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Importation of slaves ends
This event is connected to Westward expansion because it began internal slave trade and contributed to the rise of the cotton industry. Then this cotton was exported to other countries, in turn allowing for westward expansion and for west products to spread across the globe. It is social because this sparked debate over the morality of slavery. It is economic because slaves in the country benefitted the economy through being sold themselves and being the backbone of many farming industries. -
The Missouri Compromise
The compromise was issued to keep the number of slave and free states in the senate equal. This related to westward expansion because it aimed to address the issue of slavery expanding as the U.S moved west . This is an economic event because it affected trade and the development of new states in the U.S. It was also a political event because it was a political agreement between the federal and state governments. -
The Wilmot Proviso
This was a proposal to ban slavery in any territories that were claimed from the Mexican-American War. This relates to westward expansion because it addresses the territories the U.S gained in the west and how these territories were going to develop. This is a political plan because Wilmot was against slavery and wanted to limit it's expansion, they wanted this plan to be successful so that more states wouldn't have slaves and be more powerful than the northern states that were against slavery. -
The Compromise of 1850
A series of five laws that were about the issue of slavery after the Mexican-American War. This compromise made it so California was admitted to union as a free state, Popular Sovereignty for Utah and New Mexico, Fugitive Slave Act, and the Texas Boundary. This related to westward expansion because accepting California into the union was one more step toward expanding west. This was a social and political event because it led to increased activism for slavery and it organized new states. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
This act made it so slaves had to be returned to their owners even if they were in a free state. This act related to westward expansion because it fueled the debate on where slavery expanded. This was a social act because it sparked outrage among the northern states and made tensions between the south and north even worse. This relates to the economy because that is what drove the act to be passed. Slaveowners felt entitled to their "property" and the economic gain they brought them. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
This is a novel that speaks on the issues of slavery and was made to get the public to work against it. This related to westward expansion because it was a significant contributor to the debate and sparked more abolitionist movements. This is a social "event" because the book speaks on the evils of slavery and the cruelty that black people faced during that time. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act
This Act made it so the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were able to decide whether to allow slavery or not through popular sovereignty. This related to westward expansion because it contributed to the outrage felt as slavery expanded. This was a political event because, politically if the states allowed slavery they would benefit and gain more representatives, this angered northern residents because they were against slavery and because it gave these states more power. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent civil confrontations. This arose due to the debate over the legality of slavery. This related to westward expansion because the debate of slavery in these new territories caused discourse which eventually became dangerous. This was a political and social event because this was the breaking point of many people which led to the violent act, and it was a political event because they were fighting over the political decisions made about slavery. -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
This is when a pro-slavery democrat attacked an abolitionist republican.(Charles Sumner) This was a social event because this debate has changed how the parties veiwed each other and caused violence between them. -
The Dred Scott Decision
This case made it so enslaved people were not considered citizens and could not sue in federal court. This related to westward expansion because it opened territories to slavery and further deepened political tensions. This was a social and political event because it socially affected all black people and caused more issues between the parties. This was a political event because it effectively denied enslaved people their constitutional rights.