Because it was becoming increasingly difficult to get Congress to agree to create new slave-states.
This meant that the South was increasingly out-voted in Congress, which would then pass laws that favoured the North against the South.
People moving west gave the people who stayed in the East less to work with. Also, the conflict between the north and south made it more difficult to trade or do business between factions of the country.
Between 1860 and 1900, the population of the United States more than doubled, increasing from approximately 31 million to about 76 million. This significant growth was driven by factors such as high birth rates, increased immigration from Europe, and westward expansion. The rapid population increase contributed to urbanization and the development of industrial cities during this period.
The Last Chance Saloon, on the border of Missouri and Kansas - last chance of a drink before you reach California, as it's all teetotal Mormon country in-between!
Kansa, or Kansas, played a pivotal role in westward expansion due to its strategic location and fertile land, making it a prime area for agriculture and settlement. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 facilitated this expansion by allowing settlers to decide on the legality of slavery, leading to significant migration and conflict, known as "Bleeding Kansas." This tumultuous period highlighted the tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, ultimately influencing the broader national debate over slavery. Additionally, Kansas served as a gateway to the western territories, further encouraging migration and economic development.
It increased the desire for slaves due to the expanding "Cotton Kingdom". Certain acts had previously banned the addition of new slaves but because of western expansion, there was some disagreement between the North and the South, abolitionists and slave-holders, as to whether or not new slaves were needed.
The increasing political conflict between north and south
People moving west gave the people who stayed in the East less to work with. Also, the conflict between the north and south made it more difficult to trade or do business between factions of the country.
When America sought westward expansion in the 1850s, there were many issues that presented themselves. One major underlying source of tension was slavery and the strife between the North and the South.
The Native Americans attempted to preserve their homelands from westward expansion, but would not succeed because there was a lack of unity, lack of leadership, and a diminishing culture.
Slavery played a significant role in westward expansion in the United States. The expansion of slavery into new territories and states fueled sectional tensions between the North and South, eventually leading to the American Civil War. The issue of whether new states would allow or prohibit slavery was a major factor in determining the balance of power between the free and slave states, and ultimately the course of westward expansion.
Free states and slave states both wanted to see their ideas extend to the west. Americans who moved west took their different ways of life with them. This was a conflict for Missouri because they believed in slavery.
Free states and slave states both wanted to see their ideas extend to the west. Americans who moved west took their different ways of life with them. This was a conflict for Missouri because they believed in slavery.
The Crittenden Compromise
The increasing political conflict between North and South. (Apex)
Westward expansion of U.S. holdings and influence. It ultimately lead to the fulfillment of the notion of Manifest Destiny and the expansion of the United States to the whole of it's current domain between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The distance between galaxies is increasing, pretty much in all directions. This suggests that space itself is expanding. We also now know the rate of expansion is in fact increasing.
The Westward Expansion has often been regarded as the central theme of American history. The expansion was the result of a strong desire of Manifest Destiny amongst most Americans. Manifest was a belief that the United States was destined to expand across the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Westward expansion had many effects on America. New forms of transportation such as the Transcontinental Railroad developed, bolstering the nation's economy. Although most changes were positive, some were negative. The westward expansion weakened the Native Americans hold on their sacred lands and onto reservations and threatened to ruin their culture. The positive result of Westward Expansion was the start of the United States. Nowadays, United States is one of the most successful countries in the world, and it all started with Westward Expansion. The movement to the West created a huge country which set up the success of America. Another positive part was the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad was built as a result of Westward movement, because the early settlers needed a way to transport goods from the West, such as lumber, to the East, efficiently in order to develop a economy. A negative part, and it is a big negative, was the end of the Native Americans. Of course, there are still Native Americans living today, but back before Westward expansion; they basically had the whole West Coast. They treated their land with care. But when white settlers arrived, they were forced out of their own land and onto reservations. Conflicts between white people and Indians arose because of this, and many people, especially Native American, were killed, and killed brutally. Without Westward Expansion, the United States would not be as successful as it is nowadays. But on the other hand, the Natives were here first and we should have given them respect. Even though it is horrific what happened to the Native Americans as a result of Westward Expansion, without it, America would not be where it is today.