What Happened in 1850

Harriet Tubman serves as a Conductor on the Underground Railroad

In September of the same year, Harriet was made an official "conductor" of the UGRR. This meant that she knew all the routes to free territory and... Read more

Tom Wiggins (and his parents) sold to General James Neil Bethune

Tom Wiggins was sold in 1850 along with his slave parents, Charity and Mingo Wiggins, to Columbus, Georgia lawyer, General James Neil Bethune. The... Read more

Joseph Swan Begins Work on Light Bulb

Swan was born in 1828 at Pallion Hall in Bishopwearmouth (now part of Sunderland), and he served an apprenticeship with a pharmacist there. He... Read more

Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas Draft Compromise

Congress convened on December 3, 1849. On January 29, 1850, Whig Senator Henry Clay gave a speech which called for compromise on the issues... Read more

Senator Daniel Webster Delivers His "Seventh Of March" Speech

The acquisition of territory following the U.S. victory in the Mexican War revived concerns about the balance of free and slave states in the... Read more

'The Scarlet Letter' is Published

The truth is that the situation selected by Hawthorne has more scope and depth than the one which he passed over. It is with the subjective... Read more

Angers Bridge Collapse

In 1850, in the midst of a thunderstorm, part of the Batallion of the 11th light infantry regiment totalling 500 men was crossing the suspension... Read more

Daniel Chester French Is Born

American sculptor Daniel Chester French was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on April 20, 1850. Reared in Cambridge and Concord, Massachusetts,... Read more

Henry Cabot Lodge Is Born

On May 12, 1850, Republican statesman and noted historian Henry Cabot Lodge was born in Boston, Massachusetts. One of the first students at... Read more

Slavery Debate Labors on at Nashville Convention

The Nashville Convention was a political meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 3 – 11, 1850. Delegates from nine slave holding states met... Read more

Douglas and Clay Draft the Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War... Read more

Utah Territory Preserves Balance

The territory was organized by an organic act of Congress in 1850, on the same day that the State of California was admitted to the Union. The... Read more

California is the 31st State Admitted to the Union

It was August 1848 before the United States Senate ratified the treaty ending the Mexican War and recognizing the transfer of California to... Read more

Compromise Sets Texas Boundaries

The Compromise of 1850 set Texas's boundaries at their present form. Texas ceded land which later became half of present day New Mexico, a third of... Read more

California is Admitted to the Union as a Free State

In 1848, the non-native population of California has been estimated to be no more than 15,000. But after gold was discovered, the population... Read more

Jenny Lind Makes Her Debut

Swedish soprano Jenny Lind, whose purity of voice and natural singing style earned her the nickname "the Swedish nightingale," made her American... Read more

P. T. Barnum Arranges American Tour of Swedish Opera Star, Jenny Lind

By 1849, when Lind was in the midst of her third triumphant London season, P. T. Barnum had become aware of her success and the large audiences she... Read more

United States Congress Passes Fugitive Slave Act

The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850... Read more

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Is Completed And Opened

On October 10, 1850, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was completed and opened for business along its entire 184.5 mile length from Washington, DC to... Read more

Harriet Tubman rescues sister, brother-in-law, and children

In December 1850, Tubman received a warning that her niece Kessiah was going to be sold (along with her two children, six-year-old James Alfred,... Read more