Westward Expansion
The antebellum period of US history was a time of immense change for the United States. Not only was the United States expanding its territory westward, but also other important social and political changes were constantly taking place. The expansion was the cause for a lot of the social issues of the time, especially with the Indian removal issue. Expanding westward was a monumental achievement for the United States because of obvious reasons; it created more land for agriculture. This increase in the agriculture production created the need for more labor, which then increased the slavery issues of the time. The biggest change for the United States during the antebellum period was the expansion of the United States …show more content…
The first to move westward, in fact, were the Native Americans who were forced to leave their territories and move west. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was an act, which created the exchange of land between the Indians residing in American territories, and for Indian removal west of the Mississippi. This was ultimately to help the United States gain more land for farming, not just to remove the Indians from American territory. However, there were moral issues with Indian removal especially with the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was a march of Native Americans under military supervision to Oklahoma in which 2,000-4,000 Native Americans lost their lives while making the journey. This journey was only made after the Indian Removal Act forced the Indians out of their territories. Even with these negative aspects, the removal of the Indians caused Americans to also expand westward for more land. Once the battle for more land began, the United States began growing at a rapid pace. However, as the United States began growing for more land, it also brought with it the need for more labor; this need for more labor created a rise in slavery (Removal Act of …show more content…
Once the slavery movement began to grow to such an extent, the North and the South began to clash on their ideas about slavery. While the South supported the idea of slavery and openly used slaves for the free labor in many of the farms throughout the south, the North openly rejected the idea of slavery. It all led up to the Slave Power Conspiracy, which stemmed from the fear that the South or the North would gain more power than the other. The Northerners believed there was a Slave Power Conspiracy going on in the South to take over the Federal Government and make the entire United States pro-slavery. This led to the battle over which would gain more territory, the North or the South; this helped the US expand westward. The Compromise of 1850 stated that the North would get California as a free state, while the South would get a stronger slave law and the states of New Mexico and Utah that could be free or slave states. Next came the Kansas-Nebraska Conflict in 1854, which was a very controversial conflict. Nebraska is too northern to become a slave state, so instead the conflict shifted to Kansas giving it the nickname “bleeding Kansas.” This conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery grew to the point that Kansas was not admitted as a state until the late 1860s. All of this conflict brought about one common theme,
The antebellum period of US history was a time of immense change for the United States. Not only was the United States expanding its territory westward, but also other important social and political changes were constantly taking place. The expansion was the cause for a lot of the social issues of the time, especially with the Indian removal issue. Expanding westward was a monumental achievement for the United States because of obvious reasons; it created more land for agriculture. This increase in the agriculture production created the need for more labor, which then increased the slavery issues of the time. The biggest change for the United States during the antebellum period was the expansion of the United States …show more content…
The first to move westward, in fact, were the Native Americans who were forced to leave their territories and move west. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was an act, which created the exchange of land between the Indians residing in American territories, and for Indian removal west of the Mississippi. This was ultimately to help the United States gain more land for farming, not just to remove the Indians from American territory. However, there were moral issues with Indian removal especially with the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was a march of Native Americans under military supervision to Oklahoma in which 2,000-4,000 Native Americans lost their lives while making the journey. This journey was only made after the Indian Removal Act forced the Indians out of their territories. Even with these negative aspects, the removal of the Indians caused Americans to also expand westward for more land. Once the battle for more land began, the United States began growing at a rapid pace. However, as the United States began growing for more land, it also brought with it the need for more labor; this need for more labor created a rise in slavery (Removal Act of …show more content…
Once the slavery movement began to grow to such an extent, the North and the South began to clash on their ideas about slavery. While the South supported the idea of slavery and openly used slaves for the free labor in many of the farms throughout the south, the North openly rejected the idea of slavery. It all led up to the Slave Power Conspiracy, which stemmed from the fear that the South or the North would gain more power than the other. The Northerners believed there was a Slave Power Conspiracy going on in the South to take over the Federal Government and make the entire United States pro-slavery. This led to the battle over which would gain more territory, the North or the South; this helped the US expand westward. The Compromise of 1850 stated that the North would get California as a free state, while the South would get a stronger slave law and the states of New Mexico and Utah that could be free or slave states. Next came the Kansas-Nebraska Conflict in 1854, which was a very controversial conflict. Nebraska is too northern to become a slave state, so instead the conflict shifted to Kansas giving it the nickname “bleeding Kansas.” This conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery grew to the point that Kansas was not admitted as a state until the late 1860s. All of this conflict brought about one common theme,