Slavery - The Elephant in the Room

How do we know the debate over slavery was the "elephant in the room" for American politics in the early 19th century?Slavery was ultra controversial over the early 19th century due to the fact that the United States was essentially divided 50/50 in terms of which sides supports slavery and which side supports freedom of slaves. How were sides once chosen in the 19th century and what decisions were made to get there? In 1820, Missouri made the compromise to split the states 11/11 in terms of freedom; states above the 36 degree 30 minutes line where not included in the supporting of slavery, with the exception of the southern border of Missouri.

 Over time, many problems arose regarding the claim of new territory and which side it would support. For example, there were questions over whether or not California should be included in the states as a free state, destroying the idea of the Missouri compromise. The solution to this question was that California would be let into the union as a free state, however, the fugitive slave act was imposed which said that any runaway slaves should be returned to the north. Another problem involved whether or not the capital of the Union, DC, should be considered a slave state. The solution required that slavery was abolished but it was still permitted in other areas.

In 1853, the U.S. Paid 15 million dollars for Nevada, California, Utah, and most of Arizona. Only 5 years later did the U.S. Pay another 10 million for a smaller strip of land, which was ideal for the transcontinental railroad for the Southerners. On the other hand, the Kansas-Nebraska act benefited the north as it placed another transcontinental railroad in Chicago which helped the north extend into the west. In the end, many debates were held over which states would support freedom and which states wouldn't, leading to many more problems in the future.