The Westward Expansion In The 19th Century

The westward expansion was in the 19th century, which started in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. During this period it brought way for the slave debate, if the new states would become slave states and how the north and south would be balanced for economic growth and vast new territory.
The expansion west rose the question of how and if slavery would still continue which is known as the slave debate. This conflict was about the northern states depended on free labor rather than slave labor compared to the south. In the case of northern farmers they pushed for innovation. For example, better plows, improving planting and harvesting methods. The construction of ways of transportation such as roads, canals, and railroads. In the south it was
But their own opinions were not reflected in the pro- slavery majority that sat in Congress. Some Northerners were opposed to slavery, but they were angst the way its spread westward interfered with their own economic growth. Other Northerners saw slavery morally wrong, for example the Quakers were opposed to slavery. That how could one be Christian and own another human being. The pro-slave south was unable to let go of the institution because it was their economic backbone and without it they had nothing. In 1820 the new territory on Missouri applied for statehood, this was the spark that turned into a flame with the debate over slave vs Free states. This became known as the Missouri Compromise. It caused tensions because it was west of the Mississippi River and outside the boundaries of the Union. In order to keep the states balanced, Congress came to the decision of making Missouri a slave state and Maine a slave state. This so called balance did not reflect the population because the north had a much larger population than in the south. Other states were added to the Union, Texas, which caused more tensions between both the north and