The Road To War Part 1

The Road to war

The Question of Slavery in the West

Slavery in an
Expanding Nation

Balance in the Senate

In the early 1800’s, thousands of people moved to territories
in the West.

• The South wanted these new territories to be admitted into the U.S. as

slave states, while the North wanted them to be free.

 Congress would have to decide.

In 1819 there were 11 free states and 11 slave states.

• Each were represented by two senators.

When Missouri wanted to join, they wanted to come in as a
slave state.

• This would threaten the balance of power in the Senate by giving more

power to the slave states.

Multiple Choice

What would happen if Missouri came in as a slave state? (Prior there were 11 slave states and 11 free states.)

• Throw off the balance of power

• Cause more states to become free

• No changes at all

• Have to rewrite the Constitution

Slavery in an
Expanding Nation

The Missouri Compromise

Congress argued about Missouri’s statehood for months.

In 1820, Henry Clay from Kentucky, who was the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, proposed a three point
plan.

 1. Missouri would join the Union as a slaveholding state.
 2. Maine, which had also applied for statehood, would be admitted as a

free state.

 3. An imaginary line at latitude 36. 30’ N would be drawn across the

territory gained in the Louisiana Purchase. South of the line, slavery
would be permitted. North of the line, slavery would be banned, except
in Missouri.

In 1821, Congress approved the Missouri Compromise,
which would balance the power between the two sides.

Multiple Choice

What did Congress approve to resolve the issue?

• Jay's Treaty

• Missouri Compromise

• Treaty of Fallen Timbers

• 3/4ths Compromise

Multiple Select

Which TWO states were added as part of the Missouri Compromise?

• California

• Texas

• Missouri

• Maine

Missouri Compromise Map

Multiple Select

Which THREE states were only territories at this time?

• Michigan

• Florida

• California

• Arkansas

More Lands,
More Questions

Texas, California, and New Mexico

Texas

• In 1836, Texas applied for statehood after gaining independence from

Mexico.

• In 1845, after years of debate in Congress, it was admitted into the

U.S. as a slaveholding state.

New Mexico and California

• Great debates arose in Congress about these areas.
• In 1846, Representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania pushed for a

law that would ban slavery in these areas, which was called the
Wilmot Proviso.

 The bill was never passed.

Multiple Choice

What would have the Wilmot Proviso done if it was passed?

• Give Free Education

• Increase Religious Tolerance

• Stop the spread of slavery into new states

• End Political Corruption

More Lands,
More Questions

Texas, California, and New Mexico cont.

In the Senate, John C. Calhoun from South Carolina,
pushed the southern belief that the government did not have
the authority to ban slavery.

• He said that slaves were “property” of their owners that should be

allowed to be taken anywhere.

Others, like Senator Stephen Douglas from Illinois, wanted
to come to a settlement that was more middle-of-the-road. He
favored the idea of popular sovereignty, which would let the
people of the territory decide.

• This decision would not be extended to the people that were enslaved.

Multiple Choice

What is it called where people of the territory decide?

• Local Leadership

• Primary Politics

• State Standards

• Popular Sovereignty

More Lands,
More Questions

The Free-Soil Party

The two major political parties, the Democrats and the
Whigs, refused to take a stance on slavery in the new
territories for fear of losing support from the South.

Because of this, in 1848, some antislavery members from
both parties formed the Free-Soil Party.

• Mainly Northerners and abolitionists
• Believed in the right of all citizens to control their own labor.
• Motto: “Free-Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, Free Men”
• Goal: To ban slavery in the new territories

 They feared that slaves would replace the paid workers, causing “free

labor” to disappear.

Multiple Choice

Why did many abolitionists form the Free-Soil Party?

• To raise awareness for farming

• To stop the spread of slavery into the new territories

• They thought there should be a third party option

• Voting right were getting limited

More Lands,
More Questions

The Free-Soil Party cont.

The Presidential Election of 1848

• Zachary Taylor: Whig Candidate

 He was a hero form the war in Mexico

• Lewis Cass: Democrat Candidate

 He was a senator from Michigan

• Martin Van Buren: Free-Soil Candidate

 Was the former President

Zachary Taylor won by appealing to both sides.

• The Free-Soil Party received 10% of the popular vote and a number

of seats in Congress.

Now, slavery had become a major national issue.

Multiple Choice

Which candidate won by appealing to both sides?

• Lewis Cass

• Martin Van Buren

• Abraham Lincoln

• Zachary Taylor

The Compromise
of 1850

Clay, Calhoun, and Webster Debate

For the North, Henry Clay planned to admit California as a
free state and end the slave trade in Washington D.C.

To please the South, Clay proposed a law that would help
capture slaves who were fugitives, or runaways, who escaped
from the North.

• Would force people in the free states to help recapture escaped slaves.

Clay decided that popular sovereignty would decide the
slave issue in Utah and New Mexico.

Multiple Choice

What were the runaway slaves referred to as?

• Fugitives

• Outlaws

• Criminals

• Gangsters

The Compromise
of 1850

Clay, Calhoun, and Webster Debate cont.

Henry Clay’s plan was debated for eight months.

Senator John C. Calhoun was ill and had to ask another
senator to read his speech about southern interests.

• He stated that if the south was not represented they would secede, or

withdraw, from the Union.

Senator Daniel Webster, defended Clay’s plan.

• He stated:

 “I wish to speak today not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a

northern man, but as an American… I speak for the
preservation of the Union… There can be no such thing as a
peaceable secession. Peaceable secession is an utter
impossibility.

Multiple Choice

What is it called when a state withdraws from a country?

• Dictatorship

• Civil War

• Secede

• Legislation

The Compromise
of 1850

Compromise is Reached

Senator Stephen Douglas proposed a plan that would unify
the North and the South.

• He wanted to divide up Clay’s plan into a series of bills.

Members of the Congress could vote for the bills they
approved and not vote for the bills they opposed.

The new laws, which were known as the Compromise of
1850, were passed by Congress.

Multiple Choice

What were the new laws proposed by Congress called?

• Articles of Confederation

• Compromise of 1850

• Magna Carta

• Constitution

Compromise of 1850 Map

Multiple Select

Which THREE states were a part of Indian Territory at this time?

• Kansas

• Nebraska

• Oklahoma

• Minnesota