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To What Extent Was The Tension Between The North And South In The Late 1800s

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At the start of the 19th century the United States was beginning to grow in size and by the 1850’s the nation had tripled. Many factors accounted for this great wave of expansion, upon the most important were the hopes and aspirations of many white American men moving westward and acquiring new territories. Initially the plan to move westward seemed to boost national unity, but the advancement and industrialization of the north seemed to leave the south at a disadvantage, and the issue of slavery between states rose, ultimately creating extreme sectionalism between the north and south, forcing the nation into the Civil War. In the early 1800’s The Louisiana Purchase and the treaty of 1818 seemed to help boost National unity. The Louisiana …show more content…

The gold rush in California became another factor putting pressure on the United States to resolve the status of territories and slavery within them. When new territories were brought up about joining the United States, slavery became a hot topic of debate within congress. To add the new states as slave states the balance between slave and free states would be unbalanced, either the north or south would be upset. An example of the tension between the north and South was the Wilmot Proviso that was introduced to Congress. It passed in the House, but not the Senate and stated that all new territory in Mexico would be free. Clearly, many were against this idea, and when Zachary Taylor took over he felt that if the new territories reached statehood, then the slavery issue would somehow be resolved. Popular Sovereignty and letting states choose for themselves on whether or not they wanted to enter as free or slave states left the south at a huge disadvantage. Considering that also Washing D.C opposed slavery and the south was outnumbered in congress, the south would be greatly outnumbered causing sectionalism between the north. Because of the rising tension between the north and south, Henry Clay composed The Compromise of 1850 which would allow California to be entered as a free state which tipped the the balance of free and slave states. While his compromise

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The Compromise of 1850 was an effort by the United States Congress that was drafted by Henry Clay, who was both the U.S. Senator and the House Representative of Kentucky. This compromise was a series of acts passed in 1850, attempted to reconcile Northern and Southern interests to preserve the Civil War. After the start of the Mexican-American War, conflicts about whether to allow slavery in those new territories to polarized Northern and Southern of the United States raised up. Northerners were in favor the Compromise, since they thought it’s a good chance to stop slavery. On the other hand, Southerners were against it, they thought it threatened their political power because the join of territory--California would disturb the balance of 15 free states and 15 slave states.

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DBQ: Political Disputes 1820-1860 For forty-four years, the United States of America was a thriving country. We had won our independence from Great Britain and we had started to create a country that would change the world. Yet, in the year 1860, a joined country and political agreement between all states seemed utterly impossible. People fought with each other so deeply about slavery, the country was divided between slave and free states. By the time of 1820 through 1860, political disagreement grew so large, there had been only one answer.

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Henry Clay came forward with he compromise of 1850. Although he held slaves himself, President Taylor opposed the extension of slavery into the territories of California and New Mexico. In 1849, California requested admission as a free state, which frightened the South because the admission of another free state into the Union would make slave-holding interests a minority in Congress. Southern Congressmen tried to block California’s admission. With the national government in gridlock, Henry Clay stepped forward in May 1850 to present a compromise, much as he had thirty years earlier when Missouri sought statehood.

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The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803. It had 828,000 square miles and most of the inhabitants in the region had a French, German, or Spanish background. The residents of the territory believed they would immediately be admitted to statehood and would have the same rights as those in the 1787 Northwest Ordinance, but the United States leaders thought otherwise. How did the Louisiana Purchase help the United States form a new notion about citizenship? The Louisiana Purchase helped the United States form a new notion when discussing the legality of the territory and how they would achieve statehood.

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The compromise consisted of various laws such as ones admitting California as a free state, and creating the Utah and New Mexico territories where slavery would be decided by the people living in those areas. Also, in Washington D.C. slaveholding was still permitted, but the slave trade was prohibited. This compromise also settled a border dispute between New Mexico and Texas. With the admittance of California as a free-state the balance of the Senate was in favor of the free

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The Civil war did reduce the sectional antagonism in the Northern and Southern states. Lincoln was a major factor in the changing of this country, he fought for slavery but not necessarily for their freedom but because of the economy and how the enslaved worked in the South: the South were more agricultural based and the North were more industrial based. The Northern and Southern cultures were established. This sectionalism was the reason that ultimately led to the Civil War. However, this sectional antagonism faded away by the end of the 19th century and it “ultimately made the United States truly ‘one nation”.

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This paper will provide an analysis of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 first by providing a background on the document and the period in which it was created. Then it will explain the importance of the document, focusing on what it provides on the issue of race and how race ties into the political climate of the time. Lastly, it will address the limitations of the source. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was written by the United States Congress as a means of strengthening its predecessor, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.

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The crisis arose from the request of the territory of California On December 3, 1849 , the territory of California asked to join the Union with a constitution that did not allow slavery. The question of slavery being extended into other areas made this a difficult situation because the question was never resolved from the start. In 1850 , with the support of a couple senators , Henry Clay suggested another compromise. California would be allowed to join the Union as a free state, and the rest of the land that was taken from Mexico would be divided up and slavery status would be concluded by each as they would determine slavery by having its people to decide for themselves.

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I believe that the expansion of the frontier after the Civil war played a significant role in easing the social tensions. After the civil war, in the late 19th century, America experienced several changes such as unprecedented process of urbanization and industrialization, the rise of the few huge corporations, various technological advancements, and several rights movements. Because of the westward expansion, people got various opportunities to improve their living. Several reasons behind the westward expansion were population growth, the revolution in transportation, money, and free or slave state debate. During this time, coal, steel and railroads became an immense source of wealth and power.

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Tensions were evident between the Northern and Southern regions of the United States due to the westward expansion seen from 1800 to 1850. Many different disagreements arose as a result of this mass of lands in the west, primarily because of conflicting perspectives. The North and South, historically, have had a variety of different viewpoints on many aspects of life and liberty. This caused more tension once ideas such as Manifest Destiny came about, an concept where the need for new lands west was prevalent.

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The expansion of slavery in the Western territories had created a big deal of arguments. Ever since the drafting of the Constitution in 1787, the South and North had grown further apart in terms of economy, society, and ideology. The North feared that the South would force the expansion of slavery in Western territories due to the congressional debates. In hopes of preventing a Civil War, the federal government temporarily had determined the matter with compromises, however, those compromises appeared to be unbalanced and the sectional divides between the North and South became more prominent. After the United States had gained Texas and its Western territories, the matter with extending slavery in the West had been brought up again in Congress.

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Westward Expansion gave hope to many Americans. This act of growing the USA boosted our industry. Yet, this placed fear into many people’s hearts, especially minorities. This period of American history took place from 1803-1850. White men still overruled the country, and slavery was a key factor in the country’s trade.

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