lan was that any land received from Mexico would be free land. The bill was able to pass in the House of Representatives because the Northerners controlled it. It was killed in the senate, where the southerners were in control. It was evident that there was little that either side could do to pass a law that one side favored, but the other opposed. Showing a continuing separation that would last until the war. In 1849, when gold was discovered in California, thousands of people flocked to find their fortunes. Later California applied for statehood as a free state. The south opposed. Their reasoning was that there were 15 free states and 15 slave states, and this would upset the balance of power in congress. If California were admitted as a free state the South would not be able to stop any bill from passing in congress, since the North would gain control of congress. This was not the only dispute that the congress had to deal with. They were also in debate over slavery in the new territories. These two things brought about the Compromise of 1850. In the compromise the north received California as a free state, and prohibited the trade of slaves in Washington D.C. In return, the South was able to enact tougher fugitive slave laws, allowing them to send bounty hunters after any escaped slaves. The new slave laws made the South happy, but did nothing to help their relationship with the North. When northern communities witnessed how southerners retrieved their slaves, and saw how they were treated by the southerners, many of them began to sympathize with the slaves, and began to support the abolishment of slavery. In addition to the tougher slave laws, the South also gained sovereignty in the new territories. This opened slavery to the new lands. The compromise of 1850 delayed the war for 11 years. During this time the North grew stronger, and became more self-sufficient, while the south did not grow very much at all...
