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Difficulty: MediumIdeological and Legal Debates over Slavery

"Resolved, That under the Constitution Congress has no more power to make a Slave than to make a king; and no more power to establish or sustain than to uphold or support Slavery...

Resolved, That we accept the issue which the Slave power has forced upon us, and to their demand for more Slave States, and more Slave Territory, our calm but final answer is, No more Slave States and no more Slave Territory. Let the soil of our new territories be kept free, for the hardy pioneers of our own land, and the oppressed and banished of other lands..."

— Free Soil Party Platform, 1848

Which of the following developments in the late 1840s most directly prompted the assertions made in the excerpt?

  1. The acquisition of vast new territories from Mexico at the end of the Mexican-American WarAnswer
  2. B
    The application of popular sovereignty, which authorized the federal government to directly decide the legal status of slavery in new territories
  3. C
    Sectional disputes over federal tariff policies that threatened to disrupt Southern trade networks
  4. D
    A desire to replace the expanding system of indentured servitude with hereditary chattel slavery in the West

Answer

The acquisition of vast new territories from Mexico at the end of the Mexican-American War
The correct answer is the option focusing on the acquisition of vast new territories from Mexico. The signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ended the Mexican-American War and transferred a massive region to the United States. This immediately sparked a fierce debate over whether slavery should be permitted in the newly acquired territories, leading directly to the formation of the Free Soil Party and its anti-expansionist platform.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and the date (1848).
The stimulus is the Free Soil Party Platform from 1848, which focuses on stopping the expansion of slavery ('No more Slave States and no more Slave Territory') and reserving new territories for free labor.
Identifying the author, time period, and main argument helps narrow down the immediate cause of the platform.
2
Connect the date and theme to major contemporary historical developments.
In 1848, the United States signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War and acquiring the Mexican Cession (including California, Utah, Nevada, and parts of other states).
This massive acquisition of new western territory forced the issue of slavery's expansion back to the forefront of national politics.
3
Evaluate the choices to find which development directly prompted the party's platform.
The acquisition of new lands from Mexico directly caused the sectional crisis over whether these areas would allow slavery, prompting the Free Soilers to organize and demand that the soil remain free.
This establishes the direct cause-and-effect relationship requested by the prompt.

Key Concept

The Free Soil movement and sectional debates over slavery in the territories following the Mexican-American War
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Ideological and Legal Debates over Slavery

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