During the westward expansion of the United States, several key compromises were made regarding the practice of slavery that aimed to balance the interests of both the Northern and Southern states. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine was admitted as a free state, and it established a boundary between free and slave territories at latitude 36°30', thus promoting Southern interests by allowing the cultivation of slavery in newly acquired lands south of this line. The Compromise of 1850 included the Fugitive Slave Act, which mandated that escaped slaves be returned to their owners, appealing to the South by strengthening their rights to reclaim slaves who had fled to free states. Additionally, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 introduced the principle of popular sovereignty, allowing settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to determine whether they would permit slavery, directly aiming to entice Southern settlers to migrate to these territories and perpetuate the institution of slavery in the new states. By accommodating Southern demands, these compromises attempted to maintain the delicate balance between free and slave states during a period of rapid territorial expansion.
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 in each act designed to appeal to the South.
(4 points)
1 answer