The Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was an important compromise from American history which was made in order to prevent more conflict between the Northern and Southern states of America. The Compromise of 1850 came after the two year Mexican American War which ended in 1848, during which tensions between the North and the South had been rising steadily.

In fact, without the Compromise of 1850 it is possible that the South would have seceded from the Union in 1850 instead of seceding in 1861. Thus, the Compromise of 1850 staved off the Civil War for some time, although ultimately one could consider it ineffectual in that the Civil War did still come.

The Compromise of 1850 had a number of important provisions which were in favor of either given side and which inherently were still irksome for the opposing side. The South received such provisions in the Compromise of 1850 as a reinforced Fugitive Slave Act, which would ensure that slaves, when they ran away, would have to be brought back to their owners even though they had run to abolitionist states where slavery was illegal.

The North, on the other hand, received such provisions as the lack of a guarantee of legal slavery south of a particular border line such as the 35th parallel north. The Compromise of 1850 also dealt with the issue of whether or not slavery would be allowed in certain newer southwestern states and it dealt with how the territory in that area would be divided.

NEXT: What is the Non-aggression Pact