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The Wilmot Proviso
the bill stated “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist” in any territory gained from Mexico. -
The Forty-Niners Head to California
The Forty-Niners Head to California In 1848 gold was discovered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California. -
Popular Sovereignty
the idea that people living in a territory had the right to decide by voting whether to allow slavery -
The Free-Soil Party Emerges
Whigs joined with antislavery Democrats from New York who were frustrated that their party had nominated Lewis Cass instead of Martin Van Buren. These two groups then joined members of the abolitionist Liberty Party to form the Free-Soil Party, which opposed slavery in the “free soil” of Western territories. The Free-Soil Party’s slogan summed up their views: “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men.” -
Clay's Proposal in 1850
Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky tried to find a compromise that would enable California to join the Union. He proposed eight resolutions, listed in pairs, offering concessions to both sides. The first pair allowed California to enter as a free state, but the rest of the territory obtained from Mexico would have no restrictions on slavery. -
Calhoun's Response
Calhoun believed that Northern agitation against slavery threatened to destroy the South. He demanded its equal rights in the territories, the return of fugitive enslaved persons, and a guarantee of a balance of power between the sections. Otherwise, secession was the only honorable solution. -
The Compromise of 1850
Thirty-seven-year-old Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois took charge to resolve the crisis. He divided the large compromise initiative into several smaller bills. In this format, senators could abstain or vote against whatever parts they disliked while supporting the rest. By fall, Congress had passed all the parts of the original proposal. President Fillmore also had signed them into law.