Historians estimate that 25,000 Mexican soldiers died, as well as 15,000 American soldiers. The vast majority of American men died from disease, not battlefield injuries, as the volunteer soldiers failed to implement necessary measures for sanitation. As many had feared, the addition of land suitable for cotton farming meant the extension of slavery, along with the human misery of the enslaved men and women who cleared and farmed the land. White settlers who moved to the west did not respect the rights of the Indigenous people or Mexican-Americans (those who had received U.S. citizenship at the war's end) living there, often forcibly removing them from their land.

Question

Historians estimate that 25,000 Mexican soldiers died, as well as 15,000 American soldiers. The vast majority of American men died from disease, not battlefield injuries, as the volunteer soldiers failed to implement necessary measures for sanitation. As many had feared, the addition of land suitable for cotton farming meant the extension of slavery, along with the human misery of the enslaved men and women who cleared and farmed the land. White settlers who moved to the west did not respect the rights of the Indigenous people or Mexican-Americans (those who had received U.S. citizenship at the war's end) living there, often forcibly removing them from their land.

... For the United States, the acquisition of western lands proved both a blessing and a curse. Their rich resources, including the gold discovered in California just weeks before the end of the war, contributed to growing American economic power. But the acdition of new territory upset the fragile balance of power that had kept free and slave states bound together in an uneasy union. In 1861, the tensions over the expansion of slavery into the west led to the U.S. Civil War.

Which 2 of the following quotes most clearly support the idea that the Mexican-American War was not worth the cost? (2 points)

Their rich resources, including the gold discovered in California just weeks before the end of the war, contributed to growing American economic power.

Historians estimate that 25,000 Mexican soldiers died, as well as 15,000 American soldiers.

For the United States, the acquisition of western lands proved both a blessing and a curse.

But the addition of new territory upset the fragile balance of power that had kept free and slave states bound together in an uneasy union. In 1861, the tensions over the expansion of slavery into the west led to the U.S. Civil War.

Answer 1

The two quotes that most clearly support the idea that the Mexican-American War was not worth the cost are:

- "Historians estimate that 25,000 Mexican soldiers died, as well as 15,000 American soldiers." This quote highlights the high number of casualties on both sides, suggesting that the loss of life was a significant and tragic consequence of the war.
- "But the addition of new territory upset the fragile balance of power that had kept free and slave states bound together in an uneasy union. In 1861, the tensions over the expansion of slavery into the west led to the U.S. Civil War." This quote indicates that the acquisition of western lands resulted in tensions over the expansion of slavery, ultimately leading to the devastating U.S. Civil War. This suggests that the war had long-lasting and detrimental effects on the nation.