What happened? Summarize the event!

Question

Who was involved? Think about the people or groups affected by this event. Then list them.

Where did this event take place?

When did this event take place? What year?

Sectionalism is putting the interests of a particular section or region above those of the nation. It can create tensions when two different types of regions must coexist and make decisions together. This is what happened to the United States right before the Civil War.

Southern states were rural, and their economy was based on agricultural products produced by slave labor. The Northern states were more urban and industrialized than the South, and people in the Northern states tended to oppose the institution of slavery. Both regions had a distinct culture, traditions, and ways of life that furthered their political tensions.

In 1820, tensions over slavery grew between the North and the South with the addition of new states to the Union. The U.S. Congress, in an attempt to maintain the balance between slave states and free states, agreed in the Missouri Compromise that slavery would only be allowed in certain parts of what used to the Louisiana Purchase and in what would become the state of Missouri. Maine would be admitted as a free state.

The question of admitting new territory as slave or free also came up after the Mexican-American War. New territories in the Southwest, including California, were gained as a result of the U.S. victory over Mexico in the Mexican-American War. Abolitionists, or those against slavery, fought for new territories to become free states rather than slave states.

Answer 1

Summary of the Event: The period leading up to the American Civil War was marked by increasing sectional tensions primarily over the issue of slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a significant event where Congress attempted to address these tensions by maintaining a balance between slave and free states. This compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state, and set geographical boundaries for the expansion of slavery in territories acquired from the Louisiana Purchase. The conflict over the status of slavery in newly acquired territories following the Mexican-American War further exacerbated these tensions.

Who was Involved:

• Southern States: Primarily agricultural, reliant on slave labor for their economy.
• Northern States: More urban and industrialized, with a growing opposition to slavery.
• U.S. Congress: Engaged in legislation aimed at managing the balance between slave and free states.
• Abolitionists: Activists who opposed the expansion of slavery and fought for new territories to be admitted as free states.

Where Did This Event Take Place: The events took place in the United States, specifically involving discussions and legislative actions within the U.S. Congress. The geographical implications primarily involved territories that were part of the Louisiana Purchase and new regions acquired after the Mexican-American War, including California and parts of the Southwest.

When Did This Event Take Place: These events unfolded primarily in the early 19th century, with the Missouri Compromise enacted in 1820, and continued to develop through the Mexican-American War, which occurred from 1846 to 1848. The tensions escalated throughout the following decades, leading into the Civil War in 1861.