Compromise Of 1850 Contribute To The Civil War Essay

The Compromise of 1850 played a major role in contributing to the start of the Civil War. With the Northern Republicans fighting to end slavery and unite the country and the Southern Democrats, the tension between the two was at an all time high. Although that the settlement that was agreed upon was supposed to help by pleasing both sides, it rather acted as a temporary buffer to keep the North and South happy for the time being. With tensions at an all time high, it seems as though the thought of war was turning into more of a reality. The passing of the Compromise of 1850 was a major factor in leading to the Civil War because it extended the use of slavery in the South while the North gained free states and prohibited slave trade in specific places. Although slavery was unwanted by the North, the passing of the Compromise of 1850 benefited slavery in the Southern states.
By giving the South more slave territories and implementing the Fugitive Slave Act, the Compromise gave the South more power with slavery then they had before. When this happened the Northern leaders decided to take action. One of the biggest Northern advocates in this instance was Abraham Lincoln, who was elected in 1860, a passionate anti-slavery politician. Fed up with slavery, Lincoln foreshadowed violence in his first Inaugural Address by stating “There needs to be no bloodshed or violence; and there shall be none, unless it be forced upon the national authority (Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address).” What Lincoln meant by this is that if the South decided to not follow the Union, succeed, and keep using slavery, that they are basically asking for the Union to forcefully put an end to slavery. Examples like this show how the Compromise of 1850 put the North in a position to use force to try and end slavery and inevitably, the start of the Civil