Chapter 18
Notes
Mrs. Marshall
 By
1850 the South was well of
both politically and economically.
 Zachary
Taylor, southern born
slaveholder, was President.
 South
had a majority serving in
the cabinet and on the US
Supreme Court.
 15
slave states
 Cotton
fields were expanding and
the price of cotton was good.
Underground Railroad
Refers to the effort to assist people
held in bondage to escape from
slavery.
 Used railroad terms:
 “stations” and “depots”- the homes
and businesses where fugitive slave
would rest and eat
 “stationmasters”- people who ran the
homes and businesses

 “stockholders”
people who
contributed money or goods
 “conductor”- person responsible
for moving fugitives from one
station to another
 Stations averaged being about
20 miles in distance.
 Levi Coffin- a Quaker who
assisted more than 3,000 slaves
 Harriet
Tubman- made 19 trips
into the south and escorted over
300 slaves to freedom.
 California
applied for admission
into the union as a free state.
This would undo the equal
balance in the Senate.
 Henry
Clay- wanted the North
and South to compromise and
the north to agree to a stronger
fugitive slave law.
 Stephen Douglas supported Clay.
 John
C. Calhoun- said current
fugitive slave laws were not
strong enough.
 Daniel
Webster- favored a
stronger fugitive slave law but
said nature would decide areas
which would be slave or free
states by climate and terrain of
the land.
“Seventh of March”
speech(1850) helped lead to
compromise
 William
Henry Seward young
senator from NY-highly opposed
system of slavery, opposed any
type of compromise
 Henry
Clay- introduced an
omnibus bill (relating to or
containing many items) to deal
with the issues of slavery.
Opposed by Taylor, had no
chance of passing
 Taylor
died July of 1850 and
Millard Fillmore became
President.
Stephen Douglas
a northern Democrat, resurrected
Clay’s bill and had it passed piece
by piece. Fillmore signed the
series of compromises that passed
Congress
Compromise of 1850
 1-California
was admitted into
the union as a
free state-this appeased the
north
 2-Stronger Fugitive Slave Law
was passed
(known as the Bloodhound Bill)
3- Territories of New Mexico and
Utah would decide the issue of
slavery by popular
sovereignty at time of
admission
 4- Slave Trade, but not slavery
was abolished in the District
of Columbia
5-Texas boundary was cut down
by almost half and Texas debt
was assumed by the federal
government
 Northerners
did everything they
could to undermine the Fugitive
Slave Act.
– Massachusetts made it a penal
offense for any state official to
enforce the new law
– States passed “personal liberty
laws” which hampered enforcement
Election of 1852
 Democrats nominated Franklin
Pierce
 Whigs nominated Winfield Scott.
 Both avoided issues of slavery
and sectionalism.
 Pierce was elected.
 Whig
party split over the issue of
slavery. Never nominated
another presidential candidate.
Party soon disappeared.
Nicaragua
 William Walker tried to gain
control of this Central American
country in the 1850’s. Using
force he declared himself
president in July 1856 and
legalized slavery.
 Coalition of Central American
nations formed an alliance to
overthrow him. His plan failed.
 Great
Britain was interested in
Nicaragua because they feared
the northern part of the US
would monopolize trade there.
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850)
 Stated that neither American nor
Britain would fortify or secure
exclusive control over any future
isthmian waterway.
Matthew Perry- opened trade in
Japan to the United States.
Obtained a treaty permitting trade
and the opening of Japanese ports
to US merchant ships.
The south was interested in Cuba
because of the large slave
population and the sugar
plantations.
Could make several states out of
Cuba and maintain equal balance
in the senate.
Narcisco Lopez
Planned an expedition to Cuba in
1848- was ended by President
Taylor.
2 years later another unsuccessful
expedition was attempted.
 1851
a 3rd expedition gained a
foothold on the island but ended
in complete defeat and capture
/execution of 50 southerners
who had participated along with
Lopez.
Ostend Manifesto
a secret document written in 1854 by US
diplomats at Ostend, Belgium describing a
plan to acquire Cuba from Spain.
On orders from Sec. of State, William Marcy, 3
us diplomats (minister to Britain, France and
Spain) devised a plan to purchase Cuba-if
Spain refused the offer it suggested the US
take Cuba by force.
News of the document leaked out-became
public knowledge-caused outrage among
northerners-President Pierce was forced to
forget his scheme.
Harriet Beecher Stowe author of
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Published in
1852-inspired by the Fugitive
Slave Law.
Stephen Douglas-senator from
Illinois. Wanted to organize
territory west of Illinois so that a
transcontinental railroad could be
constructed.

Kansas-Nebraska Act
Passed in 1854.
Allowed people in the territories of
Kansas and Nebraska to decide for
themselves whether of not to
allow slavery within their borders.
1- It repealed the Missouri
Compromise of 1820. Infuriated
many in the north who
considered the compromise to be
a binding agreement.
2- The Pro-slavery south
supported the Kansas-Nebraska
Act.
Douglas’ motivation in introducing
the bill:
 Trying to gain southern support
for his presidential ambitions
 His beliefs in the principles of
self-determination and selfgovernment
 His
northern railroad interest
which was contrary to Pierce’s
interest in a southern route
 His
beliefs that nature would
preclude slavery from going into
certain geographic areas
regardless of popular
sovereignty