The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed the capture and return of fugitive slaves to their rightful owners within the territories of the United States. It was one of the five acts included in the...
Category - Provisions
Banning Slave Trade in Washington DC
As the nation’s capital moved from Philadelphia to Washington DC in 1800 more slaves were needed to build the infrastructure required for the new capital. Alexandria became one of the largest slave...
Admission of the State of California into the Union
The Compromise of 1850 admitted the State of California as the 16th free state of the Union. After the US-Mexico War the territory of California was governed by the military. Starting in January 1848...
Territorial Governments for Utah and New Mexico
The land of the territories of New Mexico and Utah were organized by the Compromise of 1850. Most of the land was gained in the Mexican-American War and under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo it was...
Setting geographical boundaries for the State of Texas
Texas was annexed by the US in 1845 becoming the 26th state. It entered the Union as a slave state, its Constitution considered illegal the unauthorized manumission of slaves in its territory. Texas...