AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Free-Soil Movement (Day 127/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about the Free-Soil Movement as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Expansion of Cotton Production & Spread of Slavery

The debate over free v. enslaved labor intensified in the mid-19th century. The cotton boom had fueled desires for enslaved labor and many northerners believed that slavery undermined the free labor market.

Acquisitions of Territory, Library of Congress

A Free-Soil Movement and Party emerged largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into the new territories obtained from Mexico. They wanted to keep the West for whites only.

1848 and 1852 Election Results, 270 to Win

While opposing the expansion of slavery, free-soilers did not support its abolition. The movement gained momentum with the Wilmot Proviso which would have banned the spread of slavery to the west.

Free Soil Party, Wikimedia Commons

They viewed enslaved laborers as competition for scarce jobs and believed that allowing slavery to expand would allow elite planters to expand their wealth and prevent poor whites from becoming more self-sufficient.

In the antebellum period, various groups attempted to resolve tensions over slavery. The Free-Soil Movement proposed a prohibition in the expansion of slavery while not supporting abolition.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Compromise of 1850 in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!