Westward Expansion In America

During the pre-civil war time period— also known as the antebellum years— America experienced a widespread transformation for the sake of its economy. With the booming belief of the Manifest Destiny, America’s constant desire for westward expansion caused disputes between the North and the South regarding the establishment of free states and slave states, which led to certain compromises such as the Missouri Compromise. After the Market Revolution, the North and South used its new gained land to create different means of economic gains; the North became industrialized through manufacturing, while the South became an agricultural industry dependent on cotton. However, as America’s boundaries expanded, tensions between the North and South grew, often leading to compromises in bloodshed. The drastic differences between the two groups eventually transformed America into a divided nation of sectionalism economically, politically, and socially. Westward expansion had an economical impact on the North and South’s separation in many ways. For every set of land gained, one would be a free state and the other a slave state. The South used its gained land for agricultural improvement, while the North constructed factories and manufacturing buildings to strengthen its industrial economy. Although expansion gave America more opportunities and potential economic growth, expansion also affected the relationship between the North and the South: both groups disputed over several U.S.