Conflict Over Slave Expansion

3 Pages 788 Words

There were many acts throughout the 1800’s that intensified the national conflict over the growth of slavery. Westward expansion, industrialization and immigration were all issues that brought about changes in society, which eventually led to more confrontations over the development of slavery. Two major political acts, the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas- Nebraska Act, both worked to resolve this issue.
California’s population had grown so much that political leaders were quickly seeking statehood. This put California in the center of the debates over the issue of slave labor versus free labor. There were many different political groups emerging in the United States, all of which had different views on slavery and were looking to protect their social and economical interests. The Free Soil Party, Whig Party, and Congressional Democrats all had controversial opinions on the entrance of California into the union. After lengthy debates, Congress rejected the idea of allowing California to enter as either a free or slave state and instead formed a compromise.
The Compromise of 1850 called for the passage of five separate bills: California would be admitted as a free state; slavery could not be restricted in any land acquired from Mexico; the federal government would assume Texas’s public debt in exchange for Texas yielding in its border dispute with New Mexico; slave trade would be abolished in Washington, D.C.; and a new Fugitive Slave Law would go into effect (WBA, 554). The intent of this act was to keep all political parties along with the public satisfied, maintain social and economic security in all areas, as well as preserve the unity of the states.
Leaders of both major parties were satisfied with the compromise. They felt they had finally overcome the controversy about slavery and saved the Union from future conflict. Many farmers and workers also accepted the measures involved in the compromise. They, too, saw it ...