In 1850, tensions were high in the United States over the issue of the extension of slavery in the new western territories acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. “Free Soil” Abolitionists wanted to see slavery limited to the South, while pro-slavery “Fire-Eaters” argued slavery was essential to a well-ordered society.
The California Gold Rush
The situation reached a boiling point when California requested admission to the Union after the territory’s population exploded due to the California Gold Rush. The California Constitution prohibited slavery. The Southern Fire-Eaters were outraged, fearing they would lose political power because there were 15 Free Soil States and 15 Slave States at the time. The admission of California as a Free State would shift power in the U.S. Senate away from the South.
The Compromise of 1850
The situation was ultimately diffused by the Compromise of 1850 which allowed California to enter the Union as a Free State but also included a new, more stringent Fugitive Slave Act. This law required people to help aid U.S. and local law enforcement officials in tracking down and returning escaped slaves to their owners.