IB History Topic Westward Expansion & the Sectional Debates Revision Notes (HL)

IB History Topic Westward Expansion & the Sectional Debates Revision Notes (HL) | RevisionDojo

Reasons for Westward Expansion

The idea of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined by God to expand across the continent, drove settlers westward in search of land, opportunity, and national glory.
Economic motives were strong: new lands promised farming opportunities, mineral wealth (like the 1849 California Gold Rush), and trade routes that would link the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Expansion was also encouraged by technological progress, such as the railroad, and government incentives, including the Homestead Act (1862), which offered free land to settlers.

Sectional Debates and the Question of Slavery

Every territorial gain reignited the central political question of whether slavery would expand westward. The Missouri Compromise (1820) and Compromise of 1850 tried to balance free and slave states, but both only postponed conflict.
The Compromise of 1850, negotiated by Henry Clay, admitted California as a free state, strengthened the Fugitive Slave Law, and allowed popular sovereignty (local voting on slavery) in New Mexico and Utah, temporarily easing tensions but angering both North and South.

Definition

U.S. Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

A law requiring that escaped enslaved people be returned to their enslavers, even if found in free states, and penalizing anyone who aided their escape, which expended federal enforcement and pressured Northerners to cooperate.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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Reasons for Westward Expansion

The idea of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined by God to expand across the continent, drove settlers westward in search of land, opportunity, and national glory.
Economic motives were strong: new lands promised farming opportunities, mineral wealth (like the 1849 California Gold Rush), and trade routes that would link the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Expansion was also encouraged by technological progress, such as the railroad, and government incentives, including the Homestead Act (1862), which offered free land to settlers.

Sectional Debates and the Question of Slavery

Every territorial gain reignited the central political question of whether slavery would expand westward. The Missouri Compromise (1820) and Compromise of 1850 tried to balance free and slave states, but both only postponed conflict.
The Compromise of 1850, negotiated by Henry Clay, admitted California as a free state, strengthened the Fugitive Slave Law, and allowed popular sovereignty (local voting on slavery) in New Mexico and Utah, temporarily easing tensions but angering both North and South.

Definition

U.S. Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Paper 1 - The Move to Global War6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Rights and Protest6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Conflict and Intervention6 subtopics

Paper 2 - Independence Movements5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Emergence and Development of Democratic States5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Authoritarian States7 subtopics

Paper 2 - Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars4 subtopics

Paper 2 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries4 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Europe18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of the Americas18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania18 subtopics

IB History Westward Expansion & the Sectional Debates Notes

Paper 1 - The Move to Global War6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Rights and Protest6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Conflict and Intervention6 subtopics

Paper 2 - Independence Movements5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Emergence and Development of Democratic States5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Authoritarian States7 subtopics

Paper 2 - Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars4 subtopics

Paper 2 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries4 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Europe18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of the Americas18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania18 subtopics

Reasons for Westward Expansion

Sectional Debates and the Question of Slavery

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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Reasons for Westward Expansion

Sectional Debates and the Question of Slavery

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account