Here's how westward expansion turned the slavery issue into a national crisis:
1. Louisiana Purchase (1803):
- The acquisition of the vast Louisiana Territory brought the issue of slavery into the national spotlight.
- The North wanted to limit the expansion of slavery, while the South wanted to extend slavery into new territories.
2. Missouri Compromise (1820):
- The admission of Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state maintained a balance between the number of slave and free states in the Senate.
- The Missouri Compromise also established the 36°30′ parallel as the dividing line between free and slave territory in the Louisiana Territory.
3. Texas Annexation (1845):
- The annexation of Texas, a former Mexican territory with slavery, further increased tensions between the North and the South.
- The issue of Texas's admission as a slave state led to heated debates in Congress and widened the divide between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.
4. Mexican-American War (1846-1848):
- The war with Mexico resulted in the acquisition of vast territories in the Southwest, including California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
- The question of whether slavery would be allowed in these territories became a central point of contention.
5. California Gold Rush (1848):
- The discovery of gold in California prompted a massive migration of people from all over the country and the world.
- The influx of diverse settlers led to debates over whether California should be admitted to the Union as a free or slave state.
6. Compromise of 1850:
- The Compromise of 1850 attempted to resolve the tensions by admitting California as a free state, organizing four new territories without explicitly mentioning slavery, and enacting the Fugitive Slave Act, which required Northerners to assist in the return of escaped slaves.
7. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854):
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed the residents of these territories to decide whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty.
- This led to a surge in pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers rushing to Kansas, resulting in violent clashes and the so-called "Bleeding Kansas" period.
8. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857):
- The Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case that African Americans were not citizens and could not sue in federal court.
- The decision exacerbated tensions between the North and the South, as it challenged the idea that slavery was confined to certain territories and could not exist in free states.
9. John Brown's Raid (1859):
- The failed raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, led by abolitionist John Brown aimed to incite a slave rebellion.
- The event heightened fears and mistrust between the North and the South, further driving the nation towards civil war.
10. Election of Abraham Lincoln (1860):
- The election of Abraham Lincoln on an anti-slavery platform signaled the end of compromises and accommodations on the slavery issue.
- Lincoln's election triggered the secession of several Southern states and ultimately led to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861.
In summary, westward expansion brought to the fore the conflicting views of the North and South regarding the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories. The political struggles and compromises that ensued deepened divisions within the country, ultimately leading to the American Civil War, which was fought primarily over the issue of slavery.