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Jesus Moya
Contemporary Composition
Miss Dormizzi
18 May 2011
1850s Slavery
By the 1850s the Constitution, originally framed as an
instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord
and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had
created, is a very superficial way to look at the 1850s. Although the
Constitution was based off of life in the 1770s, the main causes for the
failure of the union are linked to slavery. Last ditch efforts were made,
such as the Compromise of 1850, to try and keep the union intact.
Slavery is an issue that cannot be resolved by men in the 1850s given
the constitution as a tool to base their political standings on slavery.
The problem is that the government cannot or has not done anything,
to abolish slavery up until the 1850s. Many different events actually
show that through the power of the constitution there were efforts to
unify the nation time and again.
One major event that happened in 1850 is the Compromise of
1850. Now many may say that with the giants of the day Clay,
Webster, and Calhouns inevitable death coming, the nation may be
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sectioned off once again such as the time before the Era of Good
Feelings. The Compromise of 1850s stated that California would be
admitted as a free state. This proposition was attacked because of its
flail structure and one sidedness. Now allowing for attack, these new
measures would prove to be weak and short lived.
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(Lincoln/Net: United States in 1850)
The next step towards the abolishment of slavery was the
Fugitive Slave Law. Congressmen knowing that the south would be
furious thought it out and with the help of Stephen Douglas passed the
Fugitive Slave Law. This is a small step from the north trying to meet
the south halfway. They also let the Utah and New Mexico territory the
flexibleness of popular sovereignty by Lewis Cass. Cass was the
preacher of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty would mean the
territories would be decided if free or slave by the people settled in the
area. This gives merely hope to the south of slavery in these
territories. Of course there is always the opposition to opinion and
every law is an opinion, so there are those that called themselves Free-
Soilers. These men lived by the Wilmot Proviso, which did not allow
blacks at all in the Mexican annexed territories. The only fault is that
the Wilmot Proviso failed to pass approval. The Fugitive Slave Law was
accepted to a certain degree in the north. Of course the north did not
completely accept it but thought that the south did have rights to their
property.
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(Caution!! Colored People, 1851)
The north does seem to work with the south but they have to live
by some rules defined by the founding fathers because without a
living, vital Constitution is but a vain and empty name. Of course the
north thought of it as all men are created equal but the south had just
the rights of the state and the north gave them some opportunities to
exercise that right. Since the word slave is not in the Constitution, why
stuff it with their narrow-minded perspectives of their own ideal
interpretation. As George Fitzhugh, a proslavery author, argued for
equal rights [for] unequal men (Smith 5). Arguing with Fitzhugh is
William Lloyd Garrison saying that the word slave is not in the
constitution and therefore should be based off moral and ethical values
(Buffum 7). Also, Daniel Webster does help out the cause with his
invigorating speeches. This is one of through his Webster-Hayne
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Buffum, Arnold, and William Lloyd Garrison. Constitution of the New-England Anti-
Slavery Society with an Address to the Public. Boston: Printed by Garrison and
Knapp, 1832. Print.
"Caution!! Colored People, 1851." The Thomas A. Edison Papers. Web. 24 May 2011.
.
"July 4th Message to Congress (July 4, 1861)." Miller Center of Public Affairs. Web. 24
May 2011. .
"Lincoln/Net: United States in 1850."Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project.
Web. 24 May 2011.
.
"The Second Reply to Hayne (January 26-27, 1830)."Dartmouth College. Web. 24 May
2011. .
Smith, Rogers M.Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in
America. Web. 23 May 2011.
.
Webster, Daniel, and Solomon Alofsen.Reply to Hayne a Speech. New York: H.H.
Lloyd &, 25 Howard St., 1861. Print.
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