Slavery's Expansion and American Compromises

The national hunger for more land for slavery created significant divisions between the North and South, culminating in disunion and the Civil War.
The westward expansion of the United States is noted as one of the "most significant" events of the 19th century.

The repeated dispossession and genocide of Native Americans resulted in increased land availability for slavery’s expansion.
Political debates coincided with territorial expansion, focusing on key questions:
- Should slavery be allowed to expand?
- Did Congress have the authority to limit slavery's expansion?
This issue repeatedly ignited sectional conflict.

Oregon Country: Unorganized, shared with the United Kingdom (1821).
Territorial Divisions: Detailed mappings illustrate divisions between
- Slave States
- Free States
- Unorganized Territories
Notable milestones include:
- Missouri Compromise (1820): Established the 36° 30' line where slavery was permitted only south of this latitude.

1819: Missouri sought statehood, requiring Congressional approval.
Conflicted with the Northwest Ordinance, which barred slavery in Northwest territories, raising questions about Congress's authority and the balance in the Senate.
Tallmadge Amendment: Proposed gradual emancipation for Missouri, igniting controversy and debate over the implications of restricting slavery.
- Key questions emerged:
- Should slavery expand?
- Would restrictions effectively dismantle slavery?

1820: Outcome of the Missouri Crisis.
- Missouri was admitted as a slave state alongside Maine as a free state.
- Established the Missouri Compromise Line, prohibiting slavery north of the line—temporarily easing tensions but leading to heightened sectionalism, described in the phrase, "A firebell in the night."

The concept of Manifest Destiny suggested a divine right to expand across the continent, articulated by proponents such as John O'Sullivan (1842).
- Tied to earlier ideas, including John Winthrop's vision of a “City on a Hill.”
Andrew Jackson's administration prioritized the removal of Native Americans, focusing on the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes" (Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole).
- Efforts for assimilation through farming, education, and adopting white cultural norms failed, leading to violent removal.

Passed on May 28, 1830: Authorizing the displacement of Native Americans.
Methods of enforcement included:
- State sovereignty and settler impunity
- Land fraud
- Violent removal, exemplified by the Trail of Tears, resulting in 4,000 deaths.

The Second Middle Passage: Approximately 1 million enslaved people forcibly relocated from the East Coast to the Deep South, a significant aspect of slavery's economic landscape.

Political discussions around slavery's expansion built sectionalism and delayed resolution until the Civil War and subsequent Reconstruction.

Proposed by Stephen Douglas, aimed to facilitate settlement but reopened contentious debates around slavery's expansion using the principle of popular sovereignty.
- The act caused Bleeding Kansas, marked by violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.

Described as the human aspect of slavery's expansion, illustrating the devastating effects on enslaved people, public attitudes, and the political landscape leading up to the Civil War.

Following the Civil War, Reconstruction sought to rebuild the nation and address the rights of newly freed people.
Examined new rights, relationships, and the push for equality while grappling with white supremacy and systemic racism in the former Confederacy.
- 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery throughout the United States.
- The impact of Black codes and convict leasing systems showed a return to oppressive labor practices.

Efforts to establish equality faced significant backlash, including organized violence from groups like the Klu Klux Klan and systemic undermining by political leaders.
Reconstruction underwent phases, including:
1. Presidential Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson, focusing on restoring white political power.
2. Radical Reconstruction, emphasizing civil rights and political representation for Black citizens.
3. Military Reconstruction, enforcing equality through federal oversight.

The period culminated in the Compromise of 1877, leading to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and the undermining of Black civil rights.
The Lost Cause narrative was propagated, reshaping public memory around the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Discussions over the legacy of slavery and the Civil War continue to shape contemporary American politics, race relations, and the fight for equality. This historical context is essential for understanding modern discussions surrounding Confederate monuments and racial justice movements.