h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Compromise of 1850 - A17248782
Author: Kyra - Lest We Forget - U1572880

Hi

Hi

Looks good, though the Entry would rely heavily on other Entries for background information.

"to pay of its" --> off

Kyra - I'd suggest merging this with The Missouri compromise.

I was planning on doing that, but then there'll be two relatively unrelated subjects under one entry, what would I call it?

Development of the Constitution of The Unitest States ?

Practical Application of the United States Constitution ??

Political Barriers to the Growth of the United States. ???

I dunno either, but the two are sort of inter-twined.

I don't think so, they aren't really related, except in that they are political decisions leading up to the US Civil War, and there are hundreds of them.

US Compromises in the 19th Century?

I think the two entries should remain two entries. They have a few things in common: they both occurred in the 1800s and they both concerned slavery. Lots of events, political and social, concerned slavery in the 1800s. I don't think that's enough to tie these two together without adding a lot of other information that doesn't center on the Missouri Compromise or the Compromise of 1850.

A few points caught my attention, though. You've titled your entry the Compromise of 1850, but it seems the focus is mostly on the Fugitive Slave Act. What were the consequences of other aspects of the Compromise?

If California was allowed to enter as a free state, didn't this throw the balance of slave and free representation in congress? Anything significant come from that? The popular sovereignty idea didn't become law until a few years later.

Was the territory claimed by Texas and the 'other lands' won in the Mexican-American war the same land? If not, what became of the land Texas was forced to relinquish?

The slave market in Washington was abolished, but slavery still existed... does this mean slave owners in Washington had to go elsewhere to purchase slaves? Is it relevant where the other markets were located or how many there were?

If the Fugitive Slave Act only served to further enrage northerners, how did this help delay the beginning of the Civil War?

A3245140 looks at the beginning of the Civil War, you might find some information there.

with this!

Kyra, I just wanted to question the phrase "United States Civil War". Wasn't the whole point of the war that the south had seceded from the Union? In a sense, the question the war was fought to decide was whether the south was part of the United States, so I don't think it was until the war was concluded and won by the north. That's my grasp of the situation anyway. The war is definitely better known as the American Civil War.

That's a fair point, but I've been told that the current PC term is US Civil War cos plenty of other American nations have had civil wars But I'll bow to popular opinion

In the Guide it's pretty consistently referred to as the American Civil War. Less confusing to keep it that way.

I've changed that, but I'll work on the earlier changes a little later The net doesn't have much more info than I have, so I'm gonna go to my uni library in a few days.

Dammit, just written answers then lost it

I've added more about the repercussions of the compromise.

"If California was allowed to enter as a free state, didn't this throw the balance of slave and free representation in congress? Anything significant come from that?"

Yes, it did, which is why the compromise was needed. It ultimately divided the north and the south further, but it postponed the secession for a decade.

"The popular sovereignty idea didn't become law until a few years later"

I've added that it was later known as pop sov.

"Was the territory claimed by Texas and the 'other lands' won in the Mexican-American war the same land? If not, what became of the land Texas was forced to relinquish?"

No, the land ceded to the US by Mexico was west of the Rio Grande, Texas claimed what was east of it. The land Texas relinquished was given to New Mexico.

"The slave market in Washington was abolished, but slavery still existed... does this mean slave owners in Washington had to go elsewhere to purchase slaves?"

They couldn't buy or sell slaves in Washington, but they still owned their slaves' children. I can't find out if they could still transport slaves to other states in order to buy or sell. I'd guess not, because that would be tantamount to trading.

"Is it relevant where the other markets were located or how many there were?"

I don't see how, or where on earth I could find that info. It's not got much to do with the compromise anyway.

"If the Fugitive Slave Act only served to further enrage northerners, how did this help delay the beginning of the Civil War?"

It postponed secession, and many southerners thought that it would be the end of the debate over slavery. It delayed the war for a decade, but it didn't do anything other than offer a bandaid, obviously. But without the compromise war probably would've started earlier.

Let me know if I've missed anything or need to clarify more

This is good, Kyra. I never knew about The Compromise until reading this article

Thanks

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Woohooo!!


Well Done, Kyra!





lil xx

Thanks