Unit 4: A Nation Divided Lesson 3: Mexican War and Failed Compromise

How does this cartoon relate to sectionalism? Why did sectionalism become more severe as our territory expanded?

War with Mexico The U.S. annexes Texas, causing a boundary dispute with Mexico. Polk ordered the army into the disputed area where Mexican troops opened fire on the Americans Polk then asked Congress to declared war on Mexico, claiming they were they aggressor

War with Mexico The American army is ordered into Mexico, and out to California Before the troops can reach California, a group of American settlers revolt and take the area naming it the Bear Flag Republic In 1847, the U.S. Army enters Mexico City causing the Mexicans to surrender and ending the war

War With Mexico Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war, giving the U.S. a vast amount of land in the Southwest The U.S. now stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean Why would this treaty cause problems with the Slavery issue?

The Wilmot Proviso During the Mexican War, in anticipation that we would win, a proposal was made in Congress for the territory gained in the Mexican War –Proposal for NO SLAVERY IN NEW TERRITORY The proposal upset Southerners, and though it passed in the House, the Senate refused to vote on it The Wilmot Proviso continued a north-south division over the slavery issue

What do we do with the New Territory? To counter the Wilmot Proviso and to ease tension, a proposal was made to allow the new territories to decide for themselves on the slavery issue, an idea called popular sovereignty California applied for statehood in 1849, threatening to break the balance of free and slave states To settle the balance, Henry Clay proposed a resolution which became know as the Compromise of 1850 (remember this from a couple of days ago?)

Missouri Compromise Andrew Jackson is elected/nullification crisis Annexation of Texas Mexican War Gold is discovered in CA Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Seneca Falls Convention CA becomes a FREE state Compromise of 1850 Gadsden Purchase

The Compromise didn’t last During the 1850s, the U.S. Government developed the plan for a Transcontinental Railroad The RR caused the same expansion issue to be revisited again- new territories needed to become states (Nebraska Territory)

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) The Compromise of 1850 settled the issue of CA, and the Missouri Compromise settled the issue of Missouri and Maine Does the Missouri Compromise still apply to the areas in the middle of the country? Many people thought that if we add in TWO territories, then one would be a slave territory, and the other would be a free territory, but this did not happen If the Missouri Compromise stood, how would the slave states feel?

How about another compromise? The Kansas-Nebraska Act Terms of this bill: –Repeal the Missouri Compromise Which would allow slavery in the region –Now, the slavery question was left up to the territories (Popular Sovereignty) –By this time, people’s support of slavery and opposition of slavery was extreme

Bleeding Kansas In Kansas, supporters of slavery drafted a Constitution allowing slavery –Opponents of slavery drafted a Constitution that closes slavery to the territory Violence erupted: known as “Bleeding Kansas” Delays statehood of Kansas

Slavery and sectionalism intensifies Many events show how the condition of the Union becomes more vulnerable during the 1850s –1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin –1855: Bleeding Kansas –1857: Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision –1859: John Brown’s Raid

Exit Ticket! When do you think it was clear that compromises would no longer work to resolve the expansion and slavery issue in the United States?