Expansionist Campaigns

northerns, in congressional debate of 1850, stated they would accepted Cuba into the Union only if that state applied under the Wilmot Proviso, where no new territory or state would incorporate slavery. Douglas wanted to expand to Latin American and other Caribbean/tropical islands in the South, but for what purpose? National pride? Yes, to expand and grow American but at what cost to the American slaves? Northerners became very nervous that Douglas extreme expansionist policies would expand slavery even farther south while southerners praised Douglas’s efforts to expand down south.
With the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the increasing Caribbean slavery projects, both pushed by Douglas, slavery was legal in any US state or territory. With slavery having a legal stand to expand into the south, Douglas pushed even harder for the U.S. to expand into the south. The Caribbean expansion initiative and and the potential US acquisition of Latin American territories placed the country in the position in which they had to chose whether they agreed with the expansion of slavery or …show more content…
Supporters of Douglas hated Lincoln for ceasing the expansion of slavery. Supporters of Lincoln hated Douglas for his continued pressure on Congress to support war against imperialist countries for control over Latin American countries and the expansion of slavery. The expansionist policies and the acquisition of Latin American countries were the platforms on which these two campaigned on. The strong opposing positions these two candidates had against each other should the country that neither would budge from their position. It also showed that whatever policies each candidate put in place while in office would become permanent. Slaveholders were not willing for the institution of slavery to end permanently and abolitionist were not willing to see slavery extend even