Civil War Compromise of 1850

Civil War Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of measures designed by Whig Senator Henry Clay. These five laws worked to resolved multiple territorial and slavery issues which had arisen from the Mexican-American War. A number of lands were released to U.S. control in exchange for several being released to Mexico. However, slavery was not to be allowed in Mexico whether it was of Mexicans enslaving Mexicans or America enslaving the people of Mexico. In addition, it dropped the Wilmot Proviso which would have banned slavery completely in all areas which had been taken from Mexico.

Although initially the Compromise was not able to be passed by Clay, and was completely opposed by Senator John C. Calhoun, it was eventually after the death of President Taylor that the Compromised passed. It was hoped it would lessen the tensions which were slowly spiraling out of control and did indeed so for about four years, until the new Kansas-Nebraska Act was created, which ended in “Bloody Kansas” and the massacres that followed. This in turn became a very dark time not only for Kansas but the rest of the nation as the events that were to follow would give rise to the Civil War and the worst war that the United States had ever to see.

The Compromise allowed several states to join the United States, but it also gave the states the option to decide for themselves whether or not slavery was to be allowed in those individual states. The “Border Ruffians” would then come into play as they would enter states they did not live in, claim that they did live in these states, and try to vote even though they had no right to do so thus changing the decisions of these states in regards to slavery.