilmot Proviso passed in House of Representatives (more northern reps) but not in the Senate (more southern senators) spurring a debate showing growing sectionalism *sectionalism- favoring the interests of one section/region over the interests of the entire country Presidential Election- 1848 > Whig Candidate: Zachary Taylor won (barely) *Democratic Party & Whig Party did not take stand on slavery (for or against ) hoping to attract more voters *Free-Soil Party- new party formed by anti-slavery northerners & supported Wilmot Proviso -worried that slave labor would mean less jobs for white workers - chose Martin Van Buren as their candidate > won only 10% of the votes (but drew votes away from Democratic candidate: Lewis Cass) The California Question *Gold Rush caused fast popluation growth meaning California was able to apply for statehood instead of as a territory first (Northwest Ordinance of 1787) * Most people in California opposed slavery (slavery was illegal when it belonged to Mexico & most 49ers were from northern states) * If California was admitted as a free state, it would upset the balance of power
Compromise of 1850 *Senator Henry Clay proposed this plan: 1. California admitted to US as a free state 2. The rest of Mexican Session lands would be federal land & popular sovereignty (people voting) would decide on slavery/no slavery 3. Texas would give up land east of the Rio Grande Senator Henry Clay
River (in return for the land, the US government “The Great Compromiser” would pay off the debt Texas ran up as an Missouri Compromise independent republic) (1819-1820) & Nullification Crisis 4. The Slave Trade (but not slavery, just the buying/ of 1832-1833 selling of slaves) would end in Washington DC (US capitol) 5. Pass a more effective Fugitive Slave Law * The plan was argued among senators * South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun asked that the slave states (southern states) be allowed to secede- formally withdraw from the Union *Compromise of 1850- passed settling most disputes for a while 1. California admitted as a free state 2. rest of Mexican Cession divided into 2 territories: Utah & New Mexico and popular sovereignty would decide slavery/no slavery 3. Texas agreed to give up land (New Mexico) in exchange for $ from US 4. outlawed slave trade in Washin- gton DC 5. New Fugitive Slave Law…
Fugitive Slave Act *Fugitive Slave Act- it is a crime to help runaway slaves and officials may arrest slaves caught in free areas Details of the Fugitive Slave Act *Slaveholders trying to get their slaves back could use white witnesses to testify but accused African Americans were not allowed to testify * Those helping/hiding runaway slaves could face 6 months in jail & $1000 fine * Commissioners rejecting a slaveholder’s claim (that someone was his slave and needed to be returned to them) received $5 but those returning runaway slaves earned $10 Reactions to the Fugitive Slave Act *many northern African Americans fled to Canada in fear of being forced back into slavery (only 11 cases worked out for free African Americans out of 343) * Northerners upset about commissioners having too much power * most people who opposed the act demonstrated peacefully, but there were some instances of violence > 1854- Anthony Burns, fugitive slave from VA arrested in Boston, MA > abolitionists used force to break him out of jail: killed a deputy marshall > after trial, Burns returned to VA (as a slave) > this outraged many getting them to join abolitionists
Anti-Slavery Literature
*Abolitionists used the stories of fugitive slaves to gain sympathy for their cause * Authors also used fiction to tell people about the evils of slavery: one of the most famous was:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe