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Discovery of gold in California.

Texas,
Iowa, and

March 10 of the same year. Thus the Mexican War closed in two years from its beginning.

Nobody knew, when this treaty was made, how great was the value of the territory thus gained. California had been known only as a distant region, whither men went by sea, around Cape Horn, to buy hides and furs. But in 1848 there came rumors to the Eastern States of gold mines on the Sacramento River, in California, which promised to be richer than any in the world. It was said that a laborer in the employ of Captain Sutter, a Swiss settler in the Sacramento Valley, had found in the sand some glittering particles, which turned out to be gold. Then there was a sudden and eager emigration to that region from all parts of the Union; and in the very first year the mines yielded four million dollars' worth of gold. Within two years San Francisco contained fifteen thousand inhabitants. The name of California is supposed to have been taken from an old Spanish romance, in which the name was given to an imaginary island filled with gold; and the early explorer, Cortes, when he visited the western coast of the continent, applied that name to the whole region long before any gold was actually found there.

During Mr. Polk's administration three more States Wisconsin were admitted to the American Union, making thirty admitted. in all. These were Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin; the names of all three being taken from Indian tribes or rivers. Texas was admitted as a State in 1845; and the same antislavery feeling that had resisted its annexation was revived to resist its admission as a State, but unsuccessfully. Then came Iowa (1846),

which was made out of a part of the great Louisiana purchase, and Wisconsin (1848), which had been a part of the old "North-west territory" originally belonging

proviso.

to the United States. Both these last were free States; The Wilmot and it became plainer and plainer that the multitude of foreign immigrants would always prefer free territory to slave territory, and that the free States would inevitably grow faster than the others. This made the slaveholding States still more desirous to secure more States of their own description, wherever it was possible; and when, at the close of the Mexican War, a great extent of new territory was acquired, great efforts were made on both sides to secure control of it. For this purpose Mr. Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced into Congress a measure, commonly called the "Wilmot Proviso," absolutely excluding slavery from the whole of the new acquisitions. It was long discussed, and finally defeated; but the agitation led to the formation of a new The party, whose object was to oppose the extension of slavery. It was called the "Freesoil" party, and took the place of the old Liberty party. Under its new name it took an active part in the next presidential election, and at a later period, under the name of the "Republican" party, obtained the control of the gov

ernment.

"Freesoil'

party.

The twelfth president.

A

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE APPROACH OF THE CIVIL WAR.

TAYLOR, FILLMORE, AND PIERCE.

T the next presidential election, the Whig party, which had opposed the Mexican War, thought it best to nominate for president the most successful general of the war, Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana. He had been popular with his soldiers, and had been named by them "Old Rough and Ready." He was opposed by the Democratic party and by the new "Freesoil" party, but was elected, and was inaugurated March 5, 1849. He died a little more than a year afterpresident. wards, July 9, 1850; and Vice-President Millard Fillmore, of New York, became president for the remainder of that presidential term, 1850-1853.

The

thirteenth

Clay's
"Omnibus

Bill.''

The antislavery struggle had now risen to be the chief question before Congress; and an attempt was made by Henry Clay, of Kentucky, a very eloquent and persuasive orator, to settle it forever by a series of what were called "Compromise Measures." One of the principal measures was the admission of California as a free State. Another was the abolition of the slave-trade in the District of Columbia. These were adopted, and were regarded as concessions in favor

of freedom.

On the other hand, to balance these, a bill was introduced, called the Fugitive Slave Law, giving the owners of slaves the opportunity to recapture their escaped slaves in any part of the free States, and to carry them back without trial by jury. This was considered by many to be unconstitutional, as well as inhuman. It was opposed and denounced by the leading antislavery orators, such as Charles Sumner, Horace Mann, Wendell Phillips, and Theodore Parker; but it was supported by leading Northern statesmen, such as Daniel Webster; and it became a law, Sept. 18, 1850.

to the

This law produced more excitement than anything Opposition that had before happened during the antislavery agita- fugitive tion. In Syracuse, N. Y., a fugitive named Jerry was slave law. rescued by force from the government officers: in Boston one named Shadrach was rescued; and an attempt was made to rescue another, named Anthony Burns. One man was killed in this last attempt; and troops were ordered out to aid in the surrender of the alleged slave. In Ohio a fugitive woman, named Margaret Garner, killed two of her own children to save them from being carried into slavery. In several of the States, laws were framed to restrict or defeat the operation of the Fugitive Slave Law, and to secure at least a jury trial for those claimed as slaves.

admitted.

These compromise measures formed the most im- California portant feature of Mr. Fillmore's administration. In other respects his term of office was a peaceful one. One new State was admitted during this time it was formed, in 1850, out of the territory purchased at the close of the Mexican War, and was named California;

Two new territories organized.

Census

of 1850.

The

president.

thus perpetuating the old Spanish name. The two Territories of New Mexico and Utah were also organized out of the same purchase. New Mexico was inhabited chiefly by a population of Spanish origin; and Utah had been settled by the religious sect called Mormons, whose leader, Brigham Young, was commissioned by the president as governor of the Territory. By the census of 1850 the population of the whole nation was about twenty-three millions (23,191,876).

Mr. Fillmore had been elected as a Whig; though fourteenth the antislavery agitation was fast destroying old party lines. His successor, Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire (1853-1857), was a Democrat. During his term. braska Bill the same agitation was further increased by the efforts overthrows of the friends of slavery to overthrow the Missouri Comsouri Com- promise, as it was called; a law which had been passed

The Kansas-Ne

the Mis

promise.

to Kansas.

in 1820, prohibiting slavery north of a certain line in that great domain which had been bought under the name of Louisiana. It was now proposed to organize out of that region, from which slavery had been thus excluded, two new Territories, to be named Kansas and Nebraska, and to let the inhabitants determine for themselves whether they should establish slavery or freedom. This change of policy was strongly resisted by the antislavery party, and more than three thousand of the New England clergy petitioned Congress against it; but it was finally passed, May 30, 1854.

Emigration As this law left it to the settlers to decide upon their institutions, it was considered important both by the friends and the opponents of slavery to encourage emigration to the new Territories. Parties were therefore organized for this purpose in various parts of the Union.

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