The primary source of political friction regarding territorial expansion was the issue of slavery. As the united States acquired new lands, the question arose whether slavery would be permitted in those territories. Southern states, where the economy was heavily dependent on slave labor, pushed for the expansion of slavery into the new territories, while Northern states, where slavery was less prevalent, opposed it on both moral and economic grounds.
Pro-slavery Arguments:
Southern states argued that the Constitution protected the rights of slave owners to take their property, including slaves, into any territory of the United States. They saw the expansion of slavery as a means of maintaining their political power and economic dominance.
Anti-slavery Arguments:
Northern states argued that slavery was morally wrong and economically inefficient. They believed that the expansion of slavery would undermine the principles of equality and democracy upon which the United States was founded. They also feared that the increased political power of the slaveholding states could threaten the interests of free states.
Political Compromise:
The political debate over slavery in the new territories led to several compromises aimed at maintaining a balance between the interests of Northern and Southern states. These compromises included the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to vote on whether to allow slavery.
Increasing Tensions:
Despite these compromises, tensions over slavery continued to escalate, and the debate grew increasingly heated. The growing abolitionist movement in the North, led by figures such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass, galvanized public opinion against slavery and contributed to the deepening divide between North and South.
Ultimately, the issue of territorial expansion and slavery was a key factor in the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, as Southern states seceded from the Union to protect their interests in slavery.