KEY TERMS Key Terms and People to Know for the Regents Exam
Missouri Compromise
This tried to address to controversy over the extension of slavery into the West (South of the 36˚30’ line=slave, North=free). Missouri was added as a slave state and Maine as a free state (this kept the balance between slave/free in the Senate).
Compromise of 1850
Like the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850 attempted to settle conflicts between the North and the South over admission of states to the Union. California was added as a free state, the South got a tougher Fugitive Slave Act.
Fugitive Slave Act
The most controversial element of the Compromise of 1850 was the Fugitive Slave Act (which made it easier for slave owners to recapture runaway slaves in the North). Many runaway slaves went to Canada because this act kept them at risk in the US.
Popular Sovereignty
Popular sovereignty gave settlers the right to vote on whether slavery would be legal in their territory. The principle of popular sovereignty was an important part of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.