Compromise of 1850 Three Views Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 996 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1+

Page 1 of 3

Seward provides evidence of this when he comments that the Constitution confers rights to the people of the states, not to the actual states. Finally,

Calhoun was as decorated a statesman as there was in 1850: former Vice President, Secretary of War and a present-day Senator from South Carolina. His history also included fighting for the rights of southern states to maintain slaves and for fomenting the Nullification Crisis of 1832. It was equally no surprise that his speech rejected the Compromise and the grounds he offered. Essentially, Calhoun's speech was an emotional ploy to the North to understand that without slavery the south could not exist and without the admission of additional slave states, the south could not be an equal partner in the union.

Calhoun's constitutional justification for rejecting the compromise was that the representational republicanism set forth in the Constitution required a semblance of balance of representation between the two distinct sections, the South and the North. However, Calhoun was a tough and hardened war hawk and his speech was not really about frothy emotional appeals to constitutional equality. (Latimer 920). He was primarily advising that with full concession to the South as to its demands of admitting slave states, the South would secede. Then, Calhoun's only questions to the north would be- when this happens, will you be taking up arms against us.

Favoring the notion of the compromise was Daniel Webster.

Stuck Writing Your "Compromise of 1850 Three Views" Essay?

View All Our Example Compromise of 1850 Three Views Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

Webster was steeped in federalism and favored a stronger federal government. His speech is one of appeasement to the south for the sake of preserving the union. Webster cites to the constitutional acknowledgment of slavery and the relative deleterious impact of abolitionism on the nation as a whole as moral justification for supporting the Compromise. His only real objective is to prevent secession.

For many years prior to this, Webster had become a union preservationist, though his willingness to appease the slave holders is sometimes described as a direct causative factor of the Civil War, in that Webster indicated to the South that a show of force was all that Southern states needed to do obtain what they wanted. His position in 1850 contrasts sharply with his position in 1833, when he supported the use of force to collect tariffs in the face of South Carolina's nullification ordinances (endorsed by none other than Calhoun). (Lodge).

The contributions of Calhoun, Webster and Seward to the nation's overall strength and vigor cannot be denied. In March of 1850, though they were not three men working for the same end from different points of origin. Each man had a separate agenda and each had the backing of certain segments of the population. It is not surprising therefore, that the Union could not stay united when confronted with these opposing forces pulling from all directions......

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Compromise Of 1850 Three Views" (2010, July 01) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/compromise-1850-three-views-9969

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Compromise Of 1850 Three Views" 01 July 2010. Web.5 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/compromise-1850-three-views-9969>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Compromise Of 1850 Three Views", 01 July 2010, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/compromise-1850-three-views-9969
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example