Because of these reasons, the Northern States fought to end slavery in the South as well. Slaves were the largest single investment in the South. To maintain peace between the Southern and Northern supporters in the Democratic and Whig parties, political leaders tried to avoid the slavery question. But with growing opposition in the North to the extension of slavery into the new territories, the issue became increasingly difficult. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 temporarily settled the issue. Conflict resumed, however, when the United States boundaries were extended westward to the Pacific.
In the nineteenth century, most Americans assumed that there was a natural order in society which placed men and women in totally different catagories. The ideal woman was suppose to make babies, stay home, cook, clean, and sew. Between 1750 and 1850, women's roles in America changed somewhat. By the early 1800s women were ready to branch out from their families and make an impression on the world. Numerous women's organizations were formed, some social, but many bound on doing social work. One of the first movements in which women took an active hand was the female seminary movement which began its serious phase about 1815. The leaders were Emma Willard, Catherine E. Beecher, Zilpah P. Grant, Mary Lyon and Joseph Emerson. They intended to improve the quality of women's education so that they could be good citizens. They felt that young men and women should be educated separately and in a different fashion. While these leaders worked for improvements for women, they only worked for education and acceptance. They never became involved in the women's rights movement but they still contributed something