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Difficulty: EasyMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

"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 extensive domain be ever kept free, for the hardy pioneers of our own land..."

— Free Soil Party Platform, 1848

The sentiments expressed in the excerpt were most directly a reaction to which of the following developments?

  1. A
    The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people
  2. B
    The federal government's attempt to enforce popular sovereignty in the Kansas territory
  3. The acquisition of new territory following the Mexican-American WarAnswer
  4. D
    The outbreak of the Civil War following the secession of southern states

Answer

The acquisition of new territory following the Mexican-American War
The correct option is correct because the defeat of Mexico in 1848 led to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which granted the United States the Mexican Cession (including present-day California, Utah, Nevada, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming). The prospect of organizing these new territories reopened the national debate over the expansion of slavery, prompting anti-slavery advocates to form the Free Soil Party in 1848 to demand that all newly acquired lands remain free of slavery.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided stimulus to identify the core argument and the date.
The platform from 1848 rejects the expansion of slavery ("no more Slave Territory") and insists on keeping the domain free.
This establishes that the document is a response to proposed or actual territorial expansion and the debate over slavery in those new lands around 1848.
2
Identify the historical event immediately preceding 1848 that added new territory to the United States.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ended the Mexican-American War, transferring the Mexican Cession to the United States.
This acquisition of land forced Congress and the American public to confront whether these new territories would allow slavery.
3
Evaluate the options to find the development that matches the cause of this platform.
The acquisition of new territory following the Mexican-American War directly matches the timeline and the core grievance of the Free Soil Party.
The Free Soil Party was formed specifically to oppose the expansion of slavery into the newly acquired western territories.

Key Concept

The Mexican-American War resulted in vast territorial acquisitions that immediately intensified sectional debates over the expansion of slavery, leading to new political alignments like the Free Soil Party.
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Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

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