fbpx

KidsKonnect

Compromise of 1850 Facts & Worksheets

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /US History /Compromise of 1850 Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

The Compromise of 1850 was based on the ideas of Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. It was popularly drafted by Henry Clay, also known as “The Great Compromiser.” The Compromise was passed by Congress to primarily pacify the issue of slavery and territorial boundaries between the North and South. For more information on the Compromise of 1850 read the fact file below or download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • The 1820 Missouri Compromise was the first compromise regarding the number of Slave and Free States. Before 1850, a series of events happened, resulting in a need for another major compromise.
  • By 1832, the Nullification Crisis exploded after opposing views on tariffs. Vice President John C. Calhoun and President Andrew Jackson heated American economics and politics, leading to the establishment of the Abolitionist Movement.
  • Following the success of the Texas Revolution in 1836, an independent republic was formed. Because Texas was inhabited mainly by white Americans, many favored the United States annexation. In December 1845, President James K. Polk admitted Texas as the 28th state in the union. Also, under Polk, the United States attempted to purchase California. 
  • In 1845, Texas was admitted as a slave state after years of implementing the Gag Rule, which banned petitions and appeals for the Abolition of Slavery.
  • By 1846, the Mexican-American War took place, followed by the Wilmot Proviso prohibiting slavery on Mexican-acquired territories. At the end of the war in 1848, Mexico ceded Upper California and New Mexico under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It highlighted the differences between the proslavery and antislavery factions.
  • Democratic Congressman of Pennsylvania David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso. Despite the initial defeat in the Senate, the proviso entered into national politics because of the slavery debate. 
  • In 1848, President Polk did not seek re-election as president, and Zachary Taylor succeeded him and Millard Fillmore as vice president. Despite being an enslaver, Taylor thought slavery was unsuitable in the Mexican Cession. 
  • In October 1849, California, now experiencing the Gold Rush, was admitted to the union as a free state. 
  • With expanding borders and new states admitted into the union, political debates on the status of the new territories heated in Congress. Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster were among the prominent politicians. Calhoun warned Congress that any imbalance between the North and the South would lead to war, while Webster and Clay argued for a compromise. 
  • Other active politicians in the debate included William Seward, Salmon Chase, Jefferson Davis, and Stephen Douglas. 

THE COMPROMISE OF 1850

  • Initially, Henry Clay introduced a legislative package of eight bills, and Senator Henry S. Foote of Mississippi convinced him to merge the proposals into one bill. For seven months, Clay’s proposal was attacked in Congress and gained the support of some Northern Democrats and Southern Whigs. 
  • Some Southerner politicians believed that the compromise was biased. One opposition was William Henry Seward, who delivered his “Higher Law” speech in Congress rejecting the compromise and the proviso. Meanwhile, President Taylor wished to call for an immediate statehood of New Mexico and California. 
  • President Millard Fillmore took office when President Zachary Taylor died on July 9, 1850. The Compromise became more feasible under his presidency.
  • In 1850, 73-year old Clay was suffering from tuberculosis and became too weak to continue his fight for the compromise. He left the Senate and passed the responsibility to Stephen Douglas. 
  • In September 1850, the US Congress passed the Compromise of 1850, which consisted of five general headings. 
    • First, it was an Act proposing Texas’s northern and western boundaries. 
    • Second is the admission of California to the Union as a Free State. 
    • Third, the establishment of Utah and New Mexico territorial governments concerning Popular Sovereignty on Slavery.
    • Fourth was the suppression of the slave trade in the District of Columbia. 
    • Lastly, the controversial amendment of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.
  • The Compromise of 1850 was created to resolve the issues of slavery and territorial expansion. The Compromise was passed to appease both factions of the anti-slavery North and pro-slavery south.
  • Specifically, the issue of slavery increased the sectional conflict between the North and South. The Northern antislavery faction advocated the entrance of California into the Union as a Free State. In addition, they continued to neglect the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, which angered the Southern states. Advocates of Popular Sovereignty proposed the right of New Mexico and Utah to decide and resolve the issue of slavery by themselves.

AFTER THE COMPROMISE

  • Many believed that the most significant part of the Compromise of 1850 was the amendment of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. The new law required free states to assist in returning runaway enslaved people to the slave states. It obliged federal judicial officials to oversee the strict implementation of the act. Refusal to arrest an alleged runaway was fineable with $1000. 
  • Moreover, aiding a runaway was considered punishable by six months imprisonment and a fine of $1000. Meanwhile, officers who captured runaways were rewarded by the federal government. 
  • Also, under the compromise, the slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia but not slave ownership. Despite this, enslavers were able to buy enslaved people in Virginia and Maryland.  
  • The Compromise of 1850 led to the more-eager antislavery Whigs since it was seen as favoring the South. Citizens of the North became more participative in the Abolitionist Movement, while the antislavery Whigs emerged as the Republican Party.
  • For a time, President Fillmore believed that the Compromise was the end of sectional issues between the North and the South and the polarizing debate over slavery. However, the Compromise was not totally accepted by many. 
  • The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act underwent the same Popular Sovereignty, which led to the event known as “Bleeding Kansas.”
  • Contemporary historians believed that the Compromise of 1850 merely delayed the American Civil War. The delay let the industrialization of the Northern states and the Southern states’ complete dependency on slave labor. 
  • Ten years after the Compromise, the American Civil War broke out.

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

  • Henry Clay Sr. was a co-founder of the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. He served as a representative to both the US Senate and the House of Representatives. Born in Virginia, Clay served as Speaker of the House under President James Madison and Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams. In 1832, he ran for president and was defeated by Andrew Jackson. Under Jackson’s presidency, Clay, Harrison, and Webster form the Whig Party. In 1844, he was defeated in the presidential election against James K. Polk. 
  • Stephen A. Douglas was a Senator from Illinois and one of the pivotal brokers of the Compromise of 1850. He advocated popular sovereignty, which both pro and antislavery supporters rejected. Douglas was considered a giant in politics despite his small stature, thus gaining him the nickname Little Giant. In 1860, Douglas became more famous as the rival of Abraham Lincoln. 
  • John C Calhoun was a great protector of white interests in the south and a supporter of slavery. He served as vice president to John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. In the last months of his term as vice president, Calhoun resigned and sought the  Democratic Party nomination for president but was lost to James K. Polk. Calhoun strongly believed in state’s rights and limited government, and these ideas impacted the secession of Southern states, which trigged the American Civil War. Before he died in 1850, he was a known opponent of the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850. 

Compromise of 1850 Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Compromise of 1850 Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about The Compromise which was passed by Congress to primarily pacify the issue of slavery and territorial boundaries between the North and South.

  • Compromise of 1850 Facts
  • 1850 Mapping
  • The Compromisers
  • North v. South
  • Concept Box
  • Rhyming Acrostic
  • Cause and Effect 
  • Union of Hearts
  • Complete My Date
  • Cartoon Analysis
  • Compromise Today

Frequently Ask Questions

What was the Compromise of 1850?

Henry Clay drafted a package of five bills to solve the sectional division between slave and free states. 

What was the cause of the Compromise of 1850?

When the Mexican-American War broke out, Southerners sought to expand their territories, thus extending slavery. As part of the Mexican Cession, Texas and California are left in the middle of becoming free states or slave states. 

How did the Compromise of 1850 lead to the Civil War?

The Compromise of 1850 further divided the North and the South. Its aim to mend the difference in ideologies failed. 

What did the Compromise of 1850 do?

First, it was an Act proposing Texas’s northern and western boundaries. Second is the admission of California to the Union as a Free State. Third, the establishment of Utah and New Mexico territorial governments concerning Popular Sovereignty on Slavery. Fourth was the suppression of the slave trade in the District of Columbia. Lastly, the controversial amendment of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.

What were the key issues that caused conflict between North and South?

States’ rights and slavery

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Compromise of 1850 Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 14, 2017

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources