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Difficulty: HardMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

"We are now in the midst of a war, which has been commenced... The war may end in the acquisition of territory, and that acquisition may lead to a conflict which will shake this Union to its center. Let us show ourselves worthy of our ancestors... by doing equal justice to all parts of this Union, and by maintaining the Constitution in its integrity."
— Senator John C. Calhoun, speech in the Senate, February 19, 1847

Which of the following historical developments during the late 1840s and 1850s best demonstrates the fulfillment of the prediction made in the excerpt?

  1. The political fracturing and legislative crises triggered by the proposed restriction of slavery in newly acquired southwestern landsAnswer
  2. B
    The outbreak of armed hostilities between the North and the South driven primarily by disputes over federal import tariffs
  3. C
    The passage of popular sovereignty legislation that granted the federal executive branch direct authority to determine the legal status of slavery in the territories
  4. D
    The establishment of a joint military coalition with Latin American republics to block further European colonization under the Monroe Doctrine

Answer

The political fracturing and legislative crises triggered by the proposed restriction of slavery in newly acquired southwestern lands
The acquisition of territory from the Mexican-American War ignited severe sectional debates over the status of slavery in the new Western lands. These disputes fractured the existing political system, led to legislative compromises that failed to resolve underlying issues, and ultimately culminated in the secession of Southern states and the Civil War, fulfilling the prediction that territorial acquisition would shake the Union to its center.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Calhoun's warning in the stimulus.
Calhoun warns that the current war (the Mexican-American War) will result in new territory that will upset the sectional balance and threaten the stability of the Union.
Understanding Calhoun's argument is necessary to trace its historical consequences.
2
Evaluate the impact of the territorial gains from the Mexican-American War.
The acquisition of the Mexican Cession in 1848 reopened the issue of slavery's expansion, which had been temporarily quieted by the Missouri Compromise.
This links the physical expansion of the nation to the political crises that followed.
3
Select the option that best illustrates the fulfillment of Calhoun's prediction.
The debate over the Wilmot Proviso, the Compromise of 1850, and subsequent crises in the 1850s over the status of slavery in the West directly polarized the nation and led to secession and civil war.
This directly matches the prediction that territorial acquisition would shake the Union to its center.

Key Concept

The expansion of territory after the Mexican-American War intensified debates over slavery, leading to political instability and secession.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

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