Essay on Slavery in America and the Bleeding Kansas Crisis

Submitted By zzcatwoman13@aim.com
Words: 2876
Pages: 12
Open Document
The United States is known for compromises between the North and the South. Until 1861, the U.S. tried to make peace between the two regions especially in the question of slavery. Sectional tension between the North and the South was reduced for a short period of time because of certain political compromises, like the Missouri Compromise, but the actions of the federal government increased sectional tensions too because of the failure of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott Case.
Sectional tension between the North and the South was reduced for a short period of time because of the Missouri Compromise which addressed Missouri as a state and solved the state addition conflict. Sectionalism was growing in the United States because pro-slavery and anti-slavery became more of a conflict between the North and the South. Before the year of 1819, there was an even split of slave and free states in the U.S. This balance kept the conflicts between the regions to a minimum because the federal government did not have to address the situation of expansion of slavery. The problem was ignored until Missouri wanted to enter the Union as a state in 1819. Representative James Tallmadge of New York proposed an amendment, the Tallmadge Amendment, to the House of Representatives that would limit slavery in Missouri. This amendment prohibited further introduction of slaves, made the children of the slaves free, and freed all slaves by the age 25. The Tallmadge Amendment was barely passed in the House of Representatives, but was shut down by the Senate. The opponents of the amendment questioned if Congress had the right to control slavery in the states. Also, the admission of an anti-slavery state would threaten the balance of power between the slave states and free states. The addition would not only upset the South as a whole, but southern congressmen as well. Congress would have a larger chance of prohibiting the expansion of slavery with this addition. Members of Congress argued if Missouri could enter as a slave state or not. The northerners argued that Congress had the power to abolish slavery in new states. Southerners disagreed and stated that the new states had the same freedom to choose just like the original 13 states. To solve this problem Henry Clay produced the second of the great “thirty year compromises”. The Compromise of 1820, also known as the Missouri Compromise, proposed three factors. The first allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state. The second helped balance this addition by separating a part of Massachusetts and creating a free state called Maine. The third created an invisible line that split the future states in the Louisiana Territory. The Missouri Compromise line was parallel to 36°30’. North of this line would be a free state and south of the line would be a slave state. Missouri was over most of the line, but the state was made an exception. Even though it was passed, the Missouri Compromise was criticized immensely. People still questioned Congress’ ability in controlling slavery in the states. Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Holmes about the compromise. Jefferson was opposed to slavery, but did not agree with the involvement of the federal government. Jefferson told Holmes that he does not regularly pay attention to public affairs anymore, but said that the Missouri Compromise “…like a fireball in the night, awakened him and filled him with terror.” Jefferson foreshadowed the conflict to arise and become much bigger. The line was not helping the issue, but just prevented it from enlarging for a short amount of time. Jefferson was right. The Missouri Compromise was pushing the conflicts of slavery back and holding off the problems for a later time, but the prevention of further conflict dwindled sectional tension. The Missouri Compromise reduced sectional tension by temporarily solving the state addition conflict. Maine was created as a free state because Missouri entered the Union as a slave
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Slavery in America and the Bleeding Kansas Crisis

Inevitable: American Civil War and Dem F . Pierce Essay

southern states in the antebellum period. The Civil war was inevitable due to sectionalism, the fights for states’ rights and manifest destiny. The expansion of slavery in the new territories resulted in political and social divisions in the US that increased the inevitability of the Civil War. When the Mexican War ended in 1848, America was ceded western territories. This caused a problem because now the states have to decide whether to be free or slave. To fix this problem, Congress passed the…

Words 809 - Pages 4

Essay on Chapter 15 Terms

Chapter 15 Terms 1. John Brown- white American abolitionist who believed armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. 2. John C. Calhoun- a leading American politician and political theorist during the first half of the 19th century. 3. Zachary Taylor- 12th President of the United States, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850. Before his presidency, Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to the rank of major…

Words 1382 - Pages 6

Manifest Destiny Research Paper

The American buffalo, which was once a symbol of hope and untamed American wildlife on the frontier, was on the verge of becoming extinct. The manifest destiny concept promoted expansion and the settlement of Americans on already occupied land. America kills an estimated 2 million buffalo per year during peak manifest destiny. That's 5,000 buffalo killed a day. This mass slaughter may have provided a temporary economic boost for some settlers, it led to the near extinction of one of America's most…

Words 2070 - Pages 9

History Paper

servants bought from England by many settlers to help solve the labor shortage in North America * Many came willingly but some were , forced to come * Free passage to America and land in return for 6-7 years of work * Delayed the onset of slavery Start of Slavery in British America * Demand for slaves grew due to the tobacco based economy of the Chesapeake * Middle Passage* journey to America in dark, filthy ships. Many Africans died during this passage. * Royal African Company*…

Words 2636 - Pages 11

Essay about African American Notes

Africans & African Americans The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Origins Slavery as a Racially-Based Economic System (Labor Force) -Native Americans Indentured Servants: DOESNT WORK unable to be racially identified West Africans TRANSATLANTIC Slave Trade West African to Americas (slaves labor force) Americas to Europe (raw materials) Europe to West Africa (finished goods guns & weapons) West Africa *Ghana, Mali, Songhay Empires, *Trans-Saharan Trade *Diversity: ethnicity & Religion…

Words 1235 - Pages 5

APUSH Chapter 16 19 Essay

APUSH 1 Study Guide: Manifest Destiny, Slavery, and the Coming of the Civil War (Chapters 16-19) Multiple Choice 1. What justifications for expansion comprised Americans’ belief in manifest destiny? - Americans were destined by God to expand over entire continent and possible South America 2. Who were the first American settlers in Texas? Mexicans invited Americans to Texas. Moses and a group of families from Tennessee (known as Austin contingent). Sent over to farm and tend to land. 3…

Words 1844 - Pages 8

Essay about History: American Revolution and Missouri Compromise

Essay # 10 Examine political crisis of 1850 The Kansa Nebraska act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to decide through Popular Sovereignty whether they would allow slavery within each territory. The act was designed by Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas. Douglas hoped popular sovereignty would enable democracy to triumph, so he would not have…

Words 2522 - Pages 11

APUSH Review Sheet Essay

APUSH Midterm Review Sheet: Multiple Choice/True or False Questions: Chapter Six – The Empire and Its Colonies 1754 – 1775 America in 1750 (France, Great Britain, Spain), Thomas Hutchinson, The Ohio River Valley, Virginia Land Grant, George Washington, Fort Duquesne, Fort Necessity, Jumonville Glen, The French and Indian War (The Seven Year’s War), The Albany Plan, The Iroquois Nation (Six Nations), Benjamin Franklin, Join or Die, General Braddock, William Pitt, Impressment, The Fall of Quebec…

Words 1761 - Pages 8

History: One Source Of Information On The World

Events- -Historians generally and often study EVENTS -Events have four Qualities: Time Place Causes Consequences Causation- Nothing “Just happens” Most people want “simple causes” (“monocausation”) Slavery caused the Civil War But slavery existed in the U.S. for 85 years before the Civil War and slavery “caused” no war during that whole time JAMESTOWN Virginia Company of London -smiths, gentlemen, soldiers, etc… NO FARMERS ^^Spanish Model^^ “Starving Time”- early part of much of 16 century exploration…

Words 1984 - Pages 8

Effectiveness Of The Compromise Of 1850

Essay #5 While compromise over the system of slavery was possible in 1850 it was not effective in 1860’s. The compromise of 1850 was the continuation of the system of slavery, and the description of the events, which led to freeing of the slaves in 1860’s. The fundamental differences in agriculture and the adoption of slavery in the South of America gave rise to the early American History. The thirteen states had each developed separately and had differences in beliefs and their culture and issues…

Words 2138 - Pages 9