Why the Provision of Both 1820 and 1850 Didn't Stop the Civil War

Before the passing of the Missouri Compromise 1820, there was a difficult task of separating the North from the South as far as matters of slavery were concerned. There was tension between parties that were anti-slavery and those that were pro-slavery. There was a threat to upset the peace and balance that existed between Free states and slavery states that was caused by the order by Missouri 1819 which requested for the admission of the state in a Union as a slave state. In order to ensure peace between the two parts the congress decided to debate and after a long duration of the debate there was the recognition of the state as a slave state but also Maine was recognized as a free state. In the provision of 1820 there was the passing of an amendment that led to the drawing of an imaginary line that separated the border between the Free states and the slave states that was observed as the law until it was changed in 1854.

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The provision of 1890 was the work of congress to ensure that there was a diffusion of tension and conflict between political rivalries, which was started by the 1819 provision, which permitted slavery. Before the provision of 1890, the United States had 22 states, which were evenly separated between slave states and Free states. The conflict started when there was a condition for admission of Missouri which required the prohibition of slavery. The provision of 1820 has several impacts on the United States. It ensured that slavery trade did not spread to the rest of the Louisiana Purchase. The provision also ensured that the congress were responsible for the regulation of slavery in new territories an issue that came back to be an important topic in the provision of 1850.

The provision of 1820 involved disagreement between political rivals who wanted what was best for them. As much as there was an agreement and each party got, what they desired there was still imbalance which forced a division between the parties and which trailed down to the slave states and the Free States. The provision of 1820 did not prevent the civil war because it did not offer a lasting solution to the issue of slavery. It would have been best if the provision had solved the issue of slavery on its own instead of forming conditions for states to join the Union. The conditions required compromised in that they only solved the problem for a short time. By giving the congress the mandate to regulate slavery the provision, open leeway for more conflict.

One cause of the American civil war that lasted for four years is the difference between the North and the South as far as in terms of economic and social activities were concerned. The 1820 treaty was mainly about slavery and the differences between the North and South. Slavery being a social issue is what led to the provision of 1820, which did not offer the solution, but instead open a wider option for conflict through giving the congress more power and letting Missouri join the Union despite not abiding by the required conditions. Slavery was an important issue because it affected the economic activities in the country through the labor that slaves offered in the available plantations.

Similar to the provision of 1820 the provision of 1850 was meant to handle the issue of slavery. There was concern over the strength and unity of the Union that led to Senator Henry Clay to present a solution that he believed would keep the Union united. Slavery has become an important issue because it had spilt the nation. The provision of 1850 had five different components. One of the components is that California was admitted as a free state. Some new territories such as New Mexico and Utah had the option of making slavery legal. The once problematic border between Texas and New Mexico was fixed.

There were states that the slave trade was banned like the District of Columbia even if at that time slavery was still legal. And finally there was the enactment of a stronger fugitive law. The fugitive act was the most controversial part of the provision of 1850. It demanded that any federal official was to report a runaway slave and failure to do so would lead to a fine. Even though the provision of 1850 offered the intended solution, the solution was short-lived. The ideas presented by Senator Henry Clay received opposition from members that did not want any compromise with slavery. It can be argued that the provision of 1850 just like the provision of 1820 served their intended purpose. However the provision of 1850 only delayed the American civil war but did not help in preventing it.

The provision did not prevent the civil war because it had controversial components such as the fugitive act. The act led to conflict since some members were not for slavery. Conflict between the anti-slavery side and the pro-slavery side meant that eventually there would be war between the two parties. The provision had a bill which led to the republic of Texas giving up land. The ideas could have not been supported by some members who thought the land should belong to the Republic of Texas. Both the 1820 and 1850 provisions had the purpose of uniting the Union and deal with the issue of slavery. However while dealing with the issue of slavery, more conflict arose as conflicting parties wanted what was best for each one of them. The increasing tension between the North and the South just took time as the implementation of the two provisions continued. However, eventually the Union could not stick together anymore due to conflicting views, opinions and attitudes and therefore it meant that the two provisions could not prevent the American civil war. The two provisions touched on social issues being the slave trade, which affected the overall economic performance of each state.

Each state had plantations that were a great source of income and the slaves worked in the plantation to produce profits. Issues of compromising with slavery was seen as a threat by some parties and therefore there was the civil war. The Free states felt that they could do without the slaves while the slave states felt that compromising with the slaves would mean low productivity and eventually slow or lack of growth. The civil war was as a result of social and economic differences between the North and the South. The differences were to some extent brought about by the two provisions which did not serve the interest of both sides equally.