19th Century American Compromises

Throughout the 1800’s, compromises efficiently kept the U.S under the same political system the Founding Fathers intended avoiding a split of the nation. Rousing behind cordial and fairly equal terms, these compromises such as the compromise of 1850, provided appeasement to both sides, keeping them socially intact. And throughout this time period, a booming market revolution resulted in the expansion of slavery, allowing both sides to profit from “King Cotton”. However, because of the compromises which came, the ineffectiveness in political unity, a skewed sectional relationship between North and South, as well as various economic instabilities for outweigh the good which came, further dividing the North and South.

In response to the compromises, such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Compromise of 1850, and legislations which were associated with these compromises, new political ideas surfaced, which would pit the North against the South. After the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a compromise in nature, the Republican Party emerged to check the expensive slavery movement. The Republican Party, supporting high tariffs, the Homestead Act, free labor, and internal improvement, were the complete opposite of the Democrats, who denied tariffs, would not give up on slavery, and wanted to expand to the West, to bring slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, though at first seemed fair, incited tensions in the later Kansas society as violent outbreaks came. In such of 1850 had positive short term effects, but green long term effects within three signing, California would become a free state, to appease the North ,and to appease the South, a new fugitive slave law was commissioned. But because this legislation once again pushed slavery under the rug, and did nothing to get rid of it, the nation would eventually fall into a war and division.

Though the compromises in the 1800s were intended to keep the fragile nation together, the nation grew farther into sectionalism and division at North and South. The issues of slavery led to by massacres such as the one led by Brown on Kansas. Typically over slavery, there massacres angered the North and South alike which would fuel the fire. Social communications were all but severed when the new Fugitive Slave Law enraged the North. Because the North was pro-abolition, the fact that the law required a free slave who escaped north had to be returned slapped Northerners in the face. The compromises danced around the issues of slavery, which never helped the situation, but rather salted the nation’s wounds.

Because of the compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Gasdon Purchase, the economic stability of the nation plummeted as the North and South continued to battle for control since the compromise says never rid of slavery, the nation grew further into dependence upon slavery and it became harder to get rid of slavery as time passed. Over speculation of slaves, land required from companies, and other items led to the Panic of 1857, as well as contributed to many depressions in the 30’s and 40’s.