13. Millard FILLMORE was the last of 4 Whig presidents. He served less than one term from 1850 – 1853 after taking over when President Taylor died.
Before his presidency Fillmore was born into poverty to tenant farmers in upstate New York. He rose from this lowly beginning through study, and became a lawyer; he was elected to the NY Assembly and later to the U.S. House of Representatives. Throughout his career, Fillmore declared slavery an evil, but one beyond the powers of the federal government to regulate.
Compromise of 1850 had to be broken into five separate laws in order to win passage and Fillmore worked hard to make it happen. The 5 parts are FEAST: 1) Fugitive Slave Act; 2) End of slave trade in DC; 3) Admission of CA as a free state; 4) Slavery to be voted on in UT & NM Territories; and 5) TX boundary was settled.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is an anti-slavery novel which had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery and helped fuel the abolitionist movement. It depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century. There was a story that when Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, he declared, “So this is the little lady who started this great war.” Although it is probably not true, it reflects how influential the book was. The book also popularized a number of stereotypes about black people including an “Uncle Tom,” or dutiful, long-suffering servant faithful to his white master or mistress.
Fugitive Slave Act was a very controversial part of the Compromise of 1850. Under it slaves in free states had to be returned. The South liked this provision, but it greatly angered many Northerners who could be jailed for helping escaped slaves.
Free state of California was admitted and the slave trade (but not slavery) in DC (District of Columbia) was ended. Northerners liked both of these parts, but Southerners didn’t; they felt it voided the Missouri Compromise because almost one third of CA is south of the 36th parallel. The new compromise also set Texas’ boundaries at their present form with TX giving up its claims north of the 36th parallel (36 & ½ degrees). Since TX was a slave state, this basically agreed with the MO Compromise of 1820.
Slavery question would be voted on by popular sovereignty in the new territories of UT and NM which were carved out of the Mexican Cession. Although these settlers would be allowed to decide whether or not to allow slavery within their borders, it was unlikely they would choose it because most of these lands were unsuited to plantation agriculture. This vote did not technically void the MO Compromise because these lands had not been part of the LA Purchase and thus were never subject to the MO Compromise. The South prevented adoption of the Wilmot Proviso that would have outlawed slavery in all the new territories.
After being president, Fillmore later ran for president again. In retirement, he was active in many civic endeavors; he helped in founding the University of Buffalo and served as its first chancellor. During the Civil War, Fillmore denounced secession and agreed that the Union must be maintained by force if necessary. (All from Wikipedia)
