Chicago Humanities Style Citations please
As the United States expanded westward, the question of whether or not slavery would be allowed in the new territories came up again and again. Write an essay about why this was an issue, how the Constitution played a role, and what compromises were made. Consider the following questions as you read and prepare your essay:
- Consider the role of filibusters in American expansion. What are some arguments in favor of filibustering? What are some arguments against it?
- What were the economic and political issues raised by having an imbalance between free and slave states? Why did the balance of free and slave states matter?
- Describe the place of Texas in the history of American westward expansion by comparing Texas’s early history to the Missouri Crisis in 1819–1820. What are the similarities and what are the differences?
- Consider the arguments over the expansion of slavery made by both northerners and southerners in the aftermath of the U.S. victory over Mexico. Who had the more compelling case? Or did each side make equally significant arguments?