What did the Compromise of 1850 offer to people who supported slavery? What did it offer to those who opposed it?

Henry Clay urged both the North and South to take him into consideration. The only other possible alternative was the regions becoming two nations, which would lead to war. John C. Calhoun represented the South's case for slavery in territories. Daniel Webster gave his speech three days later, which appealed for national unity. In his speech he warned Southerner's about the dangers of succession. Webster's speech became very famous in the history of the Senate. It was surprising to many that Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, who had been rivals for many years, were working together.

In July, the Senate discarded the compromise. Clay was very discouraged and left Washington. A man from Illinois by the name of Stephen A. Douglas took over from where Clay had left off. To ensure not to be defeated this time, Douglas reintroduced the resolutions one at a time, instead of all at once. He hoped that this would result in a majority vote for each resolution individually. The death of President Taylor helped Douglas's efforts. Millard Fillmore became the new President. Fillmore clearly supported the compromise. Calhoun's death also helped. Leaders in the South favored Clay's compromise. In 1850 the Compromise of 1850 was voted into law.

2. What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act designed to accomplish? What were some of the intended and unintended results of its passage?

On January 23, 1984, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois proposed a bill to Congress that would divide the Nebraska territory in the North and the Kansas territory in the South. If this act were passed, it would repeal a provision of the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in the territories north of 36° 30'. Also, popular sovereignty would be established for both of the territories. The passage of the act caused much tension between the North and South and bitter Congressional debate.

Northern Congressmen saw the bill as a plot that would turn the territories into slave states. The Southern Congressmen largely favored the bill with 90% of the Southern Congressmen voting for the bill. This caused much tension. The Act's passage had divided the Democratic Party and destroyed the Whigs.

Stephen Douglas believed that popular sovereignty was ultimately the democratic way to deal with the issue of slavery. President Franklin Pierce, a Democratic who was elected in 1852, helped Douglas get his proposal through the Senate. In May 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law.

A conflict developed in Kansas between those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. Those who supported slavery had been settlers from Missouri and those who opposed it were newcomers from northeastern states. Fighting broke out between the two groups and continued for several years, which ultimately led to the Civil War. This had obviously been an unintended result of the passage.

3. As Lincoln prepared to take over the presidency, what were his views on the existence of slavery, the expansion of slavery, and racial equality?

In May of 1860, after much anticipation, the presidential convention took place. Most people believed that Senator William H. Seward of New York would be the candidate for the Republican Party, but things turned out to be much different.

Senator William H. Seward, led anti-slavery forces in Congress in the past, he also had the financial support of New York political organizations. This and more seemed to prove that Seward had everything it took to be a successful presidential candidate. Even with all this, Seward doubted that he would be nominated. Abraham Lincoln, as opposed to Seward, seemed to be relatively unknown. This possibly helped Lincoln to win the nomination, since Lincoln had not had as many occasions to offend his fellow Republicans and Seward had. Delegates because of Seward's thoughts that the conflict between the North and South were irrepressible rejected Seward. Lincoln seemed more moderate in his views by the delegates.

Lincoln had pledged to stop the further spread of slavery, at the same time, he also tried to convince the Southerners that a Republican administration would conflict with their slaves or with them about their slaves. However, his attempt to convince the southerners had failed. Southerners viewed Lincoln as a "black republican." Many southerners thought that his election would be "the greatest evil tat has ever befallen this country." Lincoln had won the election.

Lincoln believed that slavery was a national problem. He was determined to be sure to stop the expansion of slavery. Lincoln thought that slavery was morally wrong, as he believed in racial equality.