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How and why did the compromise of 1850 break down so quickly? By Ashlyn Klump, Richard Rothausen, Madison Lagmiri, And Jameson Abner

Introduction

The Compromise of 1850 created lots of tension between the North and South. The result for the Compromise created the events of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Kansas Nebraska Act, death of Whig party and birth of Republicans, Bleeding Kansas, and Sumner Brooks affair.

Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was created because of the failed Wilmot Proviso. The terms of the Compromise resulted in increased tensions between North and South. Terms of the Compromise included; California begin admitted as a free states. This increased tensions because the South viewed this as the start of slavery ending. Also, a very harsh Fugitive Slave Law was created that caused tensions in the North to escalate because the new terms required any northerner to be fined heavily if they did not repot any known fugitive slave. In addition, free African Americans could become slaves again as a result of the terms of the FSL granting no trail to African Americans. The outlaw of slave trade in Washington D.C. created tension because the slavery was allowed north of 36* 30* line. The final term of the Compromise also added tensions between the North, South, and political parties. This term was popular sovereignty, allowing the people of territories to choose between slave state or free. This term repealed the Compromise of 1820 and allowed slavery to continued North of the 36* 30* line. This outraged Northerners and abolitionists. The created tensions of the Compromise of 1850 would naturally led to war.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin is a book that was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, an old lady from the south. It was the best selling book in the 19th century with over 300,000 copies sold in the U.S in just one year. It even had more sales then the Bible at the time. The novel was a real eye opener to those who were living in the north. Before the book was released most people thought that slavery was terrible, but they didn't fully understand how bad slavery really was. As more and more people started to read Stowe's book people began to outrage. Uncle Tom's Cabin was one of the major factors that started the Civil War. After Stowe visited President Abraham Lincoln for the first time she was soon to be known as the " little lady who started the war".

This image shows a slave, Uncle Tom, in front of a cabin where he lives.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

in 1854 A senator names stephen Douglas proposed a compromise for a transcontinental railroad through Illinois Because he believed it would bind the union in a time of such sturggle, and also because he believed would benefit from it because he owned land there and would profit as a result. He favored repealing the Missouri compromise, which removed the 36 30 line and wanted all territory above that line to rely on popular sovereignty. Southerners as a result started settling in the unorganized territory to try to increase the number of slave stateds in the union. northerners opposed and hated this act because they believed this was just another way for slavery to spread through-out the united states and also because they wouldnt have the 36 30 line to help prevent that movement from stopping. However, in May 1854 the bill was passed and obviously northerners weren't happy because they believed that this would further encourage the westward movement of slavery. As a result, people scrambled west to try to stop or start the movement of slavery depending on the side and ultimately because of the popular sovereignty violence broke out further contribiuting to why the civil war happened and why the compromise of 1850 was broken down very quickly.

An image of the senator Stephen douglas, who supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Death of Whigs and Birth of Republicans

As a result of the compromise of 1850 a divide in the Whig party began because of the issue of slavery and the Fugitive Slave Law. The Northern Whigs refused to follow the FSL so the Southern Whigs were very upset. This created tensions not only between the north and south but also between the party. By the end of election of 1852 the Whig party was at an end. The end of the election there was an end to national parties and mainly sectional parties. The Kansas- Nebraska Act was the final straw for the remaining Whigs and parties such as the Know Nothing Party and Republican parties were created. The Republican party was composed of Anti-Slavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free opposition. The terms of the Republicans focused on the opposition of the Kanas- Nebraska Act, and embraced a large variety of opinions. By the 1856 election Republican Fremont received 33.7 % of the votes. This was the birth of the Republican Party.

John brown & Bleeding kansas 1855

In March 1855, elections for kansas were held to see if the government was to be pro-slavery or anti-slavery. border ruffians who were pro slavery came from the south and infiltrated the voting and therefore the southerners won the election, as a result, the antislavery party made their own government and by 1856 there was two governments claiming to be legal goverments of kansas, topeka being the anti-slavery capital, and Lecompton was the pro-slavery capital. The territory was called bleeding kansas because of the slavery related violence that broke out between the two parties.

Ex) sack of lawrence, president franklin pierce condemned the anti-slavery portion of kansas as rebels, this gave the pro-slavery people a reason to charge them with reason thus invading the town of lawrence and burning the town and arresting the leaders.

John brown was a committed abolitionsit who lived in kansas on free-soil territory and was furious about the events that took place at the sack of lawrence, as a result he and a small group of followers dragged pro-slavery settlers out of their cabins and executed them. This was to be known as the pottawatomie massacre. Because of the popular sovereignty and the compromise of 1850 removing the 36 30 line violence broke out and contirbuted to the road leading up to the civil war.

Sumner Brooks Affair (May 22nd, 1856):

Senator Charles Sumner was known for giving his speech called "The Crime Against Kansas" in the senator, which was over abolishing slavery in the United States. Sumner specifically mentioned a senator of South Carolina, Andrew Butler, because of his involvement with the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Sumner attacked Butler by mentioning his continuous slobbering and relating that to southern slave owners. Butler's nephew, Preston Brooks took this speech personally, and had entered the Senate Chamber along with two southern congressmen, Keitt and Edmundson. Brooks began to beat down Sumner with a cane until the cane itself had shattered; other senators could not assist Sumner since Keitt had blocked the way and was wielding a gun. Although Brooks had caused extreme violence, the U.S. Congress agreed that he did not intend to kill Sumner, but simply make him pay.

The Sumner Brooks Affair had shown that the divide between pro-slavery and anti-slavery was continuously growing. Many Southerners viewed Brooks as a hero for his actions because he was standing up for the South and slavery. Many Northerners viewed the caning of Sumner by Brooks as assault, not just on Sumner, but also on the entire American democracy. The beating of Sumner had shown the strong passion over slavery and what people were willing to do to support their side. In the end, this incident therefore contributed to the start of the Civil War.

This image shows Preston Brooks beating down Charles Sumner with a cane. Congressman Keitt is in the background blocking the way for senators trying to help Sumner.

The Caning of Charles Sumner

Who did what:

Ashlyn klump: bleeding kansas, and the kansas nebraska act.

Richard: sumner brooks affair

Jameson: Uncle tom's cabin, and the conclusion

Madison: The compromise of 1850, and death of whigs and birth of the republican party.

Conclusion: in conclusion, the compromise of 1850, the led to the unfortunate events that led to the kansas nebraska act in which removed the 36 30 line that caused great amounts of violence that ultimately led up to the events to the civil war.