Compromise In the year 1850, disagreement between the North and the South about slavery was growing. An earlier settlement called the Missouri Compromise had helped to solve the problem for about 30 years. As in any compromise, neither side was completely satisfied, but each got part of what it wanted. Then in 1849, California asked to join the Union as a free state. There were 15 slave states and 15 free states. Adding another free state would upset the balance. Henry Clay was known as the “Great Compromiser.” He worked to keep the states united. In 1849, Clay was elected to the U. S. Senate from Kentucky. As a senator, he wanted to find a way to solve the controversy (serious arguments) between the North and South. A number of issues needed to be resolved: The first was statehood for California. Congress was not likely to approve admission for another free state. The United States had been at war with Mexico, and as a result, the federal government got new territory. Should the territory allow slavery or not? Texas claimed that its territory extended to Santa Fe. The government disagreed; that is, it disputed Texas’s right to expand into what is now New Mexico. Slaves were traded in Washington, D. C. Many believed that was wrong in the capital of the nation. Clay presented his ideas in the Senate, hoping to keep the country united. Not everyone agreed with Clay’s ideas, and a debate lasted for months. Clay asked that California become a state, but Congress could not decide whether it would be free or slave. Clay proposed that the people living in a territory set up on land gained in the war with Mexico could decide the question of slavery for themselves. Also, the borders of Texas would not include any part of New Mexico. In return, Texas would be paid for the land in dispute. Slavery in the District of Columbia could not be ended without the people’s consent. However, slaves could no longer be traded in the nation’s capital. Laws would provide for the return of runaway slaves. Finally, Congress would have no power over the trading of slaves between slave states. Months of debate in the Senate followed Clay’s proposals. John C. Calhoun, senator from South Carolina, was leader of the opposition. He wrote a response but was too ill to deliver it, so another senator read it for him. Clay’s legislation was voted down, but then Daniel Webster, a senator from Massachusetts, and Stephen A. Douglas, a senator from Illinois, helped win approval for a compromise. Douglas later became famous for his debates with Abraham Lincoln. The Compromise of 1850 included five acts of Congress. The laws covered the main issues that had come up because of California’s request to become a free state. They were based on Clay’s resolutions. California could join the Union as a free state. The settlers in the territories of New Mexico and Utah would be able to vote on whether they would allow slavery or not. Texas received 10 million dollars. In return, Texas had to give up claims to disputed territories. The Fugitive Slave Law went into effect. Runaway slaves were to be returned if they were caught, but the slave trade ended in the District of Columbia. The Compromise of 1850 solved the problem for a time, but conflicts soon grew again. A major point of contention, that is, a point that caused a great deal of argument, was the Fugitive Slave Act. Northerners believed it was too unfair to slaves. Many still helped slaves escape to Canada through the Underground Railroad. Because of the Fugitive Slave Law, another compromise was not possible. Eventually the Civil War broke out in 1861, and North and South fought in battle after battle until the war ended in 1865. A black and white sketch of a man wearing a dark business suit is talking and pointing to a crowd of people. How does the author help the reader understand Clay’s difficulty in reaching a lasting compromise? Select two options. A. by describing the election of Clay to the U. S. Senate B. by explaining the actions of the Underground Railroad C. by describing the argument about the Fugitive Slave Law D. by explaining the dispute over the Missouri Compromise E. by discussing the admission of New Mexico to the Union F. by discussing the angry debate about California’s borders