How Did Western Expansion Affect The Sectional Tension Between 1800 And 1850

Much of the disagreement between the north and south was caused by the status of slavery, particularly what would happen in expansion states. The northern states wanted to eliminate slavery from new states, and ideally they wanted no slavery in the country in general. On the other hand, southern states believed that slavery should expand with the country. For example, a man from Georgia argued that new territory should be able to have the choice as to whether or not they will have slavery. But the north, however, “insists that while the territory was partly acquired by Southern men, is partly owned by Southern men, that they shall be excluded from its soil”(Document B).

The Wilmot Proviso was proposed during the Mexican-American War. David Wilmot (a Democrat) submitted the Wilmot Proviso. The Proviso meant that if the United States won they would not turn the Mexican people who were on the land into slaves. This passed through the House of Representatives (based on population), but not the Senate (equal number of reps from slave and free states). In order for the Wilmot Proviso to be passed it needed at least two thirds of the Senate, (did not happen).

Another reason was The Wilmot Proviso,In August 1846, Representative David Wilmot, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, proposed an expansion to a war appropriations bill. His revision, known as the Wilmot Proviso, recommended that in any region the United States picked up from Mexico “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist.” It was progressively understood that the Mexican individuals were against servitude and that the area was unsatisfactory for its spread, and in this manner the domain taken from it would be a free region upon its alliance into the Union. The annexation however contributed another conflict that sparked a division between who are with or against the annexation of northern mexico, because the extra land acquired from the northern mexico will be added to the union as a free state rather than a slave state which will consequently increase the number and power of free states over the slave states. Driven by Senator John C. Calhoun, the position of the anti-annexation powers was established in two primary convictions: that extension would aggravate sectionalism to at the expense of the Union, and that the force of the South would be extraordinarily decreased by the addition of

NHD Research Paper Throughout the years leading up to 1819 The northern anti-slavery states were constantly conflicting with the pro-slavery southern states. The states were even as there were 11 pro-slavery states, and 11 anti-slavery states. The conflict went back and forth for many years, and the Louisiana Purchase only added fuel to the fire. Both sides were constantly trying to find a way to get ahead of the other.

The Missouri Compromise started with the subject of slavery and how westerners could not agree whether to permit it or to exclude it. Those settling to the south wanted slavery for economic reasons such as labor while those settling to the north had no use for slavery at all. Politicians in Congress had attempted to preserve a sectional balance between the North and the South. There had been a balance of 11 slave and 11 free states but once Missouri bided for statehood the North raised alarm because slavery was well established there. The issue here was that if Missouri came in as a slave state, it would tip the political balance in the South’s favor.

It wasn’t until Maine sought statehood that Henry Clay came up with the idea as admitting Missouri as a slave state and changing Maine to a free state. The reason for the change is so that the balance between slave and free states is still evened out. Along with changing Maine the Senate wanted to split the Louisiana purchase between north and south (36°30′), having North as a free state and South as

The Missouri Compromise was made as an attempt to deal with the debate that had been going on about slavery. It lasted thirty-four years, but never truly made the North orouth totally happy with the situation. Although the Missouri Compromise did push back the debate on slavery in Missouri, it did not solve the problem as a whole. The tension between the North and South was, in fact reduced for a period of time. Once the Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional, the tension once again grew.

P.6 Compromises seemed to be working in 1820 as a solution to political issues that America agreed to disagreed on. As seen in the Missouri Compromise, where Henry Clay made slaves free in twelve states and not free in the other twelve; in order to keep everything balanced. But between the period of 1820 to 1860, compromising took a shift and no longer seemed to be the solution. Compromises worked with Henry Clay in the Missouri compromise in 1820 but by 1860 due to a series of geographic, political, and social changes compromises were impossible.

Missourians then began to flood Kansas, resulting in a pro-slavery majority in the territory legislature, resulting in Kansas becoming a legalized slave state. This outraged the Free states and caused them to elect their own delegates to the constitution convention in Topeka. They tried to petition congress for statehood, and President Pierce denounced the Free State group. Pierce also sights them as traitors, showing he is backing pro slavery territorial legislature. When this happened the pro slavery marshal assembled a large posse to arrest them.

Many delegates from the Northern states considered slavery evil and denounced it as a repugnant institution. The South on the other hand, argued that slavery was an economic reality and necessity. As Charles Cotesworth Pinckney so aptly put it, “While there remained one acre of swamp-land uncleared of South Carolina, I would raise my voice against restricting the importation of negroes. I am . . . thoroughly convinced . . .

Because Missouri was a “slave state” that did not secede from the Union, many of the residents had a deeply divided view of the

Due to the fact that the South had more of an agricultural economy, the Southerners thought that the states should have the right to decide whether residents could own slaves, rather than the federal government. In 1846 a congressman from Pennsylvania named David Wilmot introduced a bill to the House of Representatives called the Wilmot Proviso. This said slavery would not be allowed in any western territory acquired from Mexico. Of course most of the politicians from the North loved the idea, while the politicians from the South did not. The Missouri Compromise on March 3, 1820 (also called the Compromise of 1820) was the first major legislative compromise that was passed to draw a line between slave and free territory.

The Westward Expansion all started when America made the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. There were many benefits from the purchase for the US that the French didn’t realize before they sold it. The purchase gave the US access to the Mississippi river which allowed for expansion of river trade to the North and South from the center of the US. The port city of New Orleans was bought by the US and its prosperity benefited the US greatly. The US sent Lewis and Clark west to investigate the land they purchased.

Southern statesmen desired to hold the West and the South together as a single political party. The theory on which they based such hope was simple: they both produced raw materials and bought manufactured goods. The union of the two sections prior to further economic expansion seemed perfect. However, Northern statesmen were not blind to such interests and also recognized the importance of the formation of strong ties with the agrarian West and bringing their produce to the north. The development of canals and railways would cement this economic union, and the results were evident.

The issue the compromise was about was whether there should be slavery in the western territories. Maine wanted to be added to the Union, however, slavery was banned there. If Maine were to be added to the Union, it would upset the balance between free and slave states in the nation and the Senate. So, the Missouri Compromise, proposed by Senator Henry Clay, allowed Maine to enter the Union as a free state, and allowed Missouri to be entered into the Union as a slave state.