Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War

Which of the following statements best summarizes the concept of manifest destiny?

• Slavery was destined to be permitted in all of the states of the United States.

• The United States had the right to expand its territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

• Slavery would be permitted in every other state added to the United States.

• Voters in individual states had the right to decide for themselves whether or not to permit slavery.

What was the main outcome, or effect, of the Mexican War?

• Mexico lost much of its northern territory to the United States, in what is today the western United States.

• After its defeat in the Mexican War, the United States agreed to withdraw all American settlers from Texas.

• The United States Army occupied the entire country of Mexico, and soon Mexico would be annexed to the United States.

• The boundaries of Mexico and the United States stayed exactly the same as before the war.

Which of the following best describes the effect of the Mexican War on Mexicans living in the territory the United States received from Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

• The United States forced the Mexicans in the territory to move back to Mexico as soon as the war ended and the treaty was signed.

• The United States told the Mexicans in the territory that they could move to the areas that are present-day Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

• Mexicans in the territory were furious about the treaty, so they started an uprising against the United States that would last many years.

• Mexicans who lived in the territory were given the option to become United States citizens and were promised that their rights would be protected, but that promise was often broken.

Which of the following best describes feelings in the country about allowing slavery in Texas?

• Feelings in the country were the same everywhere. Slavery should be allowed in Texas.

• Feelings in the country were influenced by a series of violent slave uprisings, which convinced Texans that it would be best to abolish slavery.

• Feelings in the country were mixed, but Texans themselves voted to ban slavery in their new state.

• Feelings in the country were mixed. People in the North did not want to allow slavery in Texas. But many people in the South did.

How did the concept of manifest destiny play a role in Texas’s becoming a state?

• Manifest destiny did not play any role in Texas’s becoming a state.

• Because Texas had its western border on the Pacific Coast, it was important under the concept of manifest destiny to make it a state.

• Slavery was permitted in Texas because manifest destiny said that slavery should extend from coast to coast in the United States.

• Manifest destiny said that the United States should extend from coast to coast. Making Texas a state moved the United States closer to that vision.