The Missouri Compromise Of 1850

There were many controversial issues over slavery conflicting between the northern and southern states of America during the 1800’s. There was practically a geographical line dividing the two halves of the country. During the early and mid 19th century, the northern and southern states of America had major events occur such as the Missouri Compromise, the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the Compromise of 1850 that caused growing tensions in the states that lead to the splitting of the country and the start of the Civil War. In 1819 there were an equal number of slave states and free states in America, but there were a growing number of settlers moving west of the Mississippi River. There was not a settlement among the Louisiana territory …show more content…
The people of the northern states never saw the brutality and harshness of slavery until the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Before the publications of Uncle Tom’s Cabin northerners only saw propaganda that showed slaves in relatively good conditions and believed that slavery was similar to their working in hot, cramped factories. The novel revealed the dark side of slavery and illustrated the slave owners as ones who took advantage of enslaved women, beat enslaved workers, split apart enslaved families, and would treat slaves as if they were nothing more but cattle. The south’s warm, humid climate was optimum for the production of cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, rice, indigo, and sugarcane. Although this weather was ideal for the growing of crops, it was absolutely horrible for slaves to wake up and start working in the miserable weather. The slave holders in the south were dependent on slave labor to tent to their plantation to make a profit on its produce and were not concerned about the inhumanity of slavery. The publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was able to shed light on slavery to the northerners and show its reality. The novel became a huge seller in America and was only second to the …show more content…
Wanting the Union to stay intact many leaders looked to Henry Clay, “The Great Compromiser”, to come up with a way to establish peace between the north and south. To prevent America from going to war, Henry Clay wrote the Compromise of 1850. The compromise consisted of five main points: California would enter the Union as free state, the Texas-New Mexico Act would be passed along with $10 million paid to Texas for debts, the Utah act would be passed, a new Fugitive Slave Act would be established, and the slave trade in the District of Columbia would be put to an end. This well put together plan was able to save the Union from another crisis and postpone the Civil War for another ten