LAD #10- The Clay Compromise

The Clay Compromise speech was actually delivered by John C. Calhoun, a South Carolinian. In it, he eloquently stated his dissatisfaction with the Union. He continually brought up points in helping to preserve the Union, but he said the backbone was that it was the North’s fault the South was dissatisfied, and it was the North’s fault that the South wanted to seceded, because the South was given unequal opportunities and an unbalanced representation in the government. The slavery question was also very important, according to Calhoun. He stated that the more states that were admitted into the North’s side, anti-slavery etc., the less say the South would have in the government. The Senate, which has two Senators from each state, would be swayed if the majority if it was from the North, and thus the North would dominate the government. The Western states that are being admitted, mainly Oregon, Minnesota and neighboring territories, were all being admitted into the North’s side, only strengthening Calhoun’s argument that the North is taking control of the government. Thus, the equilibrium is being destroyed, the thing that Calhoun and the rest of the Southerners are most upset about. 20 northern States to 14 Southern states tipped the scale, favoring the North, as the Senators were mainly from the North. Three quarters of the country’s land mass was now controlled by the North, leaving a small quarter for the South. The tariffs also benefit the North at the expense of the South, as they imported goods more readily. He also stated that the South was willing to work on preserving the Union, but only if the North would leave at rest the issues causing the conflicts, such as slavery and expansionism and give the South a more equal part in government.