The Mexican-American War

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The Mexican-American War marked a significant turning point that increased tensions over slavery between the abolitionist North and the pro-slavery South. The war spanned from 1846 to 1848 that began over dilemmas regarding the border with Mexico along the Rio Grande. What followed was a fight between neighboring countries that ultimately ended with an American victory. With a previously annexed Texas, the US gained about a third of Mexican territory located in present day California, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. On February 2, 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war. As a result, tensions over whether newly added territory would be slave of free led to complications in Congress. The dispute over slavery between the North …show more content…
While slavery throughout the country changed following the war, some parts remained the same. First off, the South remained for slavery while the North was still strictly opposed to it. The country managed to somewhat keep equilibrium between slave and free states in Congress up until the Civil War. What is truly significant is how the war further shaped our country, geographically and socially. The country’s land doubled after the Mexican defeat. They gained land throughout the Southwest including Texas, a state with lands open for agriculture and eventually exportation of goods. California was admitted as well, now allowing easy access to the Pacific and the resources that are located in that region. On the other hand, while the country flourished while fulfilling the dream of Manifest Destiny, social disagreements arose leading to increased sectional tension. The South’s perspective of slavery shifted from viewing it as a necessary evil, to a positive good. This change of opinion would make it much more difficult for the North to abolish …show more content…
Before the war, disagreement over two of the nation’s territories was appeased, but after the nation acquires a third of Mexico these disagreements rapidly shift to violence. The country remained the same, as the North and South each remained loyal to their moral beliefs, what changed was how they forced their beliefs on one another. The citizens of the nation remained patriotic towards their country and continued to believe in Manifest Destiny, but the citizens changed and were shifted to be patriotic for where they lived, thus splitting the country in two. Furthermore, the Mexican-American War’s impact on how the nation and the issue of slavery further developed while remaining the same is what ultimately led the two halves of the country to fight one another in one of the bloodiest wars in United States
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