By James Finck, Ph.D.
By the 1850s America was in the middle of the Second American Party System of Democrats and Whigs. The two equally strong parties had members in every corner of the country. While there was plenty to argue about – banks, tariffs, and internal improvements – these issues always came down to party line votes. However, one festering subject that could kill parties and cause votes to be based on sectionalism rather than parties remained: slavery.
Our Founding Fathers understood this when in they created Northwest the Southwest and Ordinances in 1787 and 1790, respectfully, which state that new states created above the Ohio River would be free and any below would be slave states. This was done so that Congress would not have to debate slavery with the addition of each new state; the decision had already been determined. The plan worked and slavery was not addressed in Congress until 1820.
By 1820 there was a second generation of leaders who learned from the Founders the importance of compromising slavery for the sake of unity. In 1803 Thomas Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the size of the U.S. and opened new territory. In 1820 the first territory from this new land, Missouri, applied for statehood as a slave state. For the first time, slavery was on Congress’ table.
At that point, there were 11 slave states and 11 free states, and neither side wanted Missouri to go the other direction and shift the balance of power. As Northerners pushed for free soil land to protect white workers, the South pressed for a continuation of slavery. This was not a fight between parties but between sections.
U.S. House Speaker Henry Clay proposed an agreement to solve the immediate crisis but also eliminate the conversation in the future. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state but allowed Maine to break from Massachusetts and become a free state, keeping the balance of power and making both sides content. To solve future issues a new line was drawn, the 36º 30’ latitude or southern border of Missouri, across the remainder of the nation. (Remember, at this time, Mexico still owned the Southwest, and the Northwest was being disputed by Britain). From that point on any new state above the line would be free and any south would be slave. Then, to guarantee no further problems, in 1836 Congress passed a gag rule stating that any slavery issue heading to committee would never be heard.
The plan worked. Even while slavery was a growing point of contention across our nation, Congress was not obligated to address the issue. Instead Congressmen tended to friendly issues: banks, tariffs, and internal improvements. Then gold was found.
For 30 years the gag rule worked. Democrats and Whigs fought over every issue possible, except slavery. However, after Texas gained its independence from Mexico in 1836, it wanted to join the U.S. President Martin Van Buren refused Texas knowing it would open up the issue of slavery. However, 10 years later, in 1845, with the election of James K. Polk, who ran on the expansion platform, Texas was finally admitted as the 28th state of the Union. The problem was Mexico did not recognize Texas’ independence and saw its annexation as an act of war. Mexico attacked an American army on land that was questionable to whom it belonged. Questionable or not, Polk used the attack as justification to wage war on Mexico which the U.S. won. This victory once again doubled the size of our nation. While America acquired the prized lands of California, it also opened the door to question slavery again as this land did not fall under the parameters of the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
With the 1849 gold rush, California reached the statehood population requirements overnight and applied to join the Union as free state. With the floodgate open, men who had stood side by side as Democrats and Whigs bickering over tariffs suddenly became enemies as they fought as sections.
Peace was restored, fortunately, as Clay once more brokered a deal that allowed California to enter the Union as a free state but broke the rest of the territory up into Utah and New Mexico, which put those states under popular sovereignty. This meant that the two territories could still go either way, but whatever way the territories chose, Congress had to accept it. Once again slavery could be removed from Congressional conversation. The hope was the Compromise of 1850 would last at least as long as the Compromise of 1820. However, that was not the case.
In 1854 a transcontinental railroad was needed to connect our new growing nation. The problem was the proposed route taken went through the large swathe of unorganized land in the middle of the nation. To safely build the rail line and give the land the organization it needed, the Kansas-Nebraska Bill was proposed. Under this bill the land would be divided in half: the northern territory would be given to Nebraska; the southern portion to Kansas.
The bill’s proposer, Stephen A. Douglas, had presidential ambitions. So, to please Southerners, Douglas proposed revoking the line drawn by the Compromise of 1820, and placing both new territories under popular sovereignty. His idea was that Kansas would become a slave state while Nebraska would go free. The South was delighted, but Northerners became angry. They had already fought for that land in 1820 and the South had agreed. Congress could not go back now and change the rules. Long story short, popular sovereignty was accepted. Kansas broke out in a bloody civil war as the state divided and fought over slavery. Each side organized, created their own government, and sent a constitution to Congress to be accepted to the Union. Democratic President Franklin Pierce accepted the slave constitution which killed the Second American Party System.
Southern Democrats could now claim to be the party of slavery, which hurt Southern Whigs – the party who opposed Kansas’ slave constitution. Looking bad as slaveholders themselves, Southern Whigs began abandoning the Whig Party for a bunch of lesser parties like the Know Nothings. With the Whig Party finished as a national party, Northern Whigs began party shopping as well. With one of the two national parties gone, the bond holding our nation together was dissolving. With war becoming a possibility, the only thing left was for the Democrats to do was self-destruct.
James Finck, Ph.D. is a professor of history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He may be reached at HistoricallySpeaking1776@gmail.com.
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