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Difficulty: EasyMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

"Resolved, That we, the people here assembled... do hereby solemnly declare that we will no longer submit to the slave power, but will demand that there shall be no more slave states, and no more slave territory, wherever the federal government has the power to decide."
— Free Soil Party Platform, 1848

Which of the following historical developments was the most direct cause of the political demands expressed in the excerpt?

  1. The acquisition of new western lands following the Mexican-American WarAnswer
  2. B
    The escalation of sectional disputes over federal protective tariff rates
  3. C
    The belief that the US Constitution gave the president executive authority to decide the status of slavery in territories
  4. D
    The establishment of defensive alliances with Latin American nations under the Monroe Doctrine

Answer

The acquisition of new western lands following the Mexican-American War
The acquisition of new western lands following the Mexican-American War is the correct answer. The Mexican Cession of 1848 added vast new territory to the United States, which immediately reignited national debates over the expansion of slavery. Anti-slavery advocates, concerned about the political dominance of Southern slaveholders, formed the Free Soil Party to advocate for the exclusion of slavery from these new territories.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text and date.
The text is from the Free Soil Party Platform of 1848, demanding 'no more slave states, and no more slave territory' in areas under federal jurisdiction.
Identifying the core message and the time period helps narrow down the historical context.
2
Identify the primary catalyst for the 1848 debate over western slavery.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ended the Mexican-American War, transferring vast territories (the Mexican Cession) to the United States.
This acquisition forced Congress to address whether slavery would be allowed in these new lands, prompting political realignments like the Free Soil movement.

Key Concept

The acquisition of new territory from the Mexican-American War intensified debates over the expansion of slavery.
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Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

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