Louisiana Purchase

Throughout American history, land, expansion, and the conquering of new territories has played an integral role in the development of economics, politics, and even led to bloody conflicts. When America first gained their independence on July 4, 1776, the nation consisted of only the 13 states that had recently separated themselves from Great Britain. Since then America has grown to 50 states, however this expansion came at a cost. American expansion had huge impacts on the development, and ultimate abolition of slavery, and changed other major parts of American culture in the process. Beginning as early as the Louisiana Purchase in 1806, issues over slavery and expansion seemed to go hand in hand up until slavery was officially abolished by …show more content…
The U.S. paid a total of 15 million dollars for this acquisition, which included land from fifteen present U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. In order to execute this purchase, President Thomas Jefferson went against his previously static ideals regarding federal power, which would ultimately alter the face and character of the new nation dramatically. Additionally, this purchase would cause major conflicts over slavery within the new territories. These conflicts would continue up until The Missouri Compromise of 1820, which would temporarily solve these issues. On top of highlighting issues regarding slavery, this expansion would also ultimately contribute to the economic crisis of 1819, which was the first major economic downfall in Americas history. The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. This law also prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory, with the exception of Missouri, which meant that there were 12 free states and 12 slave states. This compromise kept the balance of power equal, even though this resolution was undoubtedly …show more content…
When Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation on June 1, 1863, he intended to emancipate all slaves of the southern states, which no longer belonged to The Union. This order applied only to slaves in Confederate-held lands however, which essentially made this Proclamation a “hollow decree”. Lincoln was conscious of what he was doing however, and he knew that once word of The Emancipation Proclamation spread, it would motivate slave rebellions even more, and encourage slaves to escape and fight for their