Congress and the Crisis of the 1850s

“When the Victims of Oppression Stand Up Manfully for Themselves”

120 Spencer R. Crew “When the Victims of Oppression Stand Up Manfully for Themselves” The Fugitive Slave Law of  and the Role of African Americans in Obstructing Its Enforcement The opening months of 1850฀were฀a฀time฀of฀challenge฀for฀the฀nation ฀ and฀ for฀ the฀ Thirty-First฀ Congress.฀ The฀ successful฀ war฀ against฀ Mexico฀and฀the฀acquisition฀of฀new฀lands฀once฀again฀raised฀the฀issue฀of฀the฀ place of slavery in the nation. These were issues similar to those that had appeared with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which also dramatically increased ฀the฀size฀of฀the฀country.฀Southerners฀wanted฀assurances฀that฀they฀ could฀bring฀slaves฀with฀them฀as฀they฀moved฀onto฀the฀new฀lands.฀They฀perceived ฀not฀having฀that฀option฀as฀a฀threat฀to฀both฀their฀economic฀well-being฀ and฀the฀political฀balance฀in฀Congress.฀There฀even฀was฀talk฀at฀the฀time฀of฀the฀ possibility of secession, but the Missouri Compromise of 1820 quieted those threats.฀Brokered฀by฀Henry฀Clay฀and฀others,฀the฀legislation฀produced฀an฀ uneasy฀truce฀that฀began฀steadily฀unraveling฀and฀reached฀fever฀pitch฀by฀1850.1 ฀ As฀the฀newly฀acquired฀Mexican฀territories฀sought฀recognition฀and฀eventual ฀statehood฀from฀Congress฀the฀divide฀between฀southern฀slaveholding฀states฀ and฀northern฀nonslaveholding฀states฀once฀again฀moved฀front฀and฀center.฀ Along฀with฀issues฀concerning฀the฀boundaries฀of฀these฀new฀states฀and฀whether฀ they฀would฀join฀the฀union฀as฀free฀or฀slave฀states,฀questions฀arose฀concerning฀ the฀slave฀trade฀in฀the฀District฀of฀Columbia฀and฀enforcement฀of฀fugitive฀slave฀ The฀title฀quotation฀is฀taken฀from฀Frederick฀Douglass,฀“The฀Anti-slavery฀Movement:฀A฀ Lecture฀by฀Frederick฀Douglass,฀before฀the฀Rochester฀Ladies’฀Anti-Slavery฀Society,฀Rochester,฀ 1855,” in Philip S. Foner, The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, 4 vols. (New York, 1950), 2:333–59. 1 Holman Hamilton, Prologue to Conflict: The Crisis and Compromise of ฀(Lexington,฀1964), pp. 11–13;฀John฀C.฀Waugh,฀On the Brink of Civil War: The Compromise of  and How It Changed the Course of American History (Wilmington,฀Del.,฀2003), pp. 8–13. The Fugitive Slave Law of  121 laws. Southerners saw themselves and their way of life under attack once again.฀They฀were฀alarmed฀by฀the฀actions฀of฀nearly฀every฀northern฀legislature ฀that฀had฀resulted฀in฀votes฀urging฀their฀congressional฀representatives฀to฀ act฀to฀bar฀slavery฀from฀all฀territories.฀In฀addition,฀several฀others฀had฀urged฀ the end of slavery and the slave trade in the District of Columbia.2 Henry L. Benning,฀a฀Georgia฀lawyer,฀expressed฀southern฀concerns฀when฀he฀wrote,฀“I฀ no more doubt that the North will abolish slavery the very Wrst moment it feels itself able to do it without too much cost, than I doubt my existence.”3 In฀the฀face฀of฀these฀beliefs,฀momentum฀was฀growing฀in฀the฀South฀for฀the฀ idea฀of฀leaving฀the฀Union฀to฀protect฀southern฀interests.฀As฀a฀way฀to฀seriously฀ examine this alternative, a call was issued in June 1850 for a convention of southern states in Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss the possibilities.4 ฀ The฀South฀was฀correct฀that฀northern฀sentiment฀against฀the฀spread฀of฀ slavery฀was฀growing.฀Abolitionists฀oVered฀the฀loudest฀dissent,฀arguing฀slavery ฀was฀morally฀corrupt฀and฀should฀be฀ended฀altogether.฀But฀most฀people฀in฀ the฀North฀were฀not฀abolitionists฀and฀did฀not฀seek฀to฀end฀slavery฀in฀existing฀ states. They were opposed to its spread to new states, as they believed in the importance฀of฀free฀labor฀as฀the฀backbone฀of฀American฀success.฀They฀saw฀ the small independent farmer as the best future for the nation, not unpaid, enslaved฀labor.฀They฀recognized฀the฀acknowledgment฀of฀slavery฀in฀the฀Constitution and therefore were not ready to abolish it, but for them slavery was not the future of the country. The hope was that it would eventually fade away฀or฀get฀squeezed฀out฀of฀existence.5 ฀ As฀Congress฀assembled฀in฀December฀1849, emotions continued to rise as political leaders hoped to Wnd a solution that would placate both sides. As฀was฀the฀case฀in฀1820, Henry Clay of Kentucky oVered a compromise he฀hoped฀might฀solve฀the฀dilemma.฀The฀plan฀had฀several฀parts฀to฀it.฀Some฀ focused speciWcally on California, Texas, and the land acquired from Mexico. Here the status of slavery was left to the determination of each new฀state฀as฀it฀emerged฀and฀sought฀admittance฀to฀the฀Union.฀Other฀parts฀ of ฀the฀compromise฀prohibited฀Congress฀from฀restricting฀the฀slave฀trade฀in฀ the states. Clay’s compromise continued slavery in the District of Columbia ,฀but฀ended฀the฀slave฀trade฀within฀its฀borders.฀Finally,฀it฀closed฀gaps฀in...