Mexican-American War Dbq

Long Essay Question

The Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846 to 1848, marked a huge turning point for America, signaling the evolution of many ideals, like regional identity, expansion, and slavery, which changed the course of American history. The nation began to rip itself in half after the acquisition of Texas and California. Slavery began to stand at the forefront of American politics and due to America’s gradual expansion, massive tension rippled across the country, testing the strength of America’s government, and the people in it. Before the Mexican-American War, the Missouri Compromise was created in order to ease tensions with the American population on the topic of slavery. Although the Missouri Compromise eased minds, it also contributed to a spike in sectionalism, increasing the divide between the North and South. When the Mexican-American War occurred, America was already invading California for the hopes of gold. Once America decided to pull Texas into the country, many were afraid that the slave states would create an imbalance in Congress. California also contributed to these tensions, so after many arguments, the Compromise of 1850 was created, making California a free state, and allowing states to vote for whether or not

Manifest Destiny gave many Americans a reason for invading and expanding the borders. California and Texas brought the creation of new political parties and the Mexican American War itself, separating American society while also shaping American politics. The Compromise of 1850 was made in order to abate tensions for a few years, allowing American politics to move on for the time. Expansion led to the destruction of our society and brought upon the Civil War, but nothing had a greater change after the Mexican American War like