Conversely, the left and right sides attained common ground on issues such as the prioritization of manifest destiny and westward expansion. Democrats and Republicans’ failure to attain common ground on the issue of slavery further partitioned the United States, augmenting sectionalism and evoking conflict. Closer examination of their respective adversary’s motives, the two parties would have identified a mutual ambition: American Prosperity.
The Republican Party founded in the mid 19th century, aimed to contain slavery, ultimately envisioning total eradication of the immoral practice. Collapse of the Whig and Free-Soil Parties, led to the emergence of the Republican Party as the chief opposition to the Democratic Party. Dissention over the issue of slavery