Manifest Destiny And Territorial Expansion

257 Words2 Pages
Lauren Williams

Period 11

Group 5

The United States was united by the addition of states through Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion, which inflicted feelings of Nationalism, until the existence of slavery was threatened. Disagreements over whether the newly acquired territory should be slave or free led to the Kansas – Nebraska Act, which did not prevent slave rebellions or the Wilmot Proviso that proposed the outlawing of slavery.

The Kansas – Nebraska Act, proposed by Senator Stephen Douglas, was passed on May 30, 1854 (“Kansas”). The act divided the land west of Missouri into two territories, Kansas and Nebraska. The new legislation allowed each territory to decide whether it would be slave or free (Gavin).