How was slavery and western expansion connected?

Answer 1

The western expansion of the U.S. (which is what I assume you're asking about) had a HUGE tie-in with the slavery debate, for the simple reason that every addition of a new territory raised the question of whether that territory would be slave-holding or not.

At first the North and South managed to keep things in balance, adding one free state for each slave state. They virtually codified this principle with the 1820 "Missouri Compromise" (admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state).

But rapid growth and continued expansion caused the problem over time to become more intense. Since the Northern population was growing rapidly -- so that its representation in the House of Representatives passed that of the South-- the Southern, slave-holding states became increasingly concerned that the previous "balance" between the free and slave-holding sections would be upset.

At the same time, much of the North hoped (as many even in the South had once hoped) that slavery would not expand, but would gradually die out. Free laborers in the free states had NO interest in slavery being introduced into their states, or into the territories they moved into. (SOME of these folks were abolitionists, working for the end of slavery in the WHOLE country; more were "free-soilers" who were content to let the South keep slavery, but not to let the institution spread into all the new territories.)

Again, from the Southern side, all this Northern sentiment convinced many that if new free states were added to outnumber the slave states, the Senate and other parts of the government (Presidency and judicial branches), which had been largely friendly to slave-holding interests from the start, would fall into the hands of people intent on ENDING slavery.

So Southern leaders fought to gain new territories in which slavery could flourish (many advocating independent military expeditions or "filibusters" into Mexico and beyond to take such land). This, for instance, was a major part of the drive to annex Texas -- which was certain to be added as a slave-state.

At the end of the war with Mexico (as a result of annexing Texas), Northerners concerned that OTHER territories acquired in the West (New Mexico, California, etc) would become slave-holding, pushed to prevent that (look up "Wilmot Proviso" for the most famous effort to disallow any new slave territories).

The big fight over slavery in the territories consumed the 1850s, focused esp. on Kansas-Nebraska -- indeed, the slave-holders and free-staters settling in Nebraska turned it into "Bleeding Kansas" in the struggle over whether it would be slave or free.

The Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision of 1857 was also concerned with this debate --specifically, with whether Congress COULD ban slavery in the territories. The Court decided it could NOT, so annulling various North-South compromises over the issue. The recently form free-soil Republican Party rejected the decision.

But it ALSO caused trouble between Northern and Southern Democrats. Leading contender for the 1860 Presidential nomination, Stephen Douglas, argued that, despite Dred Scott, the PEOPLE of a territory could decide on laws not supportive of slavery, and so effectively keep it out of a territory if that was their wish. This idea, known as the "Freeport Doctrine" caused a major backlash from the strongest pro-slavery Southern Democrats.

When this group failed to convince the party to adopt THEIR platform (the "Alabama Platform" advocated by Alabama's William Yancey, which, among other things, essentially rejected the Freeport Doctrine), they walked out of the convention and ultimately put up their own nominee. With the Democrats split, a Republican Presidential victory was virtually assured... and with that the secession of Southern states (led by South Carolina) who had already signaled they would not accept a Republican President....

Answer 2

Western Expansion did nothing in regards to slavery besides bringing Africans to the New World as slaves. Slaves have existed in nearly every culture and on every continent. If anything western expansion led to the downfall of slavery.

Answer 3

Get off the laptop and do your homework. provide up fooling around in college and you will understand the solutions. yet, just to assist you to realize those products could be interesting, in question sixteen, it mentions John Sutter. did you realize that he owned the mill the place the gold replaced into got here across that began the California gold rush in 1849? the individuals working some shape at his mill have been Mormons. that they had in simple terms finished the longest march in US military historical past (the checklist stands even right this moment) to shield the U. S. from Mexico. The Mormon Battalion (as they have been conventional) have been working at Sutters mill to get funds to return to Salt Lake or the camps at iciness Quarters (close to Omaha, NE). Sutter basically have been given his mill complete by using fact the Mormons had integrity adequate to stay and end the interest they have been employed to do whilst all the different workers left to locate gold. interesting, isn't it?