Northern Elites in the 1800s saw the West as important to them because it was

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Northern Elites in the 1800s saw the West as important to them for all three reasons: it provided a substantial source of raw materials, a lucrative market for manufactured goods to be consumed, and an area for the development of non-slave states to fight Southern political power. The expansion of non-slave states in the West would have meant a greater balance of power in Congress and the potential to tip the scales against the slave-holding South.

Northern Elites in the 1800s Saw the West as Important