During the course of the mid 1800s the controversy over slavery sharply divided the North and the South. As America continued to gain more lands, questions rose as to whether slavery should be permitted in new states created by western territories. Whenever the issue of slavery threatened to divide the Union apart, compromises were created to save the union. The issue continued to be swept under the rug, set aside and covered up. Keeping the Union joined through compromises seemed to be more important than dealing with slavery from the beginning. As the compromises continued, feelings grew more heated and agreements became difficult. Eventually the union that was doomed from the beginning would end because of failure to acknowledge the issue that drove them apart.

The beginning of the issue that would tear the union apart was found in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Thomas Jefferson removed the...