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Difficulty: MediumMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

“The war... is a war against the free States, as well as against Mexico. It is a war to extend the slave power, to increase the number of slave States, and to give the South a permanent ascendancy in the councils of the Nation... The Whigs and Democrats have vied with each other in voting men and money for its prosecution... The people must speak out, and demand the immediate withdrawal of our troops.”

— Frederick Douglass, *The North Star*, January 21, 1848

The arguments expressed in the excerpt most directly led to which of the following political developments in the late 1840s?

  1. The proposal of the Wilmot Proviso in Congress to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from MexicoAnswer
  2. B
    A resurgence of tariff disputes as the primary source of sectional conflict between the North and South
  3. C
    The assertion of executive branch authority to unilaterally determine the slave status of new territories through popular sovereignty
  4. D
    The rapid ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to establish citizenship rights for formerly enslaved individuals

Answer

The proposal of the Wilmot Proviso in Congress to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico
The correct answer is correct because the Wilmot Proviso was a direct legislative response to the fear that the Mexican-American War would expand slavery and increase Southern political power. The Proviso proposed banning slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, reflecting the exact concerns raised by Frederick Douglass regarding the expansion of the 'slave power.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus text.
Identify that the author (Frederick Douglass) is criticizing the Mexican-American War as an effort to expand the political power of slaveholding states by acquiring new slave territories.
This establishes the historical context of anti-slavery opposition to territorial expansion during the war.
2
Evaluate the political developments of the late 1840s that attempted to address this expansion.
Recognize that Representative David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso to ban slavery in any territory won from Mexico.
This directly connects the concerns over expanding slave power to legislative action in Congress.
3
Compare the options to find the development that most directly aligns with the anti-expansionist sentiment.
The proposal of the Wilmot Proviso represents the legislative attempt to stop the expansion of slavery into the Mexican Cession.
This confirms the correct option based on historical cause and effect.

Key Concept

The connection between the Mexican-American War, concerns over the expansion of slavery, and the resulting legislative debates such as the Wilmot Proviso.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

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