Ch.16 Lesson 1 The Search for Compromise

After the War with Mexico came to an end, the U.S. faced the challenge of which territories would be free and slave.

Northern congress leaders wanted the west to be all free territory, while southern congressmen like John C Calhoun believed that the government had no right to ban slavery in a territory.

The Free-Soil party was created in 1848 and argued that the west should be all free territory.

Free-Soil members in congress wanted to contain and regulate the spread of slavery.

The South grew furious over this and said the federal government had no right to control the will of the states.

California would become a free state (made North happy)

All other territories would have no limits on slavery (made South happy)

Slavery in Washington D.C. would be illegal (North happy)

A New Fugitive Slave Law would be passed in the U.S. (South happy)

As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act allowed bounty hunters to travel into the North to hunt down and return runaway slaves.

Anyone helping a runaway was fined or sent to jail

Thousands of runaway slaves fled into Canada

Passed by Congress in 1854, this allowed the people of Kansas and Nebraska to vote for themselves if they wanted slavery to be allowed in their territory

Voting on whether slavery should be allowed by the people of a territory became known as popular sovereignty

When it came time for the people of Kansas to vote on allowing slavery, thousands of pro-slavery people border ruffians) from Missouri went into Kansas and voted.

People opposed to slavery in Kansas began fighting with border ruffians

Congress was split between Southerners and Northerners. The topic of slavery made tempers flare.

When Charles Sumner spoke out against slavery in Kansas, South Carolina congressman Preston Brooks physically beat Sumner with his walking cane.

Sumner spends months in a hospital, while southerners mail Preston Brooks new walking canes.

John Brown was a violent opponent of slavery that moved into Kansas with his family and followers.

Brown and his sons use swords to hack up 5 pro-slavery people in Kansas

Brown feels he has been told by God to kill all those that support slavery and to free all the slaves in America