Show r p f M f i 1 i ff 1 i 4 i it 0 ft W WS tUE I flaa La O a S e S e e c cO O Home ore Study Circle f f r f 4 by b Seymour 4 4 t Directed by b Prof Prof Seymour Eatn Eatna Eaton a W 43 4 AMERICAN POL rC PASTIES PARTIES PARTIS OP OF MEXICAN WAR WAB WABBY WA WARBY BY Y JESSE JS MACY MA y LL D The New New Territory The final filial settlement with Mexico co at atthe the th the to war gave gave to the United States State another enormous addition additon of territory r which included California Texas Tex Nevada Utah tah New Mexico Arizona Alzona and parts of Wyoming and Colorado Shortly Shorty before this in 1846 a treaty with Great Britain adjusted our northwestern n boundary and se secured secure secured cured cure an undisputed title tte to the states of ot o Oregon and amI Washington Wahington This with the Gadsden Gadsen purchase from Mexico Meco in 18 3 of a strip lying south of Arizona 1 and adNew New Mexico fixed fed the boundaries of the United States as they still sti re remain remain remain main main While the ratification of the Mexican treaty was still sun pending occurred the discovery of gold in California which led leti le amid great gat excitement to the pour pourIng pourIng Ing lug in of ot a hood flood too of adventurous population lation laton heterogeneous h in character but much of It rough and lawless and all al moved moed by the overmastering greed of ay sold to the southern slave slaveholder slaveholder slaveholder holder But they were w displeased likewise with wih the nominee of the free soil soU party part Many a felt feI that they were tricked and insulted by the te effort efort to force them to t vote vot for a lifelong Dam Dem Democrat De and a man ma of Martin Martn Van Bu Burens Buren reps rens ren s principles The Wilmot proviso had dealt a blow to national politics which was wa ulti ultimately ultimately to rupture the Democratic party par party party ty permanently to t kill kl the Whig Wig party part outright and to create crete in n a new ness Republican party paty But all al this could not have been accomplished d without the lamentable failure of the Whigs Wigs in party partY wisdom as a well wl as a in true te states statesmanship statesmanship manship after their send second rise to power in 1848 The Situation in i 1850 California presented herself for state statehood statehood hood in December 1819 IS 19 She had a 3 population in excess of the te require requirement requirement ment ment Most of It i teis as from the north northern ern em states some came from Europe much from the southern states state The conditions w re such as a imperatively demanded a settled ette government government Pres President PresIdent PresIdent ident Taylor the leading hero of the war was wa thoroughly conversant with the situation and urged on the move movement movement movement ment for entering the te Union Slavery 1 I aD t r L I M NAP MAP SHOWING TERRITORY 1 ACQ ACQUIRED UD PROM FROM FRO 1 MEXICO TEXICO I I II gold The whole of the territory ac from fro Mexico exico Texas Texa excepted was wa inhabited nha by Mexicans Spaniards and Indians none of them capable without long training of 0 appreciating and accepting a the principles of free I government g mt as fl understood unde by Anglo II Saxons q q J Here Hero were vere conditions ns to tax the I Strength th the wisdom and the vita a force of tle the th most mont t powerful the Ute most mot experienced and the most united of states stat s But the United States State was wa weakened by sectional e divisions I every problem of statesmanship which arose was wa now complicated by the in inevitable inI I evitable slavery question tion and its dis discussion dis disI I embittered ered by the personal I which every to slavery aroused Thoughtful patriots looked I anxiously into the future Should the new possessions W 1 b dedicated d to free freedom I I dom or ort to slavery Gould Could north and andI I south agree agee e upon up division Texas was wa conceded nc e to o ery UY what should I he be b done with wih toe the rest The Wilmot Proviso At the very outbreak of the Mexican 1 war it I was wa foreseen forese that the result I would be b an addition to the posses possessions possessions possessions of the United Unite States and that such accessions would unavoidably in involve involve volve divided opinions respecting the extension of f slavery sll er to the new soil soilA soi A A hill bill bi was before the house in 1846 to appropriate wa money me for the purchase of territory from Mexico Meic when David Wilmot a Democratic member from Pennsylvania and a d a warm friend of the administration moved to attach to the bill a proviso excluding slav slavery cry ery bil r from any territory so gained gired Von likens the proposal of such a amaure measure maure to the springing of a mine which shook both the Union and slav slavery slaver cry ery er to their very very foundations The amendment passed the house but though repeatedly brought up it i never passed the senate Still Sti the bare sug suggestion geston was sufficient greatly greaty to in inflame Inflame flame fae the south while the principle embodied embie in it was wa at first eagerly adopted in the north by men of all al parties art s The settlement of the status of the purchased territory In respect to slav slavery sla slay ery 07 y was seen sen by north and south to tob tobe 1 be b imperative and southern Democrat DemocratIc Ic leaders determined to oppose I the t 1 principle of the Wilmot proviso Many lIany I northern Whig newspapers declared for forit fori forIt it i and while seeking to avoid the un tempered zeal and fanaticism of the Liberal Iberal party strove to commit the Whig to its support rt Antislavery Whigs Wigs hoped by hy supporting the Wil Wilmot Wi Wilmet mot met In the te election electon of 1848 to toI I I draw all an the antislavery forces to a aI union within the Whig party paty But as a ae I we e have seen sn the the Whigs were again too tOr timid to promulgate definite defnie party principles and once more shirked the thereal thereal real issue lue hoping to appear as the op opponents opponents I of f slavery extension while placing at t the head hea of their ticket the theof I name of It a a Louisiana sugar planter plater and andI I who should attract south southern southern ern era votes vote The panacea for the national disorder disorder disorder der proposed props by the Democratic nom nominee nominee inee moe was wa the principle of sov soy sovereignty which would leave the peo people I pIe of o each territory to decide for themselves the question Queston of freedom or l i slavery The Whigs gained the elec election i tion through the defection of the anti antislavery ant antislavery slavery Democrats of ot New York but nothing nO hing was settled thereby and both the abolitionists and ad the slavery fac faction facton faction tion th grew only the more determined ton Meantime gew antislavery sentiment had been growing stronger in the Demo DOmo gwing 1 rUe party as well wel as a among the I i Whigs Various Democratic county Wigs I conventions held in n the north during j t the campaign of 48 passed resolutions I demanding the support of oT the Wilmot I proviso The revolt of the New York YorkI I barnburners or Democrats Democrat I va followed by a 0 similar party defection defection tion ton In Illinois and Wisconsin while other northern states were represented er by Democratic delegates In the New York state convention at Utica and in the tIe national convention i at at Buffalo Bufalo which both nominated Van VanBuren Vant t Buren Brn as 8 the candidate candidate for forthe forthe forthe the presidency Throughout the cam campaign campaign the antislavery Democrats Democrat pro prof I f tested tete against the opinion an announced ani i I houn d by a ass that congress had no noI I constitutional power to prohibit slav slavery ery ry There were Whig antislavery bolt ers era er also 01 though in many lany states the party maintained mantill a gloomy gh my and anxious anxious ious bits silence At the same sauie time certain I newspaper supporters of Taylor ceased I 1 notto no not t te proclaim that the Whig party t north nor Is the true bue antislavery slaver party bf the t e republic and antI that the Wilmot f proviso if His is now and ever eve has ha been the tue doctrine of the Whigs Wigs of the free fre states Other northern newspapers made frequent allusions to the Whig principles of the Wilmot proviso A large number of the members of the party solemnly pledged themselves to vote for no man who was not a de declared declared dared opponent to the introduction of slavery into the territories ries True to this pledge the Whigs of tle the western I reset ve ce e in Ohio formally repudiated the party nominee and averred 3 vo that the Whig V had h d been basely be was wa excluded by Mexican law from the he t whole of the newly purchased ter territory r and the constitution adopted bv by the he t California convention expressly prohibited p it it The south south under a Democratic ad administration administration ministration had ha brought on the war for f or the sake of maintaining t and ex extending extending tending ending t southern power through the extension e of slave territory The out outcome come ome c iad been ben the acquisition of a do domain domain domain main far exceeding its it hopes hope But now it i t appeared that freedom fredom might gain more than slavery after all al and Cali CaI California fornia ornia f the richest province of the whole threatened to slip at once from southern s grasp gasp Whigs united with the Democrats in m opposing opposing ing I ng the admission of California unless the he t government would woul give assurances of protection to the te interests of slavery slaver m in i n the rest ret of the new purchase and they hey t called caled upon the president to aid them hem t in their ther purpose pure by refusing his signature s to the California bill bi The sterl s old warrior answered that he would sign any constitutional law law passed passe by congress conge ana and led his ques questioners i t to infer that he favored the application of the tho Wilmot proviso to the he t territories To threats threat by southern congressmen that th t they would dissolve the he t Union he replied by declaring him himself himself self s elf ready redy to take tae the field field eld in person peron to t o enforce his laws las and to hang without mercy mey mr the very states statesmen state statesmen men to whom he spoke sk should they be betaken betaken beaken taken aken t in rebellion He was to be no tool of the slave power it was clear Indeed his chief counselor lor was wa now the he t young and ardent William H H Sew Sev Sevard Seward Seward ard of New York whose farsighted aim it was to make the Whig the great geat exponent and ad agent of the opposition to slavery savery extension This Thu sentiment had always existed in all al the states north and d south it i had al always always always ways been strong in the Whig party and was wa gaining ground in the Demo Democratic Democratic cratic party Northern abolitionists with wih the exception of the extreme wing which was wa always i numerically small smal would have been beer won by a sincere and straightforward course on the part of the Whigs to a r L hearty alliance to that party Dart Had Hac I Taylor lived 1 and had bad ha the other Wh leaders aders l been able to see Be that tat now as a never before there ther lay before them an at opportunity to make their party a truly national party a compact fully organ organized organized organIzed political force Abased based upon an am issue in the broadest brOdet sense popular and national had ha they but held calmly and firmly to the th principles already associated with wih the party name the thu principles of noninterference with the thu affairs of the individual states and un unflinching unflinching flinching resistance to slavery slaver in the thu territories then Indeed would the af of our history have haye have been dif different different different a ferent The times were ripe as a never neve before for the final triumph of nation nationalism nationalism over the threatened sectional dis disruption disruption and the great gat parties partes were the thi bonds the only bonds which might have been made strong song enough to hold holu the Union intact The Compromise of 1850 But once more Henry Henr Clay came for forward jward ward to smooth the tl tl troubled surface of o I the political waters with wih the oil oi of com corn compromise compromise promise He trusted to be able to heal hen all aU wounds adjust all an differences say save the Union and unite unit in brotherly har harmony harmony harmony mony the distrustful factions by bv the th mutual concessions which he demanded dema d from north and south The of e eight resolutions which were to all al this was wa as a stated by himself for bearance by the north nort to insist usa UDon the application of the Wilmot proviso to Utah and New Mexico l co forbearance e by the south to insist upon the express introduction of slavery slaver into those ter territories territories The particular points were e only anly the feathers to fly fy the te arrow California was wa to t be admitted as a free state the slave trade should b be e abolished in the District of Columbia t but slavery should remain a stringer stringent it law which the slave holders had long demanded should be Ii e enacted the claim of Texas Texa to a large e part of New Mexico should be Quieted d by a large money indemnity No inter ference ferenc with wih the Missouri M url compromise wa was suggested and no application of the doctrine of popular sovereignty sovereigty was wa to be made to t the new territories a After long debate debat and various varl r changes chang in form the for measures were wet meures finally passed The doom of the Vi Vii 4 party was wa now sealed le and the re tragedy of our history h tr drew dress on ont t t |