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The Westward Expansion movement was a belief that it was our “Manifest Destiny” to settle the west. Beginning in about 1787, a mass exodus began. People began leaving the East to find cheap land in the west. This expansion is sectionalism because as people began filling up land, it led to political debates on slavery in the west and how that would be managed, splitting the country in two. These initial debates were the foundation for massive arguments that would lead to secession, and Civil War.
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The ⅗ Compromise was an deal between the north and south. The southern states had a lot of enslaved people and wanted those to count towards their population so they could get more representation in the House. The northern states didn’t want that because they would be outnumbered. So they decided that ⅗ of a states slaves would count towards their population, but they would also be taxed. This is nationalism, because the two sides came together and made an agreement that benefited both of them. -
The 10th Amendment was a part of the Bill of Rights. It stated that anything not given to the federal government by the Constitution, is for the states to decide for themselves. The 10th Amendment is sectionalism because it is gave the powers to the states for them to decide. It didn't create national unity because every state would do it individually so it only creates unity in your section. This lead to war because now neither side wanted to work together, they only cared about themselves. -
The Missouri Compromise was a deal on land. Missouri wanted to be admitted but it had slavery which would upset the balance of free and slave states. So the solution was to admit Maine as a free state but a new problem arose. What about everywhere else? Here was the solution, states above the 36˚30' line would be free and below would get to choose. This is sectionalism because they literally divided the US, splitting people's opinions and breeding resentment that would escalate to a Civil War. -
Harriet Tubman was a slave who escaped to the north. She later decided that she needed to do something to help those that were enslaved, so she decided to become a “conductor” on the underground railroad. The underground railroad worked to help slaves escape. She conducted thirteen times saving more than seventy people. This is sectionalism because she was moving against the south to, in their eyes, “disrupt their way of life”. It led to war because it appeared that the north was the railroad. -
The Compromise of 1850 was another deal on land. They decided that the Missouri Compromise was outdated so they made a new one. It made California free, gave Utah and New Mexico popular sovereignty, created a border between New Mexico and Texas, banned the slave trade in DC and passed the Fugitive Slave Law. This is sectionalism because it split the west on slavery. Also, the north didn't follow through on reporting slaves, which made the south angry and lead to some a calling for war. -
The Fugitive Slave Law was passed as a part of the Compromise of 1850. It stated that escaped slaves must be reported and returned to their owner, even if they were in a free state. This is sectionalism because the people in the north, despite the law, never reported escaped slaves which made the south very angry. They were angry because they felt like their lifestyle wasn’t being respected and people only cared about the north. This led to them wanting to cede from the nation, starting a war. -
Frederick Douglass was a slave who escaped to the north. He moved to Boston and started to attend abolitionist meetings. He became very well after his Independence Day speech. This is sectionalism because he was speaking out against the south and fighting for the beliefs of the north. This led to war because his speeches angered the south. They disliked everything that he said, but they really hated the fact that he was an escaped slave and that the north was harboring, and not arresting, him. -
Dred Scott was a slave who escaped to the north. He then sued for his freedom. The suit made it all the way to the Supreme Court. Their decision was that he would not be granted freedom. This is sectionalism because it was a high profile case that had the nation divided. Some wanted his freedom, others wanted his enslavement. The decision split the nation even more, leading to more anti-slavery protests in the north and calls for celebration in the south. This continued dissension led to war.