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Difficulty: EasyMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

"The United States will conquer Mexico, but it will be as the man swallows the arsenic, which brings him down in turn. Mexico will poison us."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, journal entry, 1846

Which of the following historical developments during the late 1840s and 1850s best supports Emerson's prediction in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The creation of popular sovereignty, which granted the federal executive branch the direct authority to decide the slave status of new territories.
  2. The intensification of sectional debates over the expansion of slavery into newly acquired western territories.Answer
  3. C
    The outbreak of major sectional crises caused primarily by Southern opposition to federal protective tariffs.
  4. D
    The formation of a military alliance between the United States and Latin American nations to prevent European colonization.

Answer

The intensification of sectional debates over the expansion of slavery into newly acquired western territories.
The acquisition of vast new territories from Mexico at the end of the Mexican-American War reignited intense political conflicts over whether slavery would be permitted in these new lands. This sectional struggle over the expansion of slavery, highlighted by events such as the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850, polarized the North and the South, eventually leading to the Civil War and fulfilling Emerson's warning that the conquest would 'poison' the nation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the stimulus.
The excerpt is from Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1846, warning that conquering Mexico will 'poison' the United States like swallowing arsenic.
Understanding the source and date helps connect the quote to the climax of the Mexican-American War.
2
Identify the historical significance of the Mexican-American War's territorial gains.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) added the Mexican Cession to the United States.
Analyzing the physical acquisition of territory explains the basis for the subsequent national dispute.
3
Evaluate which option represents the 'poison' Emerson refers to.
The acquisition of new land forced the United States to address whether slavery would expand west, leading to intense sectional crises (like the Compromise of 1850) that ultimately tore the Union apart.
Connecting the territorial expansion directly to the reigniting of sectional debates over slavery identifies the correct historical development.

Key Concept

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension
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Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

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