Why did northerners oppose the expansion of slavery?
Westward Expansion Sharp differences arose, however, over whether the new society created in the West would be free of slavery or not. This prompted the development of another form of anti-slavery politics: “free soil,” in which people—mostly Northerners—opposed the expansion of slavery into the Western territories.
Why did abolitionists oppose westward expansion?
What were the people who wanted to make slavery illegal called? During the 1840’s abolitionists opposed the annexation of new western territory because they feared it would result in more. . . ? His ceaseless, uncompromising position on the moral outrage that was slavery made him loved and hated by many Americans.
Why was expanding west important for America?
To Jefferson, westward expansion was the key to the nation’s health: He believed that a republic depended on an independent, virtuous citizenry for its survival, and that independence and virtue went hand in hand with land ownership, especially the ownership of small farms.
What changes did America face as a result of the transcontinental railway?
Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production.
What is the meaning transcontinental railroad?
A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders.
What was the route of the first transcontinental railroad?
North America’s first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the “Pacific Railroad” and later as the “Overland Route”) was a 1,912-mile (3,077 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at …