Document 5
On January 29, 1850, Senator Henry Clay proposed a series of resolutions to settle “… all questions in
controversy between the free and the slave states.…” The list below contains excerpts from Clay’s speech.
Selected Proposals for the Compromise of 1850
That California ought to be admitted into the Union without restriction as to the inclusion or
exclusion of slavery.
2 That as slavery does not exist by law, and is not likely to be introduced into any of the territory
acquired by the United States from the Republic of Mexico, it is not in the interest of Congress
to pass a law either establishing or prohibiting it in the land acquired from Mexico.…
5 That it is not wise to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia while slavery continues to
exist in Maryland without the consent of that state, the consent of the people of the District,
and without just payment to the owners of slaves within the District.
6 That, however, it is wise to prohibit in the District of Columbia, the bringing-in of slaves from
other states either to be used in the District or to be sold there for use in other states.
7 That stronger provision ought to be made by law for the capture and return of slaves who
may have escaped into any other state or territory in the Union.
8 That Congress has no power to prohibit or prevent the trading of slaves between States. This
depends completely on the laws of each individual state.
Source: Martin W. Sandler et al., The People Make a Nation, Allyn and Bacon, 1971
Based on this document, what is one way these proposals favored the North?