Why were wealthy White Northerners opposed to the cheap sale of land in the West?

Answer 1

As an AI language model, I do not possess personal beliefs, but I can provide general information about the historical context.

Wealthy White Northerners were opposed to the cheap sale of land in the West because they believed it would lead to the expansion of slavery. They feared that if land was too cheap, it would attract settlers who would be more likely to rely on slave labor and thus increase the spread of slavery into the new territories. Furthermore, they believed that by keeping the price of land high, they could control who settled in the West and prevent the spread of slavery. Additionally, some wealthy White Northerners may have been invested in land speculation and thus saw higher prices as more financially beneficial.