The influx of new territory brought on by the end of the Mexican War was the primary cause for the need for ____________________.
Group of answer choices
The Compromise of 1850
The Nullification Crisis
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Missouri Compromise
To determine the primary cause for the need of one of the answer choices given - The Compromise of 1850, The Nullification Crisis, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, or The Missouri Compromise - we need to understand the historical context.
The question mentions the "influx of new territory brought on by the end of the Mexican War." So, it is important to consider the events and circumstances surrounding this war.
The Mexican War between the United States and Mexico ended in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. As a result of this treaty, the United States acquired a large amount of new territory, including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. This created a significant issue for the United States government - how to handle the question of slavery in these newly acquired territories.
Analyzing the answer choices:
1. The Compromise of 1850: This compromise was a series of laws passed by the United States Congress to address various issues related to the newly acquired territories, including the question of slavery. It allowed for the admission of California as a free state, established the territories of New Mexico and Utah with no restrictions on slavery, abolished the slave trade (but not slavery itself) in Washington, D.C., and strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act. Therefore, the Compromise of 1850 does address the need to resolve issues related to the new territories.
2. The Nullification Crisis: This refers to a dispute between the state of South Carolina and the federal government in the early 1830s. It involved South Carolina's attempt to nullify federal tariffs, not directly related to the question of new territories acquired after the Mexican War. Therefore, it is not directly linked to the question.
3. The Kansas-Nebraska Act: This act was passed in 1854 and allowed settlers in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty. It was a response to the controversy surrounding the expansion of slavery into the territories. While it does address the issue of slavery in new territories, it came after the Mexican War and its acquisition of new territories. Hence, the Kansas-Nebraska Act is not the primary cause for the need mentioned in the question.
4. The Missouri Compromise: This compromise was reached in 1820 and allowed Missouri to enter the United States as a slave state while simultaneously admitting Maine as a free state, thus maintaining the balance between free and slave states. While the Missouri Compromise dealt with the issue of slavery, it predates the Mexican War and the acquisition of new territories. Therefore, it is not directly related to the need mentioned in the question.
Based on this analysis, the answer that aligns most closely with the need for resolving issues related to the influx of new territory brought on by the end of the Mexican War is "The Compromise of 1850." This compromise was enacted to address the question of slavery in the newly acquired territories and is directly linked to the situation described in the question.