6. A Dividing Nation (Lesson 9) (jan 1, 1820 – jan 1, 1861)

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In the mid 1800s, as the United States expanded its territory, the country was deeply divided over slavery. This led to many compromises and acts, such as the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. First came the Missouri Compromise which tried to maintain a balance between states with and without slavery, however, this please no one and both the North and South disliked it. Though this compromise put aside debate on slavery for a while, the territorial expansion brought back this conflict over slavery as the United States acquired more land after its war with Mexico. Moderates from both North and South suggested establishing popular sovereignty (a political practice where people had the right to vote on whether to allow slavery in their state). Nevertheless, this did not solve the problem of maintaining the balance of power in Congress. This eventually arose as a problem when California decided to apply to enter the Union as a free state, which would lean the power towards the North. This caused a strong opposition form the southerners, which led to the Compromise of 1850.

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