Omar Bennett
By the 1850s, the North had rejected compromises like Douglas's and wanted an end to slavery. Northern states had abolished slavery and sought to prevent its spread, while Southern states had grown more dependent on slave labor and wanted to expand it. The Compromise of 1850, which included a strengthened fugitive slave law, threatened the North, as it meant that slavery could spread to new territories. The Dred Scott decision, which ruled that an African American was property and not a person, also threatened the North, as it meant that there was no longer a clear division between free and slave states. The North began to feel that slavery had to be eliminated before it took over the entire nation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Feelings towards the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 | Northerners were offended by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, refusing to help catch slaves and even obstructing its enforcement. |
| Views on the expansion of slavery | Many Northerners believed that if slavery was not allowed to spread, it would decline and die. |
| Views on the existence of slavery in the South | Most Northerners were unwilling to challenge the existence of slavery in the South. |
| Views on the expansion of slavery into new territories | Northerners demanded that all new regions be closed to slavery. |
| Views on the Missouri Compromise | Northerners supported the Missouri Compromise, which placed limits on the expansion of slavery. |
| Views on the Compromise of 1850 | Northerners were relieved by the Compromise of 1850, which temporarily settled differences. |
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What You'll Learn
Northern states banned slavery or introduced gradual emancipation
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of resolutions designed to "adjust amicably all existing questions of controversy... arising out of the institution of slavery". The resolutions were proposed by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, who aimed to prevent civil war by enacting a compromise. The Compromise of 1850 included a strengthened fugitive slave act, which compelled all citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied them the right to a jury trial. This caused outrage in the North, and by 1860, Northern states avoided enforcing the law.
The North's resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act reflected a broader trend of abolitionism in the region. As early as the 1770s, enslaved Black people in New England began sending petitions to northern legislatures demanding freedom. By 1804, all of the Northern states had abolished slavery or set measures in place for gradual emancipation. For example, Pennsylvania, which had the largest enslaved population of the northern colonies, passed a gradual emancipation act in 1799, freeing all residents born on or after July 4, 1799, while those born before remained enslaved for life. In 1817, this law was amended, stating that slavery would be abolished for all residents on July 4, 1827. However, even after this date, some free Black people in the North were forced to work as indentured servants.
The North's movement towards abolition was driven by a combination of moral, political, and social factors. Many Northerners, including prominent figures like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, had moral qualms about slavery. The sentiments of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, with its promise of equality, also clashed with the reality of slavery and racial inequality in the colonies.
The North's economic interests also played a role in the move towards abolition. As the Northern economy shifted towards industry and wage labour, slavery became less essential to the region's economic prosperity. Additionally, the North's growing textile industry relied on cotton imports from the South, which created a complex relationship between the two regions.
Overall, the North's resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was part of a broader trend of abolitionism and gradual emancipation in the region. The North's moral, political, and economic interests all contributed to its rejection of slavery and its commitment to eventual emancipation.
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Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 dealt with enslaved people who escaped to free states without their enslavers' consent. However, in 1842, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Prigg v. Pennsylvania that states did not have to aid in the recapture of enslaved people, which significantly weakened the law. This ruling, coupled with the proliferation of free Black populations in places like Cass County, Michigan, attracted the attention of Southern slavers, who conducted raids to recapture people escaping slavery. These factors contributed to Southern demands to pass a strengthened fugitive slave act, which became a part of the Compromise of 1850.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was drafted by Democratic Senator James M. Mason of Virginia in response to the weakening of the original Fugitive Slave Act. The new law imposed penalties on officials who failed to arrest individuals allegedly escaping from slavery, making them liable for a fine of $1,000 (equivalent to $37,800 in 2024). Law enforcement officials were required to arrest people suspected of escaping enslavement based solely on a claimant's sworn testimony of ownership. Enslavers only needed to provide an affidavit to a Federal marshal to capture a fugitive, and the accused had no right to a trial, leading to the kidnapping and forced conscription of free Black individuals into slavery.
The Act significantly reduced the chances of a successful escape from slavery, particularly in states close to the North. One study found that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased prices for enslaved people in border states by 15% to 30% more than in states further south, demonstrating the Act's impact on the likelihood of escape. The law also contributed to growing tensions between the North and the South, with Northern support for fugitive slaves causing significant ill will, according to the Columbus [Georgia] Enquirer of 1850.
The controversial nature of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 is evident in the reactions it provoked. While it threatened sectional peace, it also led to legislative attempts to counter its effects. In November 1850, Vermont passed the Habeas Corpus Law, requiring its judicial and law enforcement officials to assist captured fugitive slaves and establishing a state judicial process parallel to the federal process. This law effectively rendered the federal Fugitive Slave Act unenforceable in Vermont and sparked a national controversy, with Virginia Governor John B. Floyd warning that nullification could push the South toward secession.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a highly contentious piece of legislation that had far-reaching consequences. It not only made escape from slavery more difficult but also deepened the divide between the North and the South, contributing to the growing tensions that would eventually lead to the Civil War. While some states, like Vermont, took legislative action to counter the Act, it nonetheless had a significant impact on the lives of enslaved people and those seeking to aid them.
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The Compromise of 1850
The five bills that made up the Compromise of 1850 were:
- Admit California as a "free state".
- Establish territorial governments for Utah and New Mexico, with no restrictions on whether any future state from these territories would be a slave or free state.
- Settle a Texas boundary dispute, with Texas surrendering its claims to present-day New Mexico and other states in return for federal assumption of Texas's public debt.
- Outlaw the slave trade in Washington, D.C.
- Amend the Fugitive Slave Act, making it easier for slave owners to recover runaway slaves.
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The Three-Fifths Compromise
The Southern slaveholding states wanted their entire population to be counted to determine the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. Meanwhile, the Free States wanted to exclude the counting of slave populations in slave states, since those slaves had no voting rights.
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The Missouri Compromise
The legislation admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, with the condition that slavery would be prohibited in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel (the southern border of Missouri). This was to maintain the balance between slave and free states in the nation. The bill was initially voted down by the House, but Speaker of the House Henry Clay of Kentucky, divided the Senate bills, and the House passed the Senate version on March 3, 1820. President James Monroe signed the bill into law on March 6, 1820.
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Frequently asked questions
By 1850, the North had abolished slavery and wanted to prevent its spread to other states. They rejected compromises like Douglas's and wanted slavery to end.
The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, left open the possibility of slavery in New Mexico and Utah, abolished the slave trade in the District of Columbia, and strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act.
Northerners did not feel that the Fugitive Slave Act gave their citizens due process. They claimed that the law promoted kidnapping as there was no formal way to determine if a person was a fugitive. Northern states refused to comply with federal marshals' demands for giving up those suspected of being fugitive slaves.
