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Compromises of 1820 and 1850
By Mary L. Bushong
You might wonder what two compromises thirty years apart could
have in common. The first was a deal allowing both Free and Slave
States into the United States. The second was a combination of five
bills which not only dealt with Slave States, but also with harsher laws
dictating the return of runaway slaves. They were stepping stones
leading to the violent split of a nation.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 actually began in 1819. Many of
the people who had helped settle the new territory were slave owners.
Slave owners wanted to maintain their slaves as property and have
their territory join the Union as a State.
When Missouri first applied to join, the House of Representatives
refused to allow it. Many of the members were not sure they wanted
to allow slavery to spread legally to new states. Members from the
Southern states supported the admission. Discussion did not stop until
a compromise was offered. If the House of Representatives would
allow Missouri to join the Union as a Slave State, Maine could join as
a Free State. The proposal was accepted. Maine joined in 1820, and
Missouri joined in 1821.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 did not solve the problems
between slave and abolitionist camps. There continued to be divisions
over which states could join and what their status would be. Iowa
(Free State) was balanced by Florida (Slave State). It wasn't until the
Compromise of 1850, that the doctrine of Popular Sovereignty was
adopted for many of the western states.
A second round of serious political and cultural disagreements came
to a head in 1850. Senator Henry Clay came up with a compromise
that some hoped would head off further trouble. Until this time, the
Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 was not well enforced. Many Southerners
were complaining that they were losing their property in the form of
escaped slaves, and it was not being returned.
In the North, many people were sympathetic to runaway slaves. Laws
had been enacted which not only gave them some rights, but also gave
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them some protection from their former masters. This would change
with the Compromise of 1850.
This second compromise was actually five bills rolled into one. The
first admitted California as a Free State. It moved the western border
of Texas, east out of New Mexico territory. It allowed the territories
of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah to use Popular
Sovereignty to decide the slave issue for themselves. The fourth part
was the controversial Fugitive Slave Law, and the fifth was the
abolition of slavery in Washington, DC.
The new Fugitive Slave Law was controversial for many reasons. It
stripped away any legal rights former slaves had and left them with no
voice in the courts. Even kidnapped free blacks could not speak in
their own defense. Anyone caught helping or sheltering a runaway
slave could receive harsh fines. Government workers were
encouraged to help catch the fugitives. Judges were paid more to send
a man to slavery than they were to free him.
It quickly became evident that the law was heavily weighted in favor
of the slave owners. Those who had no interest in helping former
slaves before began actively helping them. Instead of improving
relations between the North and South, the new law made things
worse. People became polarized to one side or the other. As tempers
heated, violent outbreaks were only a matter of time.
Compromises of 1820 and 1850
Questions
1. What is the time order these things happened in?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Maine joined the Union.
Missouri joined the Union.
1850 Fugitive Slave Law
Iowa and Florida joined the Union.
8. When the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was established, it
improved relations between the North and the South.
A. False
B. True
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2. Which best describes the overall results of the two
compromises?
A. They postponed problems that caused trouble later.
B. They solved the problems.
C. They caused more problems than they solved.
D. They made fair rules for all states.
3. What is the central theme of the two compromises?
A. Free States needed to out number Slave States.
B. Everyone wins with a compromise.
C. Slave States needed to out number Slave States.
D. Slave owners demanded rights they refused to be denied.
4. What does the word compromise mean?
A. Telling lies to win what you want.
B. Everyone wins
C. One side gives up everything.
D. Each side gives up something to reach agreement.
5. The 1850 compromise was supposed avoid further trouble.
A. False
B. True
6. Which is not true about the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law?
A. People who helped runaway slaves faced steep fines.
B. Runaway slaves had to go to Canada to be free.
C. It allowed Popular Sovereignty in Western states.
D. It stripped runaway slaves of any legal rights.
7. Which of these was not in the 1850 Compromise?
A. Fugitive Slave Law
B. Abolition of slavery in Washington, DC.
C. California joined the Union as a Free State.
D. The border of New Mexico moved west.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXL2p2dsL2Q
The Compromise of 1820 allowed Slave States to join the Union only
when a Free State joined at the same time. Why was this thought to be
a solution to the slavery problem? Essay must be at least 25 words. If you
do not do the essay you will have 50 points taken off your grade.
Name
The Compromise of 1850 was actually five different bills rolled into
one. It dealt with the status of western territories as states, border
lines, and abolition of slavery in Washington, DC, and the harsh
Fugitive Slave Law. Why would all of these things be put together
instead of presented individually?