Week 4 Discussion-1 Reply Post

The Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of different ideas proposed by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. It was then passed by the United States Congress in order to fix slavery issues that existed still during that time. It had addressed issue of slavery post Mexican-American war. The plan that Clay had was to keep a balance and stability between the free and slave states (Drexler, 2018). Some of the events that have occured would be that the territories of New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Utah would be organized without mentioning slavery (PBS 2019). In Washington, D.C, the slave trade would become outcast or banned and California would become a free state into the Union as Congress admitted. 

• The Fugitive Slave Law 1850

This law in 1850 was that all states and other territories would help return the enslaved people who either left or ran away. If people did not assist in this law, they would be fined to pay a substantial amount of money. Therefore there really was not a choice in the matter. Ordinary individuals had to also assist in returning those who ran away or risk having to either be arrested or pay a fine for not engaging in this law. Basically, authorized local governments to seize and return escapees to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight (History.com Editors, 2018). This law also prevented the enslaved people the fair right to a jury trial, and if anyone intervened they would pay a fine of $1,000 and spend at least six months in prison. In these individual cases, they would be left in the hands of federal commissioners. These commissioners were also paid a hefty amount for returning a potential runaway than if they freed them (History.com Editors, 2018). This law was not met kindly, as there was a lot of resistance by people or different states passing new ways to assist the enslaved runaways. Abolitionists also doubled in their effort to help those escape or needed assistance. There were also riots that supported the idea of resisting this law and there even was a mob of antislavery activists that rushed to a Boston courthouse to forcible liberate an escapee named Shadrach Minkins (Drexler, 2018).

Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852

Author Harriet Beecher Stowe published her most famous work, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, in 1852. In this book, Stowe discusses the many injustices of how the enslaved were treated and was an important figure during the anti-slavery movement (ushistory.org, 2019).  This book starts with the story of a man named Uncle Tom, who at that time was an enslaved individual. The story goes that while he was being transported by a boat to become auctioned in New Orleans, he ended up saving the life of a little girl named Little Eva. Upon saving her life, her father decided to purchase him for himself because of that noble act (ushistory.org, 2019). However, things do not go as planned or well for Tom. After rescuing Eva and being in her father’s home, she ends up getting ill and before her death requests that her father let go of all the enslaved. He agrees, but is killed by Simon Legree. Legree became his new owner, and had Tom whipped to death. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was also inspired by a slave narrative called “The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an inhabitant of Canada- which was narrated himself in 1849. Stowe, moved by the story and of his life, created the book (ushistory.org, 2019).

• In my opinion, I feel that the American Civil War was inevitable. There was an ongoing debate between the Northern and Southern states. It became an issue that escalated and progressed as each sides own beliefs, policies and values continued to be fought over. There were many political problems and the role of slavery within the American society. The Southern states wanted to have all the control especially surrounding the topic of slavery. The Northern states had a much different opinion regarding that and would not allow the Southern states to have that kind of influence. In the end, the combination of all of these things eventually boiled over resulting in the Civil War.

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