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Debate over Slavery Popular Sovereignty & Wilmot Proviso. New land renews Slavery Disputes. U. S. added more than 500,000 square miles of land after winning the Mexican-American war in 1848 This land cause some bitter debate over slavery
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New land renews Slavery Disputes • U. S. added more than 500,000 square miles of land after winning the Mexican-American war in 1848 • This land cause some bitter debate over slavery • Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north of latitude 30 degrees 30 minutes. Missouri become a slave state. • Pres. Polk wanted to extend line to west coast dividing Mexican Cession into two parts one free and one slave • Some leaders encourage the idea of Popular Sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty is: • The idea that political power belongs to the people. • They should be the ones to decide on banning or allowing slavery
Regional Differences on Slavery • Some northerners wanted to outlaw slavery all parts of the Mexican Cession • During the war representative David Wilmot offered the • Wilmot Proviso
Wilmot Proviso states: • Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of the territory.
Who won? • North controlled how and passed the document (Wilmont Proviso) • South had more power in Senate • WilmontProviso did not pass • Anti Slavery northerners formed a new party Free-Soil Party • They supported the Wilmot Proviso
California • Gold rush caused rapid growth • California applied for statehood • Most Californians opposed slavery • If California became a free state balance of power is off
Upsetting the balance of power • The south: imbalance was not acceptable • Northern free states = 30 senators • Southern Slave states = 30 senators • California = 2 senators • This would throw off the balance of power
Compromise of 1850 • Henry Clay • Proposed a new plan • Designed to give both side what they wanted • 1. Cal. Enter union as free state • 2. Rest of Mexican Cession would be federal land. Territory to decide slavery issue by popular sovereignty • 3. Texas give up land east of upper Rio Grande in return Gov. to pay Texas debts when they were an independent republic • 4. Slave trade but not slavery would end in Nation’s capital • 5. More effective fugitive slave law would be passed
Results • Compromise passed • It settle most of the disputes between free and slave states