Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumMexican-American War and Sectional Tension

“How does it become a man to behave toward this American government today? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also. . . . [W]hen a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize.���

— Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government” (Civil Disobedience), 1849

Which of the following historical developments during the late 1840s best explains the sentiments expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The application of the Monroe Doctrine to establish formal military alliances and mutual defense treaties with Latin American republics
  2. B
    The decision by the federal executive branch to directly dictate the slave or free status of newly acquired western territories under the principle of popular sovereignty
  3. The acquisition of vast new territories in the West, which reignited political disputes over the extension of chattel slaveryAnswer
  4. D
    The escalation of sectional tensions primarily caused by disputes over industrial tariffs between Northern manufacturers and Southern planters

Answer

The acquisition of vast new territories in the West, which reignited political disputes over the extension of chattel slavery
The correct answer is correct because the U.S. acquisition of the Mexican Cession in 1848, following the Mexican-American War, forced Congress to address the legal status of slavery in these new lands. This reignited intense sectional debates, which Thoreau references by criticizing the war and linking it to the 'slave's government.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the author's primary concerns and the historical context.
The author, writing in 1849, opposes the American government because it is a 'slave's government' and because a foreign country (Mexico) has been 'unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army.'
This establishes that the passage is reacting directly to both the institution of slavery and the recently concluded Mexican-American War.
2
Correlate the war's conclusion with the major political debates of the late 1840s.
The U.S. victory resulted in the Mexican Cession, adding massive western territories to the nation.
This territory reopened the contentious debate over whether slavery should expand westward, causing deep sectional divisions.
3
Evaluate the options to select the development that best explains the connection between the war and slavery in the late 1840s.
The option describing territorial acquisition and the reigniting of disputes over the expansion of chattel slavery is correct.
It directly links the two elements (the war's conquests and slavery) mentioned in Thoreau's text.

Key Concept

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension
Rate this question

Topics

Mexican-American War and Sectional Tension

More questions from this topic