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This 1852 engraving by Henry S. Sadd, based on a painting by Tompkins H. Matteson, commemorates the political figures involved in the Compromise of 1850. The engraving depicts a symbolic gathering of American statesmen, highlighting key figures such as Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun at the center.

The composition features a personification of Columbia holding a copy of the U.S. Constitution, an allegorical representation of the Union’s stability.

Originally issued in 1852, the engraving was later modified during the Civil War era to reflect a stronger pro-Union stance. In this revised state, John C. Calhoun’s figure was replaced by Abraham Lincoln (originally shown without a beard, later revised again to include one), while other Southern politicians were substituted with Union-supporting figures such as Edward Everett, William Seward, and Benjamin Butler. Additionally, Major Robert Anderson took the place of former President James Buchanan.

Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of legislative measures passed by the U.S. Congress to address growing tensions between free and slave states over the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories. It was engineered primarily by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, with significant contributions from Daniel Webster and Stephen A. Douglas. The compromise sought to balance the interests of both Northern and Southern states, delaying but not resolving the sectional conflict that would ultimately lead to the Civil War.

The root of the controversy lay in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), which added vast new territories to the United States, including present-day California, Utah, and New Mexico. The question of whether slavery should be permitted in these new lands threatened to disrupt the fragile balance between free and slave states. The Wilmot Proviso, a proposal to ban slavery in these territories, had exacerbated sectional divisions, making compromise imperative.

The Compromise of 1850 consisted of five key provisions: (1) California was admitted as a free state, upsetting the previous balance in the Senate; (2) the territories of New Mexico and Utah were organized under the principle of popular sovereignty, allowing settlers to determine whether to permit slavery; (3) the slave trade (though not slavery itself) was abolished in Washington, D.C.; (4) Texas relinquished disputed land claims in exchange for federal debt relief; and (5) the Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened, requiring citizens and law enforcement in free states to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves.

While the compromise temporarily eased tensions, it proved to be a short-lived solution. The stricter Fugitive Slave Law, in particular, inflamed Northern opposition to slavery, as it compelled citizens to participate in enforcing the institution. Meanwhile, Southerners increasingly viewed any restriction on slavery as a threat to their way of life. The uneasy peace brokered by the Compromise of 1850 ultimately unraveled with the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and the intensification of sectional discord in the years leading up to the Civil War.