Nashville Convention facts for kids

The Nashville Convention was an important meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee, in June 1850. Leaders from nine slave states gathered there. They wanted to decide what to do if the United States Congress stopped slavery from spreading. This was a big worry as the country gained new lands from Westward Expansion and the Mexican–American War. The ideas discussed at this meeting helped create the Compromise of 1850. This compromise helped prevent the United States from splitting apart for a while.

Why the Convention Happened

Before the Nashville Convention, a powerful politician named John C. Calhoun suggested a meeting. He was a strong supporter of states' rights. This meant he believed states should have more power than the federal government.

Calhoun wanted Southern states to discuss how to protect slavery. Many Southerners were worried the U.S. government would ban slavery in new territories. These new lands were gained after the Mexican–American War.

The Mississippi Meeting

In October 1849, a meeting happened in Mississippi. People there strongly opposed the Wilmot Proviso. This was a plan that tried to ban slavery in the lands taken from Mexico.

The states that allowed slavery agreed to send delegates to Nashville. They wanted to plan how to resist what they saw as unfair actions from the North. Mississippi even set aside money to help its delegates attend.

Who Attended the Convention

The Nashville Convention took place at the McKendree United Methodist Church. It lasted for nine days in June 1850. There were 176 delegates from nine states. These states included Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee.

Most of the delegates, 101 of them, were from Tennessee. Each county in Tennessee could send anyone it wanted. For other states, their lawmakers chose the delegates. A small group from Louisiana was not allowed to attend. This was because Louisiana's leaders were more moderate.

What Was Decided

There were many strong arguments during the convention. Some Southerners wanted their states to leave the United States if slavery was limited. These people were called extremists.

However, the moderate delegates won the debate. Judge William L. Sharkey of Mississippi was in charge of the meeting. He said the convention was meant to keep the Union together, not break it apart.

The Compromise Idea

The delegates agreed to a "concession" or compromise. They said the dividing line from the Missouri Compromise of 1820 should be extended. This line would go all the way to the Pacific Coast. This meant slavery would be allowed south of that line.

On June 10, they passed 28 resolutions. These resolutions criticized a bill by Henry Clay. They also stated that slavery was allowed by the Constitution. The convention ended without taking any action to break up the Union. The idea of states leaving the Union was put aside for a while.

After the Convention

In September 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Compromise of 1850. President Millard Fillmore signed it into law. This compromise included several laws. It allowed some new territories to decide on slavery themselves. It also made it harder for enslaved people to escape to freedom.

Second Meeting

Because of the Compromise of 1850, a smaller group of Southern delegates met again in Nashville in November. This second meeting was mostly controlled by the extremists. They strongly criticized the new compromise. They also said that individual states had the right to leave the Union.

This second meeting did not have a big impact on the country right away. However, the ideas discussed there continued to grow. These ideas eventually led to the American Civil War a decade later.

Important People

Some important figures attended the Nashville Convention:

• Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was a strong supporter of states leaving the Union. He later became the President of the Confederate States.
• Sam Houston of Texas was a famous adventurer. He supported the compromise and wanted to keep the Union together.