Final answer:
The Free-Soil Party objected to the westward expansion of slavery primarily for economic reasons, aiming to protect the interests of non-slaveholding white settlers and to prevent the spread of slavery into western territories. This stance significantly contributed to sectional and political divisions in the United States, laying groundwork for the Compromise of 1850.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reasons for The Free-Soil Party's Objection to Slavery's Westward Expansion
Discussing why the Free-Soil Party objected to the westward expansion of slavery involves understanding their ideological stance. The Free-Soil Party, which arose following the Mexican-American War in 1848, emphasized that slavery should not extend into the western territories it sought to ensure that these areas remained available for free white labor, enabling non-slaveholding white settlers the opportunity to thrive without competition from slavery. Thus, their main objection was rooted in economic reasons (A) and revolved around the interests of white laborers rather than a focus on social equality (B), religious beliefs (C), or cultural diversity (D).
Members of the Free-Soil Party believed southern slaveholders had manipulated politics to perpetuate and spread slavery for their own economic gain. This belief bolstered fears that slavery's westward expansion could bring about southern dominance, erode the value of white labor, and challenge fundamental Northern economic interests. The party's principles inherently opposed the extension of slavery because it threatened the rights of free men to their labor, and represented an affront to the foundational American property rights as conceived by the North. The Free-Soil ideology played a crucial role in heightening sectional and political divisions in the United States, which would eventually lead to the Compromise of 1850, a series of laws attempting to balance the interests of slave and free states and territories