Episode 21: Slavery, Secession, and the Union | Calhoun, Webster, and the Compromise of 1850

Creating America · Jun 4, 2026 · 21m · transcript

In this episode of Creating America, we explore one of the most consequential political debates in American history: the struggle over slavery, secession, and the future of the Union that led to the Compromise of 1850.

As new territories acquired after the Mexican-American War prepared to enter the United States, fierce disagreements erupted over whether slavery would be allowed to expand westward. The resulting crisis brought two of America's most influential statesmen into direct conflict: John C. Calhoun, the leading defender of Southern slaveholding interests, and Daniel Webster, who…