Compare And Contrast The Sectional Compromises Between 1820 And 1850

By 1860, the United States of America had turned into the Divided States of America. The once unified country had let slavery divide the country by a thin red line. A thin red line of blood being shed by slaves and those fighting for what they believe to be right and moral. This thin red line caused those of the North and South to lose sight of the purpose of the United States; a country that was created as a haven for all, where anyone could be viewed with equality, and freedom was tangible for every person. Rather the United States began to create social classes that were next to impossible to discard. Those in their social class were stuck for generations to come. The thin red line is what made any sectional compromises impossible as well

In the past, compromises seemed to work for a short period of time but would often quickly end in a failure. By the time 1860 rolled around, any new compromise ideas that would truly work seemed to be vanishing. Numerous amounts of compromise ideas had already been tried. New ideas were beginning to come in short and unsuccessful. Also the country had been more unified previously. While they did not always agree, they at least could manage their differences. By 1860, the tables had turned. The country was not willing to negotiate with their rival. The South was not willing to stand down for the cause of slavery and the North was not willing to stand for the cause of slavery. Both the North and the South had too much pride that was not going to be swallowed any time

The only job they truly fulfilled was to delay the beginning of the Civil War. By 1860, the Civil War could not be delayed any longer. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Impending Crisis of the South, and John Brown at Harper’s Ferry were just a few elements that made compromise difficult. Uncle Tom’s Cabin opened many Northerner’s eyes to the reality of the cruelty of slavery. The Impending Crisis of the South showed how non-slave owning whites were the only ones who truly suffered from slavery. John Brown at Harper’s Ferry confirmed to many Southerners that all of the Northerners were a bunch of crazy people willing to eliminate slavery no matter the cost. With simply these three different elements, those living in the North and the South were not willing to sit back and let compromises occur any longer. People were ready to fight for what they believed to be justifiable, and thus the Civil War would begin. A compromise was also slightly difficult to come about with the laws that were in place. The Dred Scott decision, for example, brought about the clause that Congress could not make any laws regarding slavery within the territories. A compromise cannot be reached regarding the case of slavery if Congress cannot make any laws in reference to slavery. This then caused a compromise in 1860 to be quite difficult to come about compared to the compromises that had been created in the