Charles W. Ramsdell generally emphasizes geography and environment more heavily in assessing slavery's future in the West than Stacey L. Smith. Ramsdell argues that geography and environment played a major role in determining slavery's future in the West and identifies the importance of soil quality, rainfall, and other environmental conditions on slave-holding potential. Smith, on the other hand, tends to emphasize the impact of factors such as politics, the availability of free land, and the people's attitudes toward slavery. While Smith acknowledges the importance of geography and environment, they do not seem to factor as heavily into his analysis as they do for Ramsdell.