By 1850 American Cotton was King in the South.  Slave trade had decreased in the north due to a growth in industry but it still strongly prevailed in the south . For years slaves fought against their owners for freedom, some slaves ran away and freed themselves, but others did not had the same luck.

African Slaves were first brought to Jamestown, VA by the Dutch, and they sold them as if they were an object starting in 1619. I believe there is cruelty all over the world, but who takes people and sells them to make them their slaves? Unfortunately slavery had been a way of life in Africa even before the Dutch came to take the first boat load to the English colonies.  African families had no idea why they were born into these conditions but some of them came to accept that it was part of human evolution like the white man was saying to himself in order to justify owning slaves.

In 1850 President Zachary Taylor  was prepared to use the military to hold the Union together.  It was breaking apart as the South threatened to secede over the idea of more free states than slave states however the next thing we know is that he died in July of 1850 because of poison on his food.

His successor, President Millard Fillmore, was much more interested in compromise. The environment for a deal was set. By September, Henry Clay’s Compromise became law. California was admited to the union as the 16th state free of slaves. In exchange the South was guaranteed that no restrictions on slaves will be made on New Mexico, and Texas. They also passed a law that restricted the south’s trade of slavery, but southerners could hold the slaves already in the state. All slaves that ran away from their owner should be returned to their owner and if one failed to return a run away slave that citizen could be punished.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/30d.asp

I believe that treating human individuals as slaves is not humane. What kind of people sail to other part of the world and treat people as animals? I am embarrassed to believe that these people where my American ancestors. Although, I cannot do anything anymore about the past I can learn from it and be motivated in the present to treat all people fairly.  Just think about it; that slave could be your son, daughter, or a member of your house. It is very shameful to see people acting like animals.