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Difficulty: MediumSectional Compromises and Legislative Crises

Read the following excerpt from a speech delivered in the United States Senate by Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina on March 4, 1850.

"How can the Union be saved? To this, there is but one answer, and that is, by a simple act of justice, and a duty; to give to the South an equal right in the acquired territory, and to do her duty by causing the laws relative to fugitive slaves to be faithfully executed—to cease the agitation of the slave question, and to provide for the insertion of a provision in the Constitution, by an amendment, which will restore to the South, in substance, the power she possessed of protecting herself before the equilibrium between the two sections was destroyed."

Calhoun's speech was most directly a response to which of the following developments?

  1. A
    The passage of federal legislation establishing popular sovereignty as a mechanism for the President to decide the legal status of slavery in new territories
  2. B
    The implementation of protective tariffs that Southern politicians argued directly violated their constitutional property rights
  3. The acquisition of new western territories from the Mexican-American War, which threatened the balance of political power between free and slave statesAnswer
  4. D
    The proposed ratification of a Reconstruction amendment that would grant immediate voting rights to all formerly enslaved laborers

Answer

The acquisition of new western territories from the Mexican-American War, which threatened the balance of political power between free and slave states.
The acquisition of new western territories from the Mexican-American War is correct because the acquisition of the Mexican Cession in 1848 reopened the intense debate over the expansion of slavery. This led directly to California's application for free-state status and Calhoun's warnings about the destruction of the sectional equilibrium between the North and South in the Senate.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical context of the speech.
The speech was delivered on March 4, 1850, during the Senate debates over the Compromise of 1850.
Understanding the date (1850) and the mention of 'acquired territory' and 'fugitive slaves' anchors the speech in the debates surrounding the status of the Mexican Cession.
2
Identify Calhoun's primary argument and concern.
Calhoun argues that the 'equilibrium' between the North and South has been destroyed and warns that the South needs equal rights in the new territories to remain in the Union.
This shows Calhoun's concern with the balance of political power in Congress, which was threatened by California's petition to enter as a free state.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the development that fits this context.
The acquisition of western territories from the Mexican-American War is the correct fit, as it directly led to the legislative crisis over the expansion of slavery and the balance of power.
The other options either represent chronological errors or different historical issues.

Key Concept

Sectional Compromises and Legislative Crises
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Sectional Compromises and Legislative Crises

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