The Compromise of 1850: the South and the North - Essay Example

(Your Compromise 1850 The Compromise of 1850 was developed to be beneficial for both the South andthe North but it ended up being more beneficial for the North and the compromise was of very little benefit to the South (Boyer 400). The Compromise of 1850 was made to decrease the differences amongst the Southerners and the Northerners, but the compromise failed to achieve its purpose. The first major benefit obtained by the North was the admission of California as a free state (Richards 98). This provision was beneficial to the Northern regions because this provision increased the participation of the north in the congress. This decision was not beneficial for the South because due to this decision the ability of Northerners to influence the congress increased. The provision that stated that New Mexico and Utah territory can decide whether to adopt or abolish slavery was even beneficial for the North. This is because Slavery had already been banned or had been eradicated in Mexico and the people living in these territories were not in favor of slavery. These territories were not even indulged in agricultural activities as agricultural activities in these regions were difficult. If these territories would have banned slavery, then the regions in favor of slavery would have declined and this would have encouraged those who were not in favor of slavery. Another provision that was against the Southerners and the pro slavery regions was the provision of abolishing slave trade in the region of Columbia. The act even should that the Compromise was favoring Northerners as Northerners were not in favor of slavery. Many argue that abolishing of slave trade did not help in solving the issue of slavery. It might not have helped a great extend in solving the issue of slavery but it clearly showed that the public was turning against slavery slowly and gradually. The provision that was most beneficial for the Southerners was the Fugitive Slave Law. According to the Fugitive Slave Law of the Compromise of 1850, the judiciary system had to help in returning the escaped slaves back to their masters in the states where slavery had not yet been abolished (Banks 45). The law even stated that the law enforcing personnel had to arrest the escaped slaves and return them back o their masters and those who did not comply with the law would be fined for $1,000. The law further stated that those who would have helped the slave in escaping and those who would have provided food, shelter and clothing to the slaves would be imprisoned for six months and they would have to pay a fine of one thousand dollars. It even stated that those law enforcing officers who arrested a slave and returned them back to their owners would be awarded for their help. These provisions were beneficial for the South because these provisions would have helped in returning several escaped slaves back to their owners. Although the compromise of 1850 was made to decrease the differences between the North and the South, it failed to accomplish its purpose and became a reason of increased differences among the South and the North.
Works Cited:
Boyer, Paul S, Clifford E. Clark, and Joseph F. Kett. The Enduring Vision: Vol. I : to 1877. Boston (Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Print
Richards, Leonard L. The Slave Power: The Free North and Southern Domination, 1780-1860. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2000. Print.
Banks, James A, and Cherry A. Banks. March Toward Freedom: A History of Black Americans. Belmont, Calif: Fearon Publishers, 1974. Print Read More