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Westward Expansion 19th Century

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In the 19th century, the idea of the Manifest Destiny came to rise, which believed that America was destined to expand outwards. At the same time, as America grew westward, sectionalism and tension between states also grew. These two events are connected, as many aspects of westward expansion impacted the development of sectionalism, like the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Mexican-American War, and the annexation of Texas. The examination of these specific events reveals that the westward expansion affected the development of sectionalism from 1820 to 1850 in the North and South and the underlying theme of slavery. The two compromises, with the Missouri compromise and Compromise of 1850, reflects how sectionalism grew between …show more content…

In 1836, Texas became independent from Mexico after defeating the Mexican Army. Looking to join the US as a new state, Texas applied for statehood, but this event quickly became a controversy. One reason for controversy was that Texas would add another slave state to the US, giving the South more power. The fact that it took nine years for this issue to be resolved shows the constant controversies the North and South had over Texas. Even after Texas had signed treaties with England and France, which made Texas a republic supported by European powers, the US government continued ignoring the issue due to northern opposition, which highlights how divided the North was against the South. Once the US had obtained Texas, they set their eyes on California and New …show more content…

From 1846 to 1848, the US fought with Mexico, with the goal of taking California and New Mexico. After the US won the war and the land from the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the issue of slavery rose once again. The Wilmot Proviso suggested banning slavery in the acquired territories, some suggested extending the Missouri Compromise lines, while others favored popular sovereignty. The mass amount of differing opinions show how this situation created by the expansion of the US led to intensifying debates. Ultimately, tensions kept building up as sectionalism grew mainly due to slavery, which has become apparent in all the controversies between the North and the South, leading to the Compromise of

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