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Civil War Dbq Essay

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James Polk was elected in 1845 and had an expansionist viewpoint. He accomplished all of his presidential campaign goals which included gaining Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico, and Arizona including a few more territories on the southern border, therefore, expanding America's territories. In addition, Polk began a period of Manifest Destiny. This was a phrase used to describe America’s goal to grow from “sea to shining sea”. Also, the Mexican-American War in 1846 acquired new lands for America in the southwest from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The rapid increase of new territory displayed America’s desire to expand, but it also brought up the question of whether slavery should be allowed in the new land. Compromises …show more content…

Some of the contributing factors that led to the Civil War were the foreign relations, supreme court cases, and presidential elections. One cause of the Civil War was the Mexican-American War, where American gained a lot of territory. The rapid acquisition of land in the Mexican-American War also brought up the issue of slavery being brought to the new territories. People wanted their individual havens pushing them to expand outwards because lands kept becoming overpopulated. Proslavery Southerners wanted the new land to allow slavery because slavery is what pushed the Southern economy forward; in contrast the North wanted the territory to be free because Northerners believed slavery was a moral issue. This issue forced people to choose sides and contributed to the division of the nation. The Kansas/Nebraska Act exemplified the tension between the sides. This act promised …show more content…

An effect of the Mexican-American War was the Compromise of 1850 which replaced the Missouri Compromise, trying to unify the nation and satisfy both sides regarding slavery. The Nation was divided by the decision on what to do about slavery in the newly discovered territories. One of the laws combined with the compromise was the Fugitive Slave Law, which forced Northerners to turn in runaway slaves. Abolitionists sole idea was to rid the country of slavery and now they were being legally forced to turn against all their moral views. Although, both sides were appeased by this Act, this was only a short-term solution because soon both sides became greedy and wanted their side to have more power in government. This contributed to the Civil War. The result of the Kansas/Nebraska Act was Bleeding Kansas. The violence displayed that people were willing to go to complete extremes for their sides, even killing each other so that their way of life would have more power. Bleeding Kansas showed the divide between the regions because it was the first bloodshed in this conflict. Next was the Dred Scott Case where Roger Tany stated that black people were property, and property was property everywhere, meaning there were no free states. Anti Slavery people were angered because it meant everything they had worked for meant nothing. This decision conveyed the message

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