How did the Mexican-American War ignite a conflict over slavery between the North and the South? can someone help me
Mrs. Sue can you help me?
Mexico would not allow Slavery in Texas while it was part of Texas, and Americans moving to Spanish TExas didn't like it, so started a war with Mexico for Independence. The same argument moved to the US, and the Civil War settled it.
Of course, I can help you understand how the Mexican-American War ignited a conflict over slavery between the North and the South.
1. Background: The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) was sparked by a border dispute between Mexico and the newly-formed Republic of Texas, which had declared independence from Mexico in 1836. The United States later annexed Texas in 1845, which further fueled tensions.
2. Expansionist Ideals: The United States, particularly the Southern states, had a desire for territorial expansion to spread slavery. The acquisition of new territories was seen as an opportunity to extend the reach of slavery, thus strengthening the power of the pro-slavery states and securing their interests.
3. Wilmot Proviso: The issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories was a significant point of contention. In 1846, Representative David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso, which aimed to ban slavery in any territories acquired from Mexico. This proviso infuriated Southern slaveholders who felt that it violated their rights to property.
4. Sectionalism: The conflict between the North and the South over the expansion of slavery intensified during the Mexican-American War. Northern abolitionists saw the war as an opportunity to curb the spread of slavery, while Southern states argued for the protection of their rights to expand slavery.
5. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. Mexico ceded vast territories to the United States, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas. This raised the crucial question of whether these new territories would allow slavery or be free.
6. Impact on Congress: The increased territorial acquisitions resulted in a further imbalance between slave states and free states in Congress. Both sides sought to maintain parity to protect their interests, leading to intense debates and political maneuvers that ultimately widened the divide between the North and the South.
7. Compromises and the Road to the Civil War: Attempts were made to resolve the tensions through a series of compromises like the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. However, these compromises only delayed, rather than resolved, the dispute over slavery, eventually leading to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861.
In summary, the Mexican-American War heightened the conflict over slavery between the North and the South by raising questions about the extension of slavery into newly acquired territories. As Northern abolitionists sought to limit the expansion, Southern slaveholders fiercely fought to protect their interests, intensifying the sectional divide and setting the stage for the Civil War.