Compromise of 1850 Rap

A rap about the Compromise of 1850
Lyrics written and performed by Tom Richey

1850
it’s a national obsession
What is Congress gonna do
With the Mexican Cession?

Let’s admit California
As a single free state
Southern congressmen unhappy
Some are really irate

Stronger Fugitive Slave Act
To secure some Southern votes
Such a controversial measure
People at each others’ throats

Squatter Sovereignty out west
Let the settlers decide
In New Mexico and Utah
Congress need not take a side

Gonna bail out the Texans
Pay off debt from their war
Just as long as they’re not claiming
Santa Fe, anymore

Finally, outlaw the slave trade
in Washington, DC
But we’re gonna stop short of a
ban on slavery