Question

In a paragraph, describe three compromises that were made over the practice of slavery during the expansion of the United States into western areas. Identify the details on each act designed to appeal to the South

Answer 1

During the expansion of the United States into western territories, several key compromises were made regarding the practice of slavery, largely designed to appease Southern interests. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine was admitted as a free state, maintaining a balance between free and slave states and establishing a line (36°30' parallel) that determined the status of slavery in future territories. The Compromise of 1850 further attempted to ease sectional tensions by admitting California as a free state while enacting the Fugitive Slave Act, which mandated that escaped slaves be returned to their owners, thereby protecting Southern slaveholders' interests. Finally, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 introduced the concept of "popular sovereignty," allowing the settlers of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery, thus giving the South a chance to potentially expand its slaveholding territory despite the risk of conflict, as demonstrated by the violent confrontations known as "Bleeding Kansas."