Question
Why did Americans believe that the Compromise of 1850 resolved divisions over enslavement?
• It removed the Fugitive Slave Law that caused so many divisions
• It made the majority of people happy.
• It allowed Congress to interfere in the domestic slave trade.
• It allowed new states to determine if they permitted enslavement.
• It removed the Fugitive Slave Law that caused so many divisions
• It made the majority of people happy.
• It allowed Congress to interfere in the domestic slave trade.
• It allowed new states to determine if they permitted enslavement.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The belief that the Compromise of 1850 resolved divisions over enslavement primarily stemmed from the fact that it allowed new states to determine if they permitted enslavement. This aspect of the compromise included provisions like popular sovereignty, which meant that the residents of new territories could vote on whether to allow slavery.
The Compromise was seen as a way to balance the interests of slaveholding states and free states by admitting California as a free state while allowing for the potential of slavery in other new territories. Additionally, it included a stricter Fugitive Slave Law that some hoped would satisfy Southern states and reduce tensions. However, despite these measures, the Compromise ultimately did not resolve divisions and instead intensified the conflicts leading up to the Civil War.
So, among the options provided, **“It allowed new states to determine if they permitted enslavement”** most accurately reflects why many Americans believed that the Compromise of 1850 offered a solution to the ongoing strife over slavery.
The Compromise was seen as a way to balance the interests of slaveholding states and free states by admitting California as a free state while allowing for the potential of slavery in other new territories. Additionally, it included a stricter Fugitive Slave Law that some hoped would satisfy Southern states and reduce tensions. However, despite these measures, the Compromise ultimately did not resolve divisions and instead intensified the conflicts leading up to the Civil War.
So, among the options provided, **“It allowed new states to determine if they permitted enslavement”** most accurately reflects why many Americans believed that the Compromise of 1850 offered a solution to the ongoing strife over slavery.