How did the issue of slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico disrupted American politics from 1848 to 1850?

Answer 1

*Northerners were antislavery people, liked the Wilmot Proviso

*Southern senators block proviso

*"Fire-eaters" impassioned southerners, pro-slavery

*In 1848, the Democrats needed new guy, decided on General Lewis Cass, an 1812 veteran

*Democrats were silent on issue of slavery, but Cass not so much

*Cass loved popular sovereignty [sovereign people of territory determine slavery or not]

*People like popular sovereignty because it's democratic, politicians liked because they didn't have to pick a side

*Whigs nominate Zachary Taylor, the "hero of the Buena Vista," since Henry Clay had made too many enemies

*Whigs weaken their platform by dodging issues, and Taylor doesn't talk of slavery but owns slaves

*Anti-slavery men in the North form Free-Soil Party: publicly anti-slavery, for the Wilmot Proviso, federal aid for improvements, urged gov't homesteads for settlers, much like anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs." Slogan was "Free soil, speech, labour, and men."

*Taylor wins, because the democratic vote was split by Free-Soil Van Buren

*Gold is discovered in California, in which the California gov't isn't prepared for. Robbery claim jumping, and murder become common here. Meanwhile, Taylor secretly encourages to draft the Constitution of 1849 (excludes slavery), applied to Congress for admission into Union (California was to be free soil)

*With 15 free states & 15 slave states, what would California be?

*New Mexico & Utah were most likely to become free, which angered pro-slavery people who fought for the territories.

Sources: Monty Procrastinators, November 8 Notes

The American Pageant, Chapter 18

Answer 2

During the 1840's the issue of slavery increased. Many people began to resent it and dislike slavery. Mostly, these people were in the north. Southerners had a different opinion on slaves. During the 1840's however, slavery began to take up strong roots within politics across the nation.

In the 1830's, abolitionist movements began to make an appearance. "Uncle Tom's cabin" written by Harriet Beecher in 1852 had started a "fuel to the fire" of the northerners. But the story was not entirely accurate. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" talks about the inhumane treatment of the slaves and goes into detail on such things. After Beecher's book, many people started to go after the abolition of slavery because they felt it was the right thing to do. The 1846 Wilmot Proviso was a bold attempt by the opponents of slavery to prevent its introduction in the territories purchased from Mexico following the Mexican War. Basically, the Wilmot Proviso was stating that slavery was not permissible in the newly acquired territories. Being named after its sponsor, Democratic representative David Wilmot, the proviso never passed both of the houses of Congress, but it did ignite an intense national debate over slavery that led into the creation of the "antislavery" Republican Party in 1854. The text book states that Wilmot himself was not an abolitionist, but he did want to keep slaves as well as all other blacks from the new territories.

"I would preserve for white free labor a fair country...where the sons of toil, of my own race and color, can live without the disgrace which association with Negro slavery brings upon free labor." (Page 391 Nations of Nations Volume One)

I feel that this was the start of the "Separate but equal" segregation of the early 1900's. Back in the 1840's though it would not be an issue of equality, but of one of just separation. And after doing some more reading in the text book, I found that the Wilmot Proviso was not aiming at the abolition of slavery, but the ability and power to confine it within the territories in which slavery already exists. Abolitionists still believed that the southern slave holders known as the "Slave Power" was plotting to extend their views and influence upon the rest of the country. It was during Political rallying that political slaveholders such as John Tyler and James Polk, had convinced growing numbers of northerners that the "Slave Power" actual does exist and was aggressively looking to expand its influence across the nation.

So, I believe that it was for reasons such as Beecher's book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the Wilmot Proviso that the issue of slavery reached out as an issue in the national politics of the 1840's. If things such as these did not reach out like they did, then politicians like Tyler and Polk may not have spoken about slavery during these "political Maneuverings" and try to convince northerners otherwise.