preview

Mexican American War Causes

Good Essays

The main causes of the war between America and Mexico was that there was tensions between the American settlers and the Mexican government that continuously grew. This tension resulted from the “continuing ties of the immigrants to the United States” (342) and their desire for legal slavery which Mexico has deemed illegal in Texas in 1830. Americans were divided on how to express and voice their unhappiness with the Mexican control and government. Some wanted to just get to a peaceful settlement where Texas had more autonomy under Mexico while other Americans wanted to be independent and leave Mexico’s rule. Instability in Mexico ultimately led to General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to become a dictator and obtain power. He imposed an autocratic …show more content…

Stephen Douglas was likely hoping the inhabitants who would vote would vote to make Kansas and Nebraska slave states, which is why he decided to introduce this act in the first place, as he was for slavery. Nebraska became a free state, essentially joining the union, and Kansas became a slave state. Although Douglas got a slave state, which is what he wanted, since the Kansas-Nebraska Act ultimately caused the Missouri Compromise to be void. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was obviously passed, and the Missouri Compromise was ruled unconstitutional and was repealed. This greatly angered the North and abolitionists around the country, and many protests occurred trying to prevent another slave state from entering the US. Turmoil between the North and South would increase and this would be one of the biggest events that would lead to Civil War and would cause “Bleeding Kansas.” Since so many negative effect occurred as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska act, I don’t think it was a successful attempt as it did more harm than good. Kansas became known as “Bleeding Kansas” because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Since Kansas became a slave state, in the next two years, political turmoil in the North increased. Northern and Southern white settlers moved into Kansas immediately to try to sway the decision and many acts of aggression and violent events occurred between pro and anti slavery groups of people about the issue of slavery …show more content…

He declared that Dred Scott couldn’t bring a suit into the federal courts because he wasn’t an American citizen. Taney argued African Americans had no claim to citizenship and no rights under the Constitution. What was the opinion of the time, and what Taney said was that slaves were property, and the Fifth AMendment of the Constitution prohibited Congress from taking property without due process of law. He also said that Congress has no authority to pass a law depriving people of their slave property. Essentially, their rationale in their decision of the Dred Scott case was that slaves were property, and the Constitution protects people’s property from being taken by either Congress or the Supreme

Get Access