2004-9-15
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VOICE ONE:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.
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In eighteen-fifty, the Congress of the United States debated an
important compromise proposal. The compromise dealt mostly with the
national dispute over slavery. The dispute threatened to split the
northern and southern parts of the country. There was a danger of
war. Many leaders in the north and south supported the compromise.
But, President Zachary Taylor did not.
VOICE TWO:
Taylor did not think there was a
crisis. He did not believe the dispute over slavery was as serious
as others did. He had his own plan to settle one part of the
dispute. He would make the new territory of California a free state.
Slavery there would be banned. Taylor's plan did not, however,
settle other parts of the dispute. It said nothing about laws on
escaped slaves. It said nothing about slavery in the nation's
capital, the District of Columbia. It said nothing about the border
dispute between Texas and New Mexico. The congressional compromise
was an attempt to settle all these problems.
VOICE ONE:
Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, who had written the compromise,
questioned the president's limited proposal. Clay said: "Now what is
the plan of the president? Here are five problems...five wounds that
are bleeding and threatening the life of the republic. What is the
president's plan? Is it to heal all these wounds. No such thing. It
is to heal one of the five and to leave the other four to bleed more
than ever."
VOICE TWO:
While the debate continued in Washington, the situation in Texas
and New Mexico got worse. Texas claimed a large part of New Mexico,
including the capital, Santa Fe. Early in eighteen-fifty, Texas sent
a representative to Santa Fe to take control of the government. The
United States military commander in New Mexico advised the people
not to recognize the man. The governor of Texas was furious. He
decided to send state soldiers to enforce Texas's claims in New
Mexico. He said if trouble broke out, the United States government
would be to blame.
VOICE ONE:
President Taylor rejected Texas's claims. He told his secretary
of war to send an order to the military commander in New Mexico. The
commander was to use force to oppose any attempt by Texas to seize
the territory. The secretary of war said he would not send such an
order. He believed that if fighting began, southerners would hurry
to the aid of Texas. And that, he thought, might be the start of a
southern struggle against the federal government.
In a short time, the north and south would be at war. When the
secretary of war refused to sign the order, President Taylor
answered sharply. "Then I will sign the order myself!" Taylor had
been a general before becoming president. He said he would take
command of the army himself to enforce the law. And he said he was
willing to hang anyone who rebelled against the Union.
VOICE TWO:
President Taylor began writing a message to Congress on the
situation. He never finished it. On the afternoon of July fourth,
eighteen-fifty, Taylor attended an outdoor independence day
ceremony. The ceremony was held at the place where a monument to
America's first president, George Washington, was being built. The
day was very hot, and Taylor stood for a long time in the burning
sun. That night, he became sick with pains in his stomach. Doctors
were called to the White House. But none of their treatments worked.
Five days later, President Taylor died. Vice President Millard
Fillmore was sworn-in as president.
VOICE ONE:
Fillmore was from New York state. His family was poor. His early
education came not from school teachers, but from whatever books he
could find. Later, Fillmore was able to study law. He became a
successful lawyer. He also served in the United States Congress for
eight years. The Whig Party chose him as its vice presidential
candidate in the election of eighteen-forty-eight. He served as vice
president for about a year and a half before the death of President
Taylor.
VOICE TWO:
Fillmore had disagreed with Taylor over the congressional
compromise on slavery and the western territories. Unlike Taylor,
Fillmore truly believed that the nation was facing a crisis. And he
truly believed the compromise would help save the Union.
Now, as president, Fillmore offered his complete support to the
bill. Its chances of passing looked better than ever. Fillmore asked
the old cabinet to resign. He named his own cabinet members. All
were strong supporters of the union. All supported the compromise.
VOICE ONE:
Congress debated the compromise throughout the summer of
eighteen-fifty. There were several proposals in the bill. Supporters
decided not to vote on the proposals as one piece of legislation.
They saw a better chance of success by trying to pass each proposal
separately. Their idea worked. By the end of September, both the
Senate and House of Representatives had approved all parts of the
eighteen-fifty compromise.
President Fillmore signed them
into law. One part of the compromise permitted California to enter
the Union as a free state. One established territorial governments
in New Mexico and Utah. One settled the dispute between Texas and
New Mexico. Another ended the slave trade in the District of
Columbia.
VOICE TWO:
Many happy celebrations took place when citizens heard that
President Fillmore had signed the eighteen-fifty compromise. Many
people believed the problem of slavery had been solved. They
believed the union had been saved. Others, however, believed the
problem had only been postponed. They hoped the delay would give
reasonable men of the north and south time to find a permanent
answer to the issue of slavery. Time was running out.
VOICE ONE:
It was true that the eighteen-fifty compromise had ended a
national crisis. But both northern and southern extremists remained
bitter. Those opposed to slavery believed the compromise law on
runaway slaves violated the constitution. The new law said negroes
accused of being runaway slaves could not have a jury trial. It said
government officials could send negroes to whoever claimed to own
them. It said negroes could not appeal such a decision.
Those who supported slavery had a different idea of the
compromise. They did not care about the constitutional rights of
negroes. They considered the compromise a simple law for the return
of valuable property. No law approved by Congress, and signed by the
president, could change these beliefs.
VOICE TWO:
The issue of slavery was linked to the issue of secession. Did
states have the right to leave the Union. If southern states
rejected all compromises on slavery, did they have the right to
secede. The signing of the eighteen-fifty compromise cooled the
debate for a time. But disagreement on the issues was deep. It would
continue to build over the next ten years. Those were difficult
years for America's presidents.
Next week, we will tell how the situation affected the
administration of President Millard Fillmore.
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VOICE ONE:
You have been listening to the Special English program, THE
MAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Larry West and Leo Scully.
Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. THE MAKING OF A NATION
can be heard Thursdays.