Prohibition Of Slavery Essay

In the early nineteenth century the United States started to expand. Many areas in the expansion wanted to become territories to later become states. Arkansas was no different. As part of the Missouri territory, Arkansas wanted to break off and become its own territory. Being in the southern part of the United States, Arkansas was great for agriculture and slavery. Slavery and its legality in the United States was an issue that started when the country was being formed. It became an even larger issue as the country expanded westward. Many in Congress felt, however, that slavery should not expand and worked to prohibit slavery in the new territories. Others in Congress felt differently and saw the prohibition of slavery as an attack on the …show more content…
Representative Taylor of New York, tirelessly tried to prohibit slavery in the Arkansas territory. Representative Taylor understood that he could not get rid of slavery in the United States, but did not want to see it spread. He felt that the roots of slavery were too deep from Georgia to Mississippi to pull up, but felt that new roots should not be planted. Representative Taylor argued that slavery should stay east of the Mississippi River. Taylor made the point that if slavery was prohibited in the Arkansas territory that slavery would disappear from the territory. It would become a problem though when a farmer wanted to move to the territory with his slaves. He would be bringing is property illegally across territory and states lines. Representative Walker of North Carolina saw this as attack on slavery and the southern lively …show more content…
The motion to prohibit slavery in Arkansas failed to pass. Arkansas could allow slavery. The next issue the House dealt with was the amendment that said children who were born as slaves could be held to service until age twenty-five, when they became free citizens. Seventy-five yeas and seventy-three nay, in favor of the amendment. Representative Walker voted positively so he could send the bill back to reconsideration. When the bill went back into reconsideration by the committee it was under the order that bill come back without the clause. Eighty-nine yeas and eighty-seven nays, sent the bill back to committee to be rewritten with out a restriction on slavery. Any slave born in the territory would remain a slave. The Arkansas territory could practice slavery. Arkansas came extremely close to becoming a territory that prohibited slavery. During the nineteenth century in the South could have been an astounding order by the federal government. As Arkansas became its own territory, started to become the state of Arkansas. The debate of prohibition of slavery in Arkansas, illustrated the divide on slavery that ultimately led to the Civil