Saturday, July 18, 2015

What were the major provisions of the Compromise of 1850?

The Compromise of 1850, yet another ill fated attempt to
avoid a Civil War between the Northern and Southern sections of the United States,
contained five main provisions.  The first four were fairly innocuous when considered
side by side with the fifth provision, a new Fugitive Slave Act which (it was claimed)
would be enforced this time.  If the first four provisions appeased hostilities and
cooled off tempers, it didn't last long, because item number 5 below sent the most
fervent abolitionists and slavery proponents "off the deep
end".


1.  California was brought into the United States
with a stipulation that it would be a "free" state.


2. 
Utah and New Mexico could enter the United States as "slave" or "free", which would be
determined by popular sovereignty.


3.  Texas would drop its
claims to land in what is now New Mexico, in exchange for $10 million to pay its debt to
Mexico.


4.  The slave trade was outlawed in Washington,
DC.


5.  The Fugitive Slave Act made it illegal to not
return a fugitive slave to its owner.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What accomplishments did Bill Clinton have as president?

Of course, Bill Clinton's presidency will be most clearly remembered for the fact that he was only the second president ever...