Impact Of Western Expansion On American Political Culture

In the first half century of America’s birth, a tremendous amount of changes were made that has helped shape America today. With western expansion, growing racial conflict, and unprecedented economic changes, America had its work cut out. These changes had a direct impact on American political culture that attempted to make a sense of how those varied impulses had transformed the country. First and foremost it is important to realize that America has grown an immense amount, thanks to President Jefferson. His bold move helped America double in size, plus some. Although Jefferson agreed with the critics about his decision being unconstitutional, he knew what was best for his country. In the long run, the people that were against his decision learned to accept the fact after all of the benefits started to be shown. The growth of land made trade easier, which helped grow the country’s economy at that time.

As northern and southern whites differed sharply about the proper role of slavery in the west, tensions arose. Western expansion made slavery an explicit concern of national politics, considering there could be an unbalance between the slave and free states. In 1819, the entrance of Missouri threatened to unbalance America, throwing this parity in favor of slave interests. As an effort to diffuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the undecided state of Missouri, the Missouri Compromise was drafted in 1820. First, Missouri would be admitted as a slave state and the admission of Maine would be a slave state balancing America once again. Second, slavery would not be allowed in all of the new states attained from the Louisiana purchase north of the southern boundary of