Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

"But I have a stronger objection. I think that this Constitution was made for a country of a certain size; that it is not at all clear that it can be successfully applied to a territory of indefinite extent... The tendency of this war is to make new States, and to make them in the South... This will lead to a conflict between the free and the slave States, which will shake the Union to its center."
— Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, speech on the Three Million Bill, March 1, 1847

The concerns expressed by the speaker in the excerpt were most directly a reaction to which of the following?

  1. The potential acquisition of new territories from the Mexican-American War, which reopened debates over the expansion of slavery.Answer
  2. B
    The emergence of intense sectional disputes over federal tariff policies, which Southern states claimed threatened their economic sovereignty.
  3. C
    The proposal of popular sovereignty, which would give the federal executive branch the direct authority to determine the slave status of new territories.
  4. D
    The creation of a military alliance with Latin American republics to actively colonize territory and counter European influence.

Answer

The potential acquisition of new territories from the Mexican-American War, which reopened debates over the expansion of slavery.
The correct option is correct because the Mexican-American War resulted in the acquisition of vast new territories in the West (the Mexican Cession). Senator Daniel Webster and other Northern Whigs feared that adding these territories would disrupt the sectional balance by creating new slave states, leading to intense debates like those over the Wilmot Proviso.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the historical context and speaker of the excerpt.
The excerpt is from a speech by Senator Daniel Webster in March 1847 objecting to the territorial expansion resulting from the Mexican-American War.
Understanding the context helps determine what event prompted the senator's warning about the conflict between free and slave states.
2
Analyze the speaker's main argument and warning.
Webster argues that acquiring vast new territories will lead to the creation of new states, primarily in the South, which will trigger a sectional conflict over slavery.
This connects the war directly to the sectional debates surrounding the expansion of slavery (e.g., the Wilmot Proviso).
3
Evaluate the options to find the development that fits the warning.
The potential acquisition of new territories from the Mexican-American War reopened the contentious issue of whether slavery would be allowed in those territories, matching Webster's concern.
This represents the direct cause of the sectional crisis in the late 1840s.

Key Concept

The connection between the territorial gains of the Mexican-American War and the escalation of sectional conflict over the expansion of slavery.
Rate this question

Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

More questions from this topic