Chapter 52: Taylor backs California’s admission as a Free State.

In October 1849, California completes its Constitution which calls for a Free State designation after delegates toy with a possible residency ban on all Blacks.

To the chagrin of the South, President Taylor says he will support the measure despite his personal ownership of three plantations and some 300 enslaved persons.

To register their displeasure, Southerners block the selection of a House Speaker and demand a quid pro quo on the California admission.