CHAPTER 1 SLAVERY IN AN EXPANDING NATION The The United States grew quickly in the early 1800s People moved steadily west In 1803 the United States bought land from France This deal was called the Louisiana Purchase It doubled the size of the United States The new land stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains Officials finalized the transfer of the Louisiana Purchase land in December 1803 5
Many people from the eastern United States moved to this new land When enough settlers lived in an area that territory could apply to become a state First the territory had to send a petition to the US Congress It asked to become a state Then members of Congress created a bill They took a vote If the bill passed the territory would become a state As the country grew people debated an important question Should the new states allow slavery This question divided the North and the South Slavery was legal in southern states They were known as slave states Large farms in these states produced sugar and cotton 6
The cotton gin invented in 1793 and slave labor helped southern farms make money Demand for these products was increasing all over the world And new inventions helped farms produce more Many southern farms became large and powerful But they depended on slavery 7
