Presidential Biographies | Fillmore Administration - The Fillmore Administration Legacy

The Fillmore Administration Legacy

Although President Fillmore fervently hoped that the Compromise of 1850 would permanently settle the conflict over slavery, by the time he left office it was apparent that it had not. The publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852 and flagrant violations of the Fugitive Slave Act in the North did much to stir passions in both the North and the South. Eventually the issue was to be settled by a tragic war between the two sections.

Lasting Impact

Some would argue that Millard Fillmore was an unsuccessful president because the Compromise of 1850 failed to provide a lasting solution to the slavery issue. However, the compromise did delay the eventual conflict and thus allowed the North to strengthen itself so that when the war came, the North was better prepared.