The Appeasement of 1850

Ch. 12 in CONGRESS AND THE CRISIS OF THE 1850s, (Paul Finkelman and Donald R. Kenon, eds., Ohio University Press 2012)

U. of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper Series

46 Pages Posted: 6 Mar 2017

See all articles by Paul Finkelman

Paul Finkelman

Gratz College; Albany Law School

Date Written: 2012

Abstract

This book chapter examines the history of the passage of the Compromise of 1850 and the nature of the Compromise. The chapter argues that the Compromise almost entirely favored slavery, and that rather than a "compromise," it was an appeasement of the slave South. By any measure, the Compromise of 1850 failed to achieve its major goal - to defuse sectional conflict over slavery. The compromise stimulated a decade of confrontations between northerners and the federal government over the fugitive slave law and even led to Northerns making states' rights arguments.

Keywords: compromise of 1850, fugitive slave law of 1850, John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, slavery in the territories, states' rights, arguments, southern nationalism, civil war, slave trade in the US

Suggested Citation

Finkelman, Paul, The Appeasement of 1850 (2012). Ch. 12 in CONGRESS AND THE CRISIS OF THE 1850s, (Paul Finkelman and Donald R. Kenon, eds., Ohio University Press 2012), U. of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper Series, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2927214

Paul Finkelman (Contact Author)

Gratz College ( email )

7605 Old York Road
Melrose Park, PA 19027
United States

Albany Law School

NY
United States

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