Millard Fillmore

Birth-Death: (1800 - 1874 ) Term: (1850-1853 )

The Presidency of Millard Fillmore is epitomized by the Compromise of 1850. It was one of the first events that began to split the nation apart at its seams. The publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin later in Fillmore's presidency contributed to the effect and alienated the North against the South. The war was beginning.

Major Events with Millard Fillmore

1850 - Compromise of 1850

    The Southern states were becoming increasingly worried about the fragile balance in the Senate. After California applied for statehood as a free state, a great debate sparked in Congress. As a result, the Compromise of 1850 was reached. The provisions stated that California would be admitted as a free state, nothing would be done to abolish slavery in Texas, the remaining unsettled area was divided into two territores, and each was given the right to determine its position on slavery. Furthermore, a stricter Fugitive Slave Law was passed. Under the revised law, escaped slaves found anywhere in the United States were under its jurisdiction, not just those found in the South.

1850 - Clayton-Bulwer Treaty

    After acquiring California, the United States was more interested in building a canal across Central America. The British saw this as a violation of their great empire, and the treaty declared that if a canal were to be built, it would allow ships of all nations to pass through and would be built with the permission of the country whose land it runs through.

1852 - Uncle Tom's Cabin

    This novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe described the life of a slave on a plantation. It convinced thousands of people in the North that slavery was wrong, and it was the time to stop spreading this evil. When she later appeared before President Lincoln, his response was, "So you are the little lady who caused the Civil War."