Compromises In Bleeding Kansas

From the time the Constitution was adopted in 1789 to the Missouri Compromise in 1820 a shift in power occurred, this resulted in an expansion of the national governments authority over political and economic matters at the states expense. Hamilton’s economic policies, Marshall Supreme Court decisions, and the Louisiana Purchase were the fundamental factors that lead to this transfer of power. Though not without a fight from the Jefferson Democratic Republican party who supported a limited government and a strict construction, whereas the ultimate contributors to this exchange, the federalist, wanted to extend the powers of the government in order to create institutions that could strengthen the new country. However, despite opposition and pleas against these matters, the means and support behind the federal government proved to strong to prevent this sway and power.

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas or the Bloody Kansas period of violence during the settling of the Kansas territory and included the fight about whether or not the state should be a slave state or a free state. Stephen Arnold Douglas and Augustus C. Dodge of Iowa Kansas and Nebraska Conflict 1854 South wanted a slave state The Kansas-Nebraska Act setted the scene by allowing the territory of Kansas to decide for itself whether it would be free or slave.

DBQ: Political Disputes 1820-1860 For forty-four years, the United States of America was a thriving country. We had won our independence from Great Britain and we had started to create a country that would change the world. Yet, in the year 1860, a joined country and political agreement between all states seemed utterly impossible. People fought with each other so deeply about slavery, the country was divided between slave and free states. By the time of 1820 through 1860, political disagreement grew so large, there had been only one answer.

The compromise was a backhanded deal that decided the controversial election of 1876 between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden. This lead to a power vacuum that lead to the KKK and old confederate leaders being able to

DBQ #5: Manifest Destiny When George Washington left office, he described American government as he wanted it to be. One of the four criteria he mentioned was his condemnation of partisan politics. However, few, if any, politicians headed this advice. Almost exclusively, bipartisan politics became a fact of American government; this placed yet another obstacle in the path of legislation that would allow the United States to progress socially, economically, and politically. An almost perfect example of the complexities caused by partisan politics is the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt by the U.S Congress to settle divisive issues between the North and South, including slavery expansion, apprehension in the North of fugitive slaves, and slavery in the District of Columbia. The Compromise of 1850 failed because Senator John C. Calhoun from the South and Senator William Seward from the North could not agree on what Henry Clay was putting down. Part of the compromise was to make California a slavery free state which benefits the North, and enforcing a stricter fugitive slave law which benefits the South. Both the North and South opposed what the other was benefiting from. What sparked the failure of the Compromise was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

The Missouri Compromise was made as an attempt to deal with the debate that had been going on about slavery. It lasted thirty-four years, but never truly made the North orouth totally happy with the situation. Although the Missouri Compromise did push back the debate on slavery in Missouri, it did not solve the problem as a whole. The tension between the North and South was, in fact reduced for a period of time. Once the Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional, the tension once again grew.

It was clear that during Lincoln’s presidency, the American political system had failed. The South wanted to cede from the Union, and this was only one of the problems going on during this period of time. The division between the North and the South was extremely prominent; they were both passive enemies. The South wanted the right to own slaves and induce slavery, while the North thought slavery was immoral and unjust while referring to the Constitution for argumentative backup.

America’s founders created the constitution in order to create unification and order in the United States. However, there have been controversy surrounding the interpretation of the constitution, this has caused debate over many issues within the country. These issues and the lack of wartime policy within the constitution directly lead to the Civil War, which was one of the worst alterations this nation has faced. The Missouri compromise, the Dred Scott decision, and Bleeding Kansas were controversial issues surrounding the constitution that directly lead to the Civil War.

Bleeding Kansas was the progression of rough encounters in Kansas, and the different towns of Missouri, taking place after the death of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. The conflict with Bleeding Kansas included clashes between anti and pro slavery aggressor activists from 1854-1861 that achieved a condition of a low force common war. The outskirt war known as Bleeding Kansas was a vital indicate that drove the street to the American Civil war. The John Brown raid on Harper's Ferry took place on October 16, 1859 in the town of Harper's Ferry in Virginia.

The slaughter of the bison played a big factor in the Plains Indian’s removal to the reservations. The bison was a way of life for the nomadic tribes of the plains; it was a source of food, shelter, fuel, and a central part of their religion and rituals (Roark 540). While a way of life for the Indians, bison for the white Americans were not. Even though the army took credit for the conquest of the Plains Indians, it was mostly the destruction of the bison herd that the victory is due to (Roark 540). In 1867, more than five thousand Comanches, Kiowas, and Southern Arapahos gathered at Medicine Lodge Creek in Kansas to negotiate a treaty, and signed the treaty agreeing to move to reservations (Roark 540).

During the pre-civil war time period— also known as the antebellum years— America experienced a widespread transformation for the sake of its economy. With the booming belief of the Manifest Destiny, America’s constant desire for westward expansion caused disputes between the North and the South regarding the establishment of free states and slave states, which led to certain compromises such as the Missouri Compromise. After the Market Revolution, the North and South used its new gained land to create different means of economic gains; the North became industrialized through manufacturing, while the South became an agricultural industry dependent on cotton. However, as America’s boundaries expanded, tensions between the North and South grew, often leading to compromises in bloodshed. The drastic differences between the two groups eventually transformed America into a divided nation of sectionalism economically, politically, and socially.

“The policy of this country ought to be…to nationalize our country, so that we shall love our country,” states Senator John Sherman in Document B. Throughout the years of 1860-1876, several events occurred, that were said to have “amounted in a revolution” over time. Complete succession of South Carolina from the Union in December of 1860 led a trail of states to leave over the course of time, leading to issues for the Union. Equal rights and privileges, and power of the federal government became topics that most often created enormous debates in these chaotic 17 years. The United States had a lack of nationality and obviously there was lack of unity. All of this chaos built up and effected the way America was managed.

There were many important Compromises between the years of 1820 and 1860, some that worked completely and some that didn’t. In the early nineteenth century, people were good at compromising and making things work for everyone. How long did perfect compromising actually last? Slavery began to split the nation apart, causing compromising to become hard to do.

In retrospect, the history of the antebellum America is quite fascinating. During this period, the young republic faced several challenges. One of the most serious ones was the slavery issue. Reading the related materials, people might understand that the Founding Fathers had actually pondered about the solution to the issue; however, they did not pursue it because they foresaw possible turmoil in American politics. Unfortunately, the issue kept simmering until it reached the boiling point which resulted in the disastrous Civil War.