Sectionalism (1840-1861) - 1242 Words

Westward Expansion and Sectionalism (1840-1861) At the end of the Mexican War during Polk’s term as president, many new lands west of Texas were yielded to the United States, and the debate over the westward expansion of slavery was rekindled. Southern politicians and slave owners demanded that slavery be allowed in the West because they feared that a closed door would spell doom for their economy and way of life. Whig Northerners, however, believed that slavery should be banned from the new territories. Pennsylvanian congressman David Wilmot proposed such a ban in 1846, even before the conclusion of the war. Southerners were outraged over this Wilmot Proviso and blocked it before it could reach the Senate. When this act was denied it†¦show more content†¦A Democratic senator from Illinois, Douglas was responsible for pushing the finished piece of legislature through Congress. The Compromise of 1850, as it was called, was a bundle of legislation that everyone could agree on. First, congressmen agreed that California would be admitted to the Union as a free state (Utah was not admitted because the Mormons refused to give up the practice of polygamy). The fate of slavery in the other territories, though, would be determined by popular sovereignty. Next, the slave trade (though not slavery itself) was banned in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Texas had to give up some of its land to form the New Mexican territory in exchange for a cancellation of debts owed to the federal government. Finally, Congress agreed to pass a newer and tougher Fugitive Slave Act to enforce the return of escaped slaves to the South. Though both sides agreed to it, the Compromise of 1850 clearly favored the North over the South. California s admission as a free state not only set a precedent in the West against the expansion of slavery, but also ended the sectional balance in the Senate, with sixteen free states to fifteen slave states. Ever since the Missouri Compromise, this balance had always been considered essential to prevent the North from banning slavery. The South also conceded to end the slave trade inShow MoreRelatedImpending Crisis By David M. Potter1124 Words   |  5 PagesWhigs (free-states) against the Southern Democrats and Southern Whigs (slave states). David M. Potter’s book Impending Crisis provides evidence of sectionalism between free and slave states. Potter contends that during the expansionist period of the 1840s the country was experiencing a growth of American nationalism, but â€Å"the emergence of the sectionalism which almost destroyed the nation was symbolized by an amend ment to an appropriation bill which was never enacted.† For the next fifteen yearsRead MoreThe Expansion And Sectionalism Throughout American History1777 Words   |  8 PagesThe expansion and sectionalism throughout American history, the colonial resistance to the proclamation line had been one of unifying factors that had committed many English colonists to revolution and helped spread an emerging nationalism.   The exciting textbook American Nation, states that, American independence and control of a wide and rich domain were the most obvious results of the Revolution.   The revolution provided access to vast western lands and for many years western expansion wouldRead MoreThe Issue Of Independence From Britain2147 Words   |  9 Pagesof it. The North, on the other hand, was very much against the survival and expansion of slavery. The conflicting ideology created a problem in the new nation, through which compromises did little to remedy. This gave rise to the deve lopment of sectionalism in the states. Throughout the early development of the U.S., the main political crisis, slavery, along with a few other minor crises were bandaged with compromises, but it was not until the Compromise of 1877 that the crises were finally dealtRead MoreApush Dbqs Essay2248 Words   |  9 PagesStates faced between 1968 and 1974, and evaluate how President Richard Nixon’s administration responded to them. (Form B) 1. Explain the ways that participation in political campaigns and elections in the United States changed between 1815 and 1840, and analyze forces and events that led to these changes. 2010 DBQ: (Form A) 1. In what ways did ideas and values held by Puritans influence the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660sRead MoreJohn O Sulliv Manifest Destiny1779 Words   |  8 PagesEnglish settlers that sailed here and landed on to the eastern coast of America. After many years had passed, John O Sullivan, a democratic leader, named this progressive movement Manifest destiny in 1845. The term Manifest Destiny originated in the 1840s. It expressed the belief that it was US Americans mission to expand their civilization and institutions across the breadth of North America. Manifest Destiny wasn’t just an idea to have all the land from one ocean to another. It was a cause every manRead MoreThe War Of 1812 And The American Civil War2593 Words   |  11 PagesHistorians have debated for more than one hundred and fifty years about the depth at which the seeds of American disunion were planted before they finally sprouted in the s pring of 1861. The Antebellum period of American history between The War of 1812 and The American Civil War was a time of tumultuous change for the United States. Captivated by the American Heroes who had achieved glorious victories over the British during the War of 1812; American settlers began to venture out into the Western