How did the Mexican-American War ignite a conflict over slavery between the North and the South?
This is very late but the answer is the north wanted the new land gained to be slave free land and the south wanted it to be slave lands.
Read this page and the next, 30d.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/30c.asp
And I'm sure you know from your text materials what the result of the Mexican-American War was: the addition of vast new territories to the U.S.
The Mexican-American War played a significant role in fueling the conflict over slavery between the North and the South in the United States. Here's how it happened:
1. Territorial Expansion: The war with Mexico, fought between 1846 and 1848, resulted in a victory for the United States and expanded its territorial boundaries. The acquisition of vast territories, including California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming, created a dilemma regarding the status of slavery in these areas.
2. Wilmot Proviso: As the war progressed, the issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories gained attention. In 1846, Representative David Wilmot introduced an amendment known as the Wilmot Proviso, which aimed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. The Proviso passed the House of Representatives but failed to pass the Senate. Nevertheless, it ignited intense debates on the nature of these territories and further deepened the divide between the North and the South.
3. Sectional Tensions: The southern states, which heavily relied on slave labor for their agrarian economies, were concerned that banning slavery in the new territories would give the North an advantage in Congress, where representation was based on population. Southerners feared that if these territories became free states, it would upset the balance of power and potentially imperil the institution of slavery in their own states.
4. Popular Sovereignty: In an attempt to address this contentious issue, the Compromise of 1850 was passed. It allowed for popular sovereignty, which meant that the residents of these territories would determine whether to allow or prohibit slavery when applying for statehood. This provision reflected a compromise between the North and the South, but it only aggravated sectional tensions further.
5. Bleeding Kansas: The question of whether Kansas, one of the territories acquired from the Mexican-American War, should allow slavery or not led to a series of violent conflicts known as Bleeding Kansas. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers migrated to Kansas to sway the vote in their favor, leading to armed clashes and bloodshed. This further deepened the divide between the North and the South.
In summary, the Mexican-American War created a new set of territories, intensifying the debate over whether slavery should be permitted in these regions. This issue, alongside other related events and legislation, contributed to the growing sectional tensions between the North and the South and ultimately played a significant role in leading the United States towards the Civil War.