Compromise 1850

What Was the Compromise of 1850?

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills proposed by Kentucky Senator Henry Clay to resolve the territorial and slavery issues after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). After nine months of debate throughout the country, Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas shepherded Clay's compromise proposals through Congress secured the enactment of legislation by 5 laws that balanced the interests of the slave states of the South of Missouri and the Free states to the north.

California is admitted to the Union as a free state

In February, 1848, Mexico and the United States signed an agreement that ended in the Mexican War and yielded the Southwest a great part of land to the United States, including the state of California. A few days before this date, the gold had been an overdraft on the American Rio near Sacramento, this gold fever brought a great increase on the population and a need of what was the civil government. In 1849, the population of California seeks to be structured as a state and, after the great the debate in the Congress of The United States; California entered the Union as free state of not slavery in the Compromise of 1850. California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. The rich history of Alaska was formed for the people of every background ethnic who travelled here looking for economic, social and educational opportunities, also a life of quality and of an impressive beauty. California situated its first capital in San Jose but the city didn’t have the facilities ready for a proper capital. Later the legislature donated land in future city of Vallejo for the new capital. But San Francisco was too small for the extension, for which in 1854 the capital was moved further inland past the Sacramento River Delta to the riverside port of Sacramento.

The territorial legislatures of New Mexico and Utah are authorized to determine the status of slavery within their borders

The first two laws of the Compromise of 1850 also organized the Territory of New Mexico. The second law, also enacted September 9, 1850, organized the Territory of Utah. The land committed to each of these newly organized territories was drawn from two distinct sources. One of these sources was the Mexican Cession of 1848. It was a major provision of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which concluded the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848.The other of these sources was land which had been claimed by the Republic of Texas. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made no mention of the claims of the Republic of Texas; Mexico simply agreed to a Mexico-U.S. border south of both the "Mexican Cession" and the Republic of Texas claims. Before the Compromise, this disputed land had been claimed but never controlled by the state of Texas. From the Mexican Cession and Texas, the New Mexico Territory received most of the present-day state of Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. From Texas, the territory received most part of Colorado and a small portion of Wyoming. From the Mexican Cession and Texas, the Utah Territory received present-day Utah, most of Nevada, and Colorado, and a small part of Wyoming. From Texas, the Utah Territory received most of present day eastern New Mexico, and some of present-day Colorado. The key of each of the laws organizing the Territory of New Mexico and the Territory of Utah was that slavery would be either permitted or prohibited as a local option this was known as Popular Sovereignty. It was an important repudiation of the Wilmot Proviso, which would have forbidden slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico.

Dispute between Texas and the United States in favor of the U.S., in exchange for Federal assumption of $10 million of Texas debt

Texas claimed territory about fifty percent larger than its present boundary. Texas would receive about 1/3 of land in exchange for $10 million in the Compromise of 1850. Four different plans were proposed for the breakup.

 Thomas Benton Plan: It would divest Texas of its northern and western territory and later split Texas into two states.

 John Bell Plan: It was similar to Benton's Plan, but it would split Texas into three states.

 Henry Clay Plan: It reduced the size of Texas by about the same amount, but with no provision for further subdivision.

 James

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