Henry Clay Dbq

In a climate of manifest destiny and severe racism, many in the 19th century wanted to expand the nation as long as it was the white nation. With much of the desired western land being viable farmland, many slave holders wanted to establish plantation on such lands. This desire to expand slavery and to expand white culture westward would bring up the long silenced issue of slavery. While westward expansion sparked the talk of slavery, events such as the Mexican War, Compromise of 1850, the Kansas and Nebraska Act, and the Election of 1860 would eventually lead to the Civil War. Produced by westward expansion, the Mexican War would eventually put a spotlight the issue of slavery and put even more pressure on the nation. While President Polk’s …show more content…
With the issues of California statehood, slavery in the new territories, slave trade in the nation’s capital, and light enforcement of fugitive slave laws the abilities of Clay were needed. Clay answered the call in 1850 with a compromise that would enter California as a free state, Utah and New Mexico territories were given popular sovereignty over the decision to allow or prohibit slavery, slave trade would be prohibited in the nation’s capital, and fugitive slave law would be harsher toward slave sympathizers. While this compromise seemed to fix all issues, congress did not pass it under Clay’s name. Clay eventually gave up, but Stephen Douglas stepped into his place. By splitting the compromise into four different parts, the Compromise of 1850 was eventually passed through congress. Although the compromise was passed, southerners were skeptical of the deal. They felt that any breach of the compromise was premise for succession from the union. This was significant because it showed the differences and the power struggle between the north and south. The north feared slave labor would ruin the free labor system, and the south feared the north was trying to end slavery. These fears would soon come to a boiling point in the middle of the …show more content…
The war was started due to the south’s belief that they held no power in the national government, but this belief was based on decisions that all had to do with slavery. Whether it be the Compromise of 1850 or the Election of 1860, all of the events were based on the issue of slavery and most of them further divided the north and the south. While the Civil War was not fought to end slavery, slavery was the reason it was