The+Crittenden+Compromise

THE CRITTENDEN COMPROMISE  ** "[The party] cannot be made to surrender the fruits of its recent victory."- Republican Editorial

WHO: ** John Crittenden (1787-1863) He was a Senator from Kentucky. **WHAT:** This Compromise consisted of several constitutional amendments. One of these was the enforcement of the 36 30 line, keeping with the Missouri Compromise slavery would not be allowed north of this line. In states where slavery already existed it could only be abolished with the sanction of that particular state. Lincoln was opposed to this compromise.
 * WHEN: ** December 1860
 * WHERE: ** Senate
 * WHY: ** This was the last attempt at compromise in order to keep the union together (similar to the Olive Branch Petition). Crittenden was a Union supporter from the south and he did not want secession. He wrote this hoping to get support from both the northern and southern states. It was mainly trying to make sure the south did not secede. However, this required a lot of compromise from the north and not much from the south. It was voted down on January 16th 1861.


 * SOUTHERN VIEWPOINT: ** This compromise attempted to appease both the North and South. Since under this compromise, slavery would be restricted to below the 36 30 line slavery would not be able to spread at all which is what the south had been fighting to prevent. The Compromise was a failure in both houses and was a last attempt by Crittenden to save the union.

**NORTHERN VIEWPOINT : **  The majority of the republicans lived in the north, and the republicans were against this compromise. This compromise called for many compromised of the part of the north, and not many on the part of the south. The northerners were being asked to give up on some of their key issues. They were stronly against this.


 * RATING **: We voted the Crittenden Compromise as a one out of five on how significant it was in antebellum America. The Compromise hit the cutting room floor almost immediately and it can be compared to the Olive Branch petition. It had potential, but since neither Northern abolitionists, nor Southern traditionalists could be appeased, compromises in any form were out of the question.



"The Crittenden Compromise." 2009. The History Channel website. 16 May 2009, 01:01 . "Crittenden Compromise is killed in Senate." 2009. The History Channel website. 16 MAy 2009, 12:56 <[]>.