Slavery's Future

Definition

The term "slavery's future" refers to the ongoing debate and conflict surrounding the expansion of slavery into new territories during the market revolution era. It encompasses discussions about whether these territories would allow or prohibit slavery, leading to tension and divisions in the United States.

Related terms

Popular Sovereignty: The concept that allowed residents of a territory or state to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery within their borders.

Missouri Compromise: An agreement in 1820 that temporarily settled tensions over slavery's expansion by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Kansas-Nebraska Act: A law passed in 1854 that repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide through popular sovereignty whether they would be slave states or free states.