Chapter 17 Outline

Chapter 17 Outline
The Popular Sovereignty Panacea:

 Popular Sovereignty was running ramped during this time,
and it was the idea that citizens of certain states should be
allowed to dictate the rules surrounding slavery
 This became a strong practice and was popular across the
country, as it was able to strike a neutral ground between
abolitionists and slave holders, without either sides having to
rewrite their beliefs
Political Triumphs for General Taylor:

 The Whigs, a second party that opposed the Democrats, met
in Philidalhia, to decide who they would choose for their
ballot, to run against the democrats
 They elected Zachary Taylor, whos official stance on slavery
was unknown, but was a slave holder. They elected not to
nominate Henry Clay as they feared he had too many
enemies after the corrupt bargain.
 A third party even arose during this time named the Free
Soil Party, which was led by northerners who opposed
slavery. Zachary Taylor was elected to the presidency.
“Californy Gold”
 1848 marked a large moment in the expansion west, when
large gold deposists were found in California, a territory held
by the west. These pilgrims searching for gold brought
disease, starvation and violence with them.
 The Californian government, overrun with all their problems,
applied to the US for statehood. This was a heavily contested
issue, as California would not become a slave state, and
would upset the balance in the senate, favoring the north.
Senate Balance and the Underground Railroad:
 The Underground railroad became a key part in abolitionist
efforts to aid runaway slaves in their flight to the north. It
consisted of a chain of many safehouses where slaves would
stay, being guided by “conductors”
 One of the most well known conductors was Harriet Tubman,
a former slave who rescued 100’s. The south hated the
underground rail road, and attempted to limit it powers by
pushing for stricter fugitive slave laws, limiting runaway
slaves ability to escape to the north.
Twilight of the Senatorial Giants:

 In response to the mass differences in views on slavery,
and whether California should be emitted into the union,
The congressional debate of 1850 was called into order.
 The three main events and speakers were: Henry Clay;
who was the compromiser and preposed for stricter slave
laws, John Calhoun; a nullifier who heavily supported the
south, wanted all fugitive slaves to be given to the south
and for their to be 2 presidents, and Daniel Webster; a
man who supported clays proposal although hating
slavery, as he believed the safety of the Union was the
biggest issue
Breaking the Congressional Logjam:

 1850 saw the sudden death of Taylor, which sent the US into
a frenzy and led to Millard Filmore becoming the President of
the United states, but he was in a tough position of what to
do for the issue of slavery.
 Filmore decided to deal with the issue by issuing the Great
Comprimise of 1850., which was able to strike a neutral
ground between South and North, by admitting California but
allowing New Mexico and Utah to practice popular
sovereignty.
 This deal that was struck allowed for tensions between the
North and South to subside massively as the US entered
what was known as the Second Error of Good Feelings
Balancing the Compromising Scales:

 With the addition of California as a new state, the senate
became unbalanced in favor of North voters, even though
New Mexico and Utah were practicing popular sovereignty,
which meant the North could pass any laws they wanted.
 The Fugitive-Slave Law of 1850, was a law passed by the
south during the second era of good feelings, which said that
slaves couldn’t testify for themselves, and harshly limited
the abilities of slaves. The compromise of 1850 strengthened
the bond of the North.
Defeat and Doom for the Whigs:

 With the next election on the minds of democrats, they met
in 1852 to nominate their candidate. They chose Franklin
Peirce to be the president and he supported slavery.
 The Whigs also met to chose their candidate and they
elected Winfield Scott. Unfortunately for the Whigs, their
vote was split between North and South as the North hated
the parties ideals liked the Candidate, and South who hated
the Candidate but liked the Ideals.
 Fraklin pierce ended up being elected to the President of the
United States, marking the end of the Whig Party.
Expansionist Stirrings South of The Border:

 Because of the victories of the Mexican war, manifest
destiny became a large part of American life. The americans
started their search to find a route that connected pacific to
Atlantic, an attempt to build a canal that spanned north
America.
 The compromise of 1850 set the territories gained in the
Mexican war to be slave free, so southerners began to look
for lands to claim as states so the balance would once again
be even. William Walker is one example of a southerner, and
he became the President of Nicaragua but was quickly killed.
 In another attempt to gain more states that southerners
could implement slavery, the US began to inquire about
buying Cuba from the Spanish. They even sent people to go
try to become apart of Cuban Society.
 In a final futile attempt to gain Cuba from an unrelenting
Spain, Polk in a secret memo, claimed that the US would go
to war with spain if Cuba wasn’t sold to them. This ploy was
discovered by the Northerners, so it was foiled.
The Allure of Asia:

 Asia became a prominent trading partner with the West, for
a large part against their wishes. Many Asian countries
practiced isolationism to retain their culture, to the
indignation of western countries
 To open up China to the trade of Opiates, Britian staged a
war against the Chinese people, and massacred them to a
point where the Chinese army was barely able to take a
stand proving the power of Modern weapons.
 The treaty of Wanghia and Kanagawa were subsequently
signed which allowed the US to have trading rights with the
Japanese and Chinese, a new market that could lead to
prosperous life for merchants.
Pacific Railroad Promoters:

 After the acquisition of large amount of lands in the south
west, the discussion and problem became how to connect
them to the East. To solve this issue a transcontinental
railroad was built to join both sides of the nation
 Their was much debate as where to build the railroad, as
Southerners and Northerners both wanted the railroad in
their domain. Eventually more land was purchased and two
railroads were built connecting both the north and south
Congress Legislates a Civil War:

 The United States began going down a dark path after the
Kansas-Nebraska act as it ignored the Compromise of 1820
and 1850, leading to both the North and South repealing the
Compormise
 The republican party was founded in the mid-west, and was
built around its belief that slavery was morally wrong. The
party joined together most of the North and people who
disagreed with slavery.

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Chapter 17 Outline

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Chapter 17 Outline

The Popular Sovereignty Panacea:

Political Triumphs for General Taylor:

Twilight of the Senatorial Giants:

Breaking the Congressional Logjam:

Balancing the Compromising Scales:

Defeat and Doom for the Whigs:

Expansionist Stirrings South of The Border:

The Allure of Asia:

Pacific Railroad Promoters:

Congress Legislates a Civil War:

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