Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

Read the excerpt below from a speech by John C. Calhoun in 1849 and answer the question that follows.

"We have acquired a vast territory by our common blood and treasure. Yet, the non-slaveholding States are attempting to exclude us, the slaveholding States, from any share in this common property, by asserting that slavery shall not be permitted there. If they succeed, it will destroy the balance of power between the sections..."
— John C. Calhoun, Address of the Southern Delegates in Congress, 1849

The debate described in the excerpt was most directly triggered by which of the following events?

  1. The acquisition of vast new territories from the war with Mexico.Answer
  2. B
    The implementation of high protective tariffs that favored Northern industries.
  3. C
    The passage of the Fourteenth Amendment defining national citizenship.
  4. D
    The adoption of popular sovereignty to give the President direct control over territorial laws.

Answer

The acquisition of vast new territories from the war with Mexico.
The correct answer is correct because the Mexican-American War concluded in 1848, resulting in the United States acquiring the Mexican Cession. This sudden influx of new western territory immediately disrupted the political balance between free and slave states, prompting Southern leaders like John C. Calhoun to assert Southern rights to carry enslaved labor into the new territories.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main focus and the date of the excerpt.
The excerpt is from 1849 and discusses disputes over 'acquired' territory and whether slavery should be permitted there.
This establishes that the political conflict centers on the status of slavery in recently acquired federal lands.
2
Identify the major territorial acquisition immediately prior to 1849.
The Mexican-American War ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which transferred the Mexican Cession to the United States.
This aligns the acquisition of 'common property' mentioned in the text with the timeline of the Mexican-American War.
3
Determine how this acquisition triggered the debate described.
The addition of new lands forced Congress to decide if slavery would be allowed to expand, causing severe sectional tension.
This explains Calhoun's warning that excluding slaveholders from these lands would destroy the sectional balance of power.

Key Concept

The territorial acquisition resulting from the Mexican-American War reopened the national debate over the expansion of slavery, causing major sectional tension.
Rate this question

Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

More questions from this topic