Lesson 1: Conflicts and Compromises

Key Idea

As America expanded westward, the fierce debate over slavery grew with it. When Missouri applied to become a slave state, it threatened to upset the fragile balance of power between free and slave states in Congress. The nation faced a serious crisis that could have split it apart.

To avoid a disaster, Congress agreed to the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This deal admitted Missouri as a slave state but also admitted Maine as a free state, keeping the numbers even. It also drew a line across the western territories, banning slavery north of it.

Key Idea

America's victory in the Mexican-American War brought vast new lands in the West. This westward expansion reopened the bitter national argument over slavery. The question became whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories acquired from Mexico.

To avoid a national crisis, some leaders suggested a new approach called popular sovereignty. This idea allowed settlers in a territory to vote for themselves on whether to permit slavery. This put the power to decide in the hands of the people in the territories, not Congress.

Key Idea

The debate over slavery intensified after the U.S. acquired new lands from Mexico. Many Northerners feared that allowing slavery in these western territories would give the South too much power in the government.

In response, antislavery politicians formed the Free-Soil Party in 1848. Their main goal was to prevent the expansion of slavery into the West. They did not seek to abolish slavery where it already existed, but to keep western territories open to free labor.

Key Idea

As the nation expanded, the debate over slavery threatened to tear it apart. Politicians desperately searched for a solution to keep the North and South from splitting.

The Compromise of 1850 was a package of laws intended to satisfy both sides. It admitted California as a free state, but it also included a strict new Fugitive Slave Act.