1. Brittney Weber California’s intriguing years of the 1850’s “The Fight for Slavery in California” By: James M. McPherson
2. The admission of California off-balanced free and slave states Threats of the south separating from the Union started once the decision of whether California would be a free state or not Although the south used the argument that the balance in power would be shifted in favor of the north, the Chivalry dominated the Democratic Party Compromise of 1850- California would be admitted as a free state in return for New Mexico and Utah no restrictions on slavery and stricter laws for returning escaped slaves into free states North vs. south
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4. Invading Cuba In hopes to balance the slave/free states, Polk administration opted for adding Cuba Would have added 400,000 slaves to the U.S. Twice: 1850-1851 1st time Spanish soldiers drove them away 2nd time 200 invaders were killed and the rest captured and suffocated Narciso Lopez in Havana and American prisoners killed Admission of other states 1858 and 1859 Minnesota and Oregon admitted as free states Kansas was a free state after the south lost their campaign for slavery Road to disunion
5. Freed Labor The New York Times states, “freed labor is more ‘efficient’ than slave labor” Emancipated slaves worked better under Northern employers than they did in the south With the north gaining workforce, the article predicted the economy will acquire most or at least some of what the south did when they had slave labor “Veins of Wealth” Because the north gained cultivated land from the south, the belief was that the fortunes from their crops would help eliminate the national debt from the war The mines in California were thought to be around for at least 20 years and add to the wealth of the economy “the losses of war: how they are to be replaced”
6. Although the article touched on a few incidents that were partly true, for the most part, the article’s predictions were off. The gold mines in California may have helped the economy for a short time, but definitely not directly for 20 years. Predictions
