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Key Economic Issues That Divided The Nation In The 1850's

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The key economic issue that divided the nation in the 1850s was slave labor and expansion. At this time in U.S. history, the western frontier was beginning to admit states into the Union. The states were admitted based on popular sovereignty. Northerners feared that this would be an advantage for wealthy slave owners. White northerners argued that slavery was not conducive with free white labor and wealthy slave owners would dominate, as they did in the south. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a very critical issue that helped divide the nation. At the center of this act was slavery. Under the Kansas and Nebraska Act, slavery was decided based on popular sovereignty. Northerners felt like this undermined the Missouri Compromise, further creating
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