Overview of Manifest Destiny Lecture Part 2 (Tuesday)

Political Fallout From Mexican War
Even after the Mexican War and much of its land has been ceded to the US, the expansionists and James Polk wanted more from Mexico hence their popular phrase "All Mexico".  Additionally the antislavery forces greatly feared that slavery would expand into the new territories and would ruin the sectional balance.  However, despite all the differing worries and opinions, the treaty was eventually passed by Senate 38-14.

Increased Sectionalism
David Wilmot, a supporter of Polk and who had good connections with the South, presented the Wilmot Proviso as an amendment to an appropriations bill that stated slavery would be prohibited in any territory.  A proviso is basically a condition attached to an agreement, which in this case it would be attached to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.  Of course this would lead to greatly differing reactions.  This obviously appealed to the anti-slavery forces.  However, those who were pro-slavery stated that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery or regulate it under the concept of property.  Slaves were thought of as property back then.  During the Era of Good Feelings, slavery was thought of as a "necessary evil".  The south didn't like the idea of actually enslaving people but needed it to keep the economy going.  But after that during the 1850s, slavery was thought of as a positive good.  There was nothing wrong with it and perfectly ethical.  To lessen the heated debate, there was a moderate view.  It simply proposed that the Missouri Compromise be extended or to use "popular sovereignty" to let the slavery question be settled by the residents.  The proviso was passed in the House but failed to pass in the Senate, where the South had greater representation.

Election of 1848
The Whigs decide to go back to their old way of using a military dude as their candidate because their campaigning with Henry Clay did not work.  The Whigs chose Zachary Taylor who was a former general, southerner, slave owner, and the "hero of the Mexican War".  What was bad however was that Taylor didn't necessary "fit" with their views.  The Democrats, meanwhile, chose Lewis Cass, who was a northerner and a proponent of popular sovereignty.  At this time, there was also a third party, called the Free-Soil Party.  The party was based on the idea that people who are workers don't want to compete with slaves.  They felt that slavery was undermining the capitalist platform and that everyone should have equal opportunity and "free-soil" to work on.  The Free-Soil party chose Martin van Buren.  Yes the Martin van Buren who was the former president and a former Democrat.  In the end, it was Zachary Taylor who won the Election of 1848.

Issues: Sectionalism and the New Territories
The number one question involving new territories was whether they would be free or slave.  After California was annexed from Mexico, there was a huge flow of settlers into California, mainly due to the gold rush.  This moves California to quickly petition for statehood as a free state.  The problem, however, was the Missouri Compromise.  Remember the Missouri Compromise said that territories below the 36-30 line were to be slave and those north were to be free.  This would cause California to be split, something that it doesn't want to be.

Other issues include the South's call for stronger fugitive slave laws due to their concern over the protection of slavery.  Additionally, the slave trade was also going on in D.C., something that the anti-slavery forces and the north despised especially since it was going on the nation's capital.

The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was developed by the Great Compromiser, Henry Clay.  Yes, he's around for like forever.  Basically it had five main points.
1. California would be admitted as a free state (anti-slavery)
2. The Remainder of the Mexican Cession decides the slavery question through popular sovereignty (both)
3. Texas yields territory to New Mexico in exchange for federal aid with public debt (anti-slavery)
4. The slave trade would be abolished in Washington D.C. (anti-slavery)
5. There will be a stronger fugitive slave law (pro-slavery)
The compromise seemed to greatly be in favor of the anti-slavery side and was quickly rejected despite Henry Clay bringing it up many times

The Great Triumvirate
The Great Triumvirate consisted of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun.  They led the debate on the Compromise of 1850.  This would also be the last time they were going to be on the political battlefield before their deaths.  Clay promoted the ideals of Union and compromise.   He had a huge emphasis on Union.  Calhoun also believed in the Union but also believed that the North was trying to dominate the South.  If the North would just recognize that the South had rights, everything would be fine.  Calhoun suggested amendment to protect slavery and the concept of "concurrent majority".  His idea involved having two presidents, which of course was obviously rejected.  Webster, considered the greatest orator of his time, delivered his famous "Seventh of March Address".  In it was the emphasis on being an American and how everything has to be done for the Union to be preserved.

Compromise of 1850 continued
The Compromise kept on failing until Steven Douglas, a senator from Illinois, came in.  He suggested breaking up the compromise into its 5 parts and voting on each separately.  Think of it this way, if a class were to order only three pizzas, not everyone may get what he/she wanted.  To solve this, everyone is given the chance to vote and is given what he/she wanted.  People voted for what they wanted and no one really came into agreement.  The bill was passed but essentially, this never solved anything, just prolonged the problem.  The question still remained whether the compromise was really a compromise based on national goals or a victory of self-interest.  And an even bigger question remained: would the nation accept it?

Well that's it for Part 2.  As before, I hoped this helped and made the lesson easier to understand.  Please feel free to fix any mistakes as I am not the best at history.