With the Compromise of 1850, Congress had addressed the immediate crisis created by the recent territorial expansion.īut one aspect of the compromise – a strengthened fugitive slave act – soon began to threaten sectional peace. Though a fugitive slave clause was included in the Constitution and supported by legislation since the founding of the nation, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 added several new regulations. Douglas of Illinois stepped forward with substitute bills, which passed both Houses. It initially voted down his legislative package, but Senator Stephen A. In one of the most famous congressional debates in American history, the Senate discussed Clay’s solution for seven months. Adding more "free state" senators to Congress would destroy the balance between "slave" and "free" states that had existed since the Missouri Compromise of 1820.īecause everyone looked to the Senate to defuse the growing crisis, Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky proposed a series of resolutions designed to "adjust amicably all existing questions of controversy.arising out of the institution of slavery." Clay attempted to frame his compromise so that nationally minded senators would vote for legislation in the interest of the Union. In 1849, California requested permission to enter the Union as a "free state" – meaning one where slavery was banned.
These tensions became especially critical when Congress began to consider whether western lands acquired after the Mexican-American War would permit slavery. By 1850 sectional disagreements related to slavery were straining the bonds of union between the North and South.
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