There were many problems the United States faced while becoming a new nation. Territory boundaries, slavery, and voting issues often divided the country. Without solutions to these problems, our government would have failed and our nation would have self-destructed. The Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and Popular Sovereignty, are just a few examples of the attempts made to repair our nation.
In 1819, the issue of admitting Missouri as part of the United States arose. Previously, there was an even balance between slave and non-slave owning states. When a bill was proposed stating Missouri would gradually free it's slaves, southerners were threatened and prevented the bill's passage. In response to the southerners' outrage, a compromise was made in which Maine was admitted as a free state, and Missouri as a slave state, thus keeping the balance. The Missouri Compromise helped keep further slavery issues at bay.
The Compromise of 1850 also helped try to settle the slavery issue. Henry Clay thought the plan up, hoping to be able to please both the North and the South. For the North, California was admitted as a free state, and for the South, a new fugitive slave law was composed. Along with this, a new policy was also put into play.
Popular sovereignty was a policy supported by Clay that proposed giving New Mexico and Utah the right to vote on whether or not to become a slave or non-slave owning state. Working as part of the Compromise of 1850, Clay thought he had finally resolved the slavery issues. Popular sovereignty worked because it satisfied both the North and the South.
Unfortunately, despite the numerous attempts by the various political leaders, nothing seemed to put the issues at hand to rest. Everything proposed failed, leaving one side or the other feeling left out or unsatisfied. Thus, the slavery issue was brought to a head, and the Civil War began.
