HIST-H 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Wilmot Proviso, Mexican Cession, Missouri Compromise
Document Summary
Senator charles sumner gave speech condemning south over slavery: beaten with cane by representative preston brooks, demonstrated growing sectional conflict of 1850s, foreshadowed violence of civil war. The compromise of 1850: intro summary. Leaders of both national parties in both regions interested in solving sectional crisis. Second party system- competition between whigs and democrats since 1830s. Efforts to create uncompromising sectional parties failed- emotion and ideology not as divisive as would become. Fragile compromise reached through give-and-take not possible after early 1850s: the problem of slavery in the mexican cession. Founding fathers attempted to limit role of slavery in national politics. Constitution gave federal gov"t right to ban international slave trade, but could not control states with slavery already established. Many hoped for end to slavery, but gave no practical ways to do so without state action. Easy to condemn slavery in principle, but difficult to develop legislation to end it without defying constitution.
