State Date of Admission Status of Slavery

Question

Ohio 1803 Free state
Louisiana 1812 Slave-holding state
Indiana 1816 Free state
Mississippi 1817 Slave-holding state
Illinois 1818 Free state
Alabama 1819 Slave-holding state
Maine 1820 Free state
Missouri 1821 Slave-holding state
What conclusion can be drawn from the table?
A) The movement for the abolition of slavery grew in Southern states during the early nineteenth century.
B) The threat of European trade embargoes convinced state and federal leaders to outlaw slavery.
C) The expansion of the United States increased sectional tensions between the states.
D) The use of popular sovereignty to determine the legality of slavery deescalated sectional conflicts.

Answer 1

The conclusion that can be drawn from the table is:

C) The expansion of the United States increased sectional tensions between the states.

The admission of both free and slave-holding states as new territories became part of the U.S. caused increased tensions between the North (free states) and the South (slave-holding states) over the issue of slavery, particularly as new states were added to the union. This dynamic is reflective of the broader conflicts that would characterize the lead-up to the American Civil War.