Compromise_Of_1850

Compromise Of 1850 On January 29, 1850, the 70-year-old Henry Clay presented a compromise. For eight months members of Congress, led by Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun, senator from South Carolina debated the compromise. With the help of Stephen Douglas, a young Democrat from Illinois, a series of bills that would make up the compromise were ushered through Congress. According to the compromise, Texas would relinquish the land in dispute but, in compensation, be given 10 million dollars; money it would use to pay off its debt to Mexico. Also, the territories of New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah would be organized without mention of slavery. Regarding Washington, the slave trade would be abolished in the District of Columbia, although slavery would still be permitted. Finally, California would be admitted as a free state. There was some fear that, in the event of strong antislavery legislation, the Southern states might withdraw from the Union altogether. To pacify slave-state politicians, who would have objected to the imbalance created by adding another free state, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. The Compromise of 1850 accomplished what it set out to do: it kept the nation united, but the solution was only temporary. Over south, slavery, compromise, state, election, over, north, lincoln, without, union, through, straw, sovereignty, southern, slaves, slave, secession, secede, popular, passed, nation, mexico, issue, industry, free, first, divided, despite, congress, conflict, clay, citizens, carolina, because, became, back