California's desire to be admitted in the Union as a free state met the opposition of the South which saw this as a threat of the equilibrium. However, the Compromise had balanced this decision by agreeing on the Fugitive Slave Law, which stipulated serious punishments for any person aiding a fugitive Southern slave in the North. In this sense, consensus was reached and a certain balance was kept, while the basics of the democratic constitution were kept. (Rozwenc, 1957)
Secondly, there was the matter of political will which determined the desire to reach a middle ground. (Jenkins, 1997) at the time of the 1850 Compromise, the leadership was less divided in terms of slave and Free states. As the Union was a relatively new construction, the views expressed throughout the political debates were less intransigent than in the early 1860s. The election of Abraham Lincoln proved decisive in this sense. Aware of the growing tensions arising inside the union with regard to the issue of slavery, he advocated, throughout his electoral campaign and following his appointment, a determined policy of maintaining the Union at all costs. In this sense, he considered slavery to be a dividing element for the Union. In his famous speech "A divided house" Lincoln underlined the fact that "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all, one thing or all, the...
426). Therefore, he admitted no compromise solution. This can also be considered as an emphasis on one of the main causes of the Civil War that followed.
Finally, compromise was reached in 1850 and failed in 1860 also due to the fact that the American society was unprepared for a drastic move, either to admit slaves on the entire territory, or to abolish the practice in all states. This was largely due to the fact that, independent of the nature of labor; both the North and the South were in need of force labor. The difference however lied in the way each side perceived the notion of slavery. Nonetheless, the discussions would have focused more on the moral aspect of the affair rather than the need of slaves. On the other hand, in 1861, the political situation changed to such an extent that negotiations became impossible due to the intransigency of the competing sides.
Overall, it can be said that the 1850 Compromise was the proof of exercising democratic rule, despite its obvious shortcomings. It provided a solution for the issues the historical background had raised; at the same time, however, it postponed the resolution to the inevitable question of slavery, an issue that only the Civil War would eventually solve.
Bibliography
Fehrenbacher, Donald, ed. Lincoln: Speeches and Writings 1859-1865. Vol. 1. New York: Library of America, 1989.
Jenkins, Philip. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.
Rozwenc, Edwin C., ed. The Compromise of…
