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Petty Passions, Nobler Actions, And Two Peculiar Institutions: Sectionalism, Partisanship, And The United States Senate, 1845-1850, Stanley G. Schwartz

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The period from 1845-1850 was a critical moment in American history, as the question of the expansion of slavery into western territories battered the nation, turning a political system until then focused on issues of tariff and banking, to the decision of sectional and moral questions. Despite the emotion and danger of the time, the Senate, which ultimately decided the questions of slavery’s expansion, brokered the Compromise of 1850, a measure that stemmed the sectionalist fervor for a time. This was achieved only through the seasoned leadership and sacrifice of uniquely great American political leaders, overcoming complications of party and …