how did westward expansion affect slavery in the U.S. between 1820 and 1850?
Westward expansion had a significant impact on slavery in the United States between 1820 and 1850. Here are some key points:
1. Missouri Compromise (1820): The westward expansion brought up the issue of whether new states would allow slavery or not. The Missouri Compromise was reached, which admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and prohibited slavery above the 36°30' north latitude line in the Louisiana Territory.
2. Texas Annexation (1845): Texas, a slave-holding republic, was annexed by the United States, further expanding slavery's influence. The annexation touched off territorial disputes with Mexico that eventually led to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), which played a role in extending slavery into the Southwest.
3. Wilmot Proviso (1846): As the Mexican-American War ended, the question of whether slavery would be allowed in the newly acquired territories arose. The Wilmot Proviso, the unsuccessful proposal, aimed to ban slavery from the territories acquired from Mexico.
4. Compromise of 1850: California sought statehood as a free state, which disrupted the balance between free and slave states. The Compromise of 1850, an attempt to settle these disputes, admitted California as a free state but allowed for popular sovereignty in other territories like Utah and New Mexico, where residents would determine the status of slavery through popular vote.
5. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): The Kansas-Nebraska Act introduced the concept of popular sovereignty to decide if slavery would be permitted in these territories. This sparked intense conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, leading to violent clashes like "Bleeding Kansas" that further deepened sectional tensions.
Overall, westward expansion heightened the tensions between the North and the South concerning the expansion and the future of slavery. These conflicts eventually led to the American Civil War as the nation became further divided over the issue of slavery.