An industrious revolution was brewing in the United States. So on May 19, 1828 the United States government passed a tariff act that put a tax on imports. This law was passed to protect the northerners and increase the price of raw materials. This enraged the south, so much so that the act was called the Tariff of Abominations. The southern states were mad because the tax increased the price of goods not made in the United States, and most of their business was based around agriculture. So, the south, led by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, said that his state would not follow the law. Tensions were incredibly high, and the south believed that they could govern their selves. Because of the tariff, the south economy suffered. Britain stopped buying cotton from the south, and southerners had to start buying supplies from the north, an embarrassing act. Calhoun and then president Andrew Jackson, butted heads and Jackson eventually reduced the harshness of the tariff, in the Tariff Act of 1832. Tariffs are still enforced today and are usually not fought over. Tariffs and taxes may not be all that loved, but they provide structure to the government. Missouri Compromise
Slavery had divided the country so much that the U.S. had to have an equal number of free and slave states in order to keep balance in the Senate. Every state, no matter what the size has two representatives in Congress. So, when Missouri wanted to become part of the U.S., the government was in a predicament. Well we cannot deny access, but we cannot have unbalance. Missouri had been fairly populated for some time, and already had a number of slaves living there. James Tallmadge of New York proposed an amendment, called the Tallmadge Amendment that would prevent any more slaves from coming into Missouri, and also proclaimed that all children of slave parents born in the state after its admission should be free at the age of 25. This amendment passed the House on February 17, 1819, but not the Senate. This only increased the tension among the north and south. Over a year later, Maine was allowed in, with Missouri falling suit. A second law was passed also. Jesse B. Thomas of Illinois said that any state north of the 3630' line, excluding Missouri, be a free state. This law was also passed, and even if the line seemed like a good plan at first it would only be a short cure to a bigger problem later on.Compromise of 1850
California had been living the life ever since the discovery of gold in the 1830s. Thousands of risk-takers had left everything behind to get a shot at finding millions. Even though California was more than a thousand miles away from Missouri, the closest state to it, the prosperous young area wanted to be in the Union. I know what you're saying, here we go again, settling a conflict about the 3630' line and equal votes in the Senate, and well you are right. California wanted to be part of the Union, so a new southern state would have to be created. The Compromise of 1850 did just that.
Five Main Points:
1) Texas' present day borders are set in exchange for the U.S. government to pay its debt back to Mexico
2) Texas had thought they had territory that included the present day states of New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. They did not have the rights to those states, and at one point threatened war on New Mexico. The government stepped in, and New Mexico and Utah were now split into two big territories. This made the south very happy because now they had a big territory close by and they had states in front of them for the future.
3) Slavery was abolished in Washington, D.C.
4) California was admitted as a free state5) Fugitive Act passed
This law, one that has been controversial even to this day, forced northern citizens help search for runaway slaves. If a slave capture interrogated you, it was your responsibility to answer all questions and reveal the slaves whereabouts. If runaway slaves were got, than they were sent to a jury and it was there that they judge would decide if the slave would be going back to its rightful owner and if the investigation had been conducted properly. Although, the commissioner, or judge had an incentive to send them back home, they got paid more. Lastly, more federal officials were walking around the northern states, searching for runaways. All in all, this was a win for the south that neutralized the conflict for a while, but scared the slaves, who began to flood into Canada.
Georgia Platform
After the Compromise of 1850, tensions were still brewing between the north and the south. Compromise was the only answer to pushing back the war that was bound to happen. Georgia held a special state convention, and made a proclamation that stated as long as the north kept following the Fugitive Slave Act and not ban slavery in the expansion states, than the south would not separate from the Union. In the elections held that November, a vast majority was in favor of the GA Platform. Of the 264 delegates at the five day convention, 240 were Unionists. Only 19 delegates voted against the GA Compromise.
Sources
Missouri Compromise Photo
Tariff Photo
Compromise of 1850
Notes
Video from Class
Compromise of 1850 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2951.html
Missouri Compromise http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/missouri-compromise.html
Tariff of 1828 http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/missouri-compromise.html
GA Platform http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-798
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