Which war occurred from 1846 to 1848 and contributed to the expansion of U.S. territory and debate over slavery in new states?

Which war occurred from 1846 to 1848 and contributed to the expansion of U.S. territory and debate over slavery in new states?

• A. Compromise of 1850
• B. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
• C. Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
• D. Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Answer: (C)

The essential idea here is how a war can both expand the country’s borders and sharpen the fight over where slavery would be allowed. The Mexican-American War, fought from 1846 to 1848, ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, transferring a vast stretch of territory—modern California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming—into U.S. hands. That enormous territorial gain opened new lands for settlement and raised the question of whether slavery would be legal in these areas, intensifying sectional tensions between free and slave states. The result helped push the national debate about slavery into new territories and set the stage for later measures like the Compromise of 1850. The other options aren’t wars from this period and don’t fit the timeline or impact described.

The essential idea here is how a war can both expand the country’s borders and sharpen the fight over where slavery would be allowed. The Mexican-American War, fought from 1846 to 1848, ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, transferring a vast stretch of territory—modern California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming—into U.S. hands. That enormous territorial gain opened new lands for settlement and raised the question of whether slavery would be legal in these areas, intensifying sectional tensions between free and slave states. The result helped push the national debate about slavery into new territories and set the stage for later measures like the Compromise of 1850. The other options aren’t wars from this period and don’t fit the timeline or impact described.