Which group rejected radical abolitionism but aimed to prohibit slavery's expansion into western territories?

The Free-Soilers were a political group active in the mid-1800s that strongly opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories of the United States. Unlike radical abolitionists, who sought the total elimination of slavery, the Free-Soilers focused on preventing slavery's spread, advocating instead for the rights of free soil, free labor, and free men.

They believed that the admission of new slave states would undermine their vision of a nation based on free labor and limit opportunities for white, non-slaveholding settlers. Thus, their approach was more about maintaining a political balance and ensuring that new territories remained free, rather than pursuing an immediate end to slavery in existing states.

Other groups listed, such as Border Ruffians, were actively involved in violence related to pro-slavery sentiments, and Radical Republicans, while they had strong anti-slavery positions, were significantly more radical in their methods for achieving abolition. Moderate Democrats, on the other hand, generally supported popular sovereignty which allowed territories to decide the issue of slavery for themselves, without a clear stance against slavery's expansion.