- Title
- North Carolina historical review [1938 : April]
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-
- Date
- April 1938
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
North Carolina historical review [1938 : April]
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The North Carolina
Historical Review
Volume XV
April, 1938
Number 2
GEORGE EDMUND BADGER AND THE
COMPROMISE OF 1850
By Lawrence Foushf.e London
In a previous article in this journal* the work of George
Edmund Badger in the United States Senate was discussed for
the years 1846 to 1849. It will be the purpose of this study
to examine his activities in connection with one of the most
important pieces of legislation in American history — the Com¬
promise of 1850. While it will be shown what influence Badg¬
er exerted upon the framing and passage of the several com¬
promise measures of 1850, this article is primarily concerned
with the views and ideas which he expressed in his speeches
on those measures.
The term for which Badger had been elected to the Senate
in 1846 expired on March 4, 1849. He was, therefore, to
come up for re-election when the North Carolina General
Assembly convened in November 1848. Badger was none too
optimistic as to his chances of re-election, for he had made
many bitter enemies as a result of his course in the Senate.
He had become unpopular with the state rights wing of the
Whig party, and was considered unsafe on the slavery question
by many slaveholders. In consequence of his stand on the
slavery issue in the last session of Congress, several Whigs came
out in opposition to him. Writing of his chances for re-elec¬
tion Badger said: "My re-election is very doubtful — the
chances are against it.”1 William H. Washington, writing
from Raleigh, gives us some insight into the political
situation.
* See Volume XV, No. 1. (January, 1938).
1. G. E. Badger to J. J. Crittenden, Oct. 12. 1848, typescript N. C. Letters from the
Crittenden
Рарегз
in the archives of the North Carolina Historical Commission, Raleigh.
f 99]
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