Antebellum Era Change and Reform

Antebellum Era Change and Reform

During the 19th century, the United States of America expanded westward through land purchases and war. The expansion of America brought slavery and women’s rights into question as the country struggled to agree on how to proceed. The debate in the expansion of land was if the expanding of slavery would proceed, causing friction between the North and South. Even the abolition of slavery was discussed for the first time since the creation of the Union. The Second Great Awakening caused many Americans to move west to become missionaries and allowed anyone who felt moved to be able to preach. Many women moved westward to mission to Indians and other people living on the land with the idea of spreading the word and promoting anti-Catholicism. Not only did women leave their homes to become missionaries, the women’s rights movement began. The ideas of slavery expansion and women’s rights were new concepts that were led on by the idea of manifest destiny; the opposition of both slavery and women’s rights exposed the lack of a true democratic nation.

As the expansion of the territory acquired by the United States continued, many political leaders and journalists expressed their own opinions on the issue of slavery. While Missouri was entering into the Union, New York Representative John Tallmadge declared a rather famous amendment to the Missouri Enabling Bill and started one of the first and most prominent slavery debates in American history. Tallmadge’s amendment declared that “the further introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude be prohibited” thus prohibiting any further introduction of slaves into Missouri and provided for the emancipation of children of slaves already living in Missouri. The Tallmadge amendment caused protest from Southern senators. Though the Tallmadge amendment did affect newly acquired areas, the amendment did not restrict with slavery in the states where it already existed. This amendment was the...