"The American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers... We owe it therefore to candor to declare that we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety." — President James Monroe, Annual Message, 1823
The map's dashed line at 36°30' best supports which claim about the Era of Good Feelings?
- A
Native nations had been removed east of the Mississippi
- B
The federal government had abandoned territorial expansion
- C
Tariff disputes had eclipsed slavery as the chief sectional issue
- Dcheck_circle
Sectional disputes over slavery's expansion persisted beneath surface unity
Explanation
The 1820 Missouri Compromise line shows that even amid Monroe's nationalism, slavery's expansion remained a fault line. Removal, tariffs, and an end to expansion don't fit the 1823 context.