SSUSH8 The student will explain the
relationship between growing
north-south divisions and westward
expansion.
a. Explain how slavery became a significant issue in
American politics; include the slave rebellion of Nat
Turner and the rise of abolitionism (William Lloyd
Garrison, Frederick Douglas, and the Grimke sisters).
b. Explain the Missouri Compromise and the issue of
slavery in western states and territories.
Slavery and the Southern Economy
• The South was mainly agricultural with little
manufacturing.
• The main crops during the mid 1800s were rice and
cotton, both which required extensive labor to produce.
• Though slavery was prevalent in the South, the
majority of Southerners did not own slaves.
Nat Turner’s Revolt
• Slave Codes put restrictions on slaves, preventing them
from learning to read and write.
• Nat Turner, a Virginia slave, believed God had chosen him
to lead a revolt.
• Turner and his followers killed more than 50 people
before being caught.
• Turner’s Revolt led to states
passing even stricter codes
and restrictions on slaves.
The Missouri Compromise
• In 1819 the U.S. consisted of 11 free and 11 slave states.
• Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state in 1819
• To off set the imbalance, Maine applied for statehood as a free
state.
• The Missouri Compromise granted statehood to both and set a
boundary in which areas slavery could expand.
Why would the South agree
not to expand slavery into
the Unorganized Louisiana
Territory?
Abolitionist
• Grimke Sisters: South Carolina sisters who moved
north to promote the abolitionist movement.
• William Lloyd Garrison became one of the country’s
leading abolitionist, publishing the pro-abolitionist
newspaper the Liberator.
• Fredrick Douglas, a former
slave, published the
newspaper the North Star
and an autobiography.
Questions
1. Why was slavery more prevalent in the Southern states?
2. What were the results of Nat Turner’s slave revolt?
3. What was the purpose of the abolitionist movement? What
made the Grimke Sisters different than many abolitionist?
4. What was the purpose of the Missouri Compromise? Why
were there few slaves in the western states?