How the Mexican War changed the Nation.
The United States of America before the Mexican War was slowly being torn into two sections, North and South, over the issue of slavery. The nation would be changed politically, sectionally and militarily. At first, the United States was equally proportioned in the number of slave and free states, but after the Mexican War the representation of each region was forever lost and the end result being the American Civil War. .
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Before the War, the idea of "Manifest Destiny" was a popular idea among the American people. It was the belief that the expansion of the United States was a "God-given" right, this led to many Americans going westward to acquire more lands. In 1845, President Polk, a firm believer in the idea of expansion, was elected into office and the idea of "Manifest Destiny" was rooted into many Americans. This idea did not please many of the politicians in the North, because it brought about the question of slavery in the proposed territory. Another slave state would destabilize the equal representation in the Senate, which in turn would increase the amount of representation in the Senate for the South. This would increase the possibility of the Union to lead toward Southern interests, which were backward in the eyes of the North. In turn the South took this as an opportunity to gain more lands and become rich. .
President Jackson also knew that the annexation of Texas would lead into something bigger, something that will ultimately tear the nation apart. Jackson knew that it would turn into a slavery issue. He avoided the issue entirely. President Tyler, believed that the annexation of Texas would reelect him for a second term as President. He failed at being reelected and on his last day he sent papers to Texas for immediate annexation. This also made Mexico upset. Both political parties, the Whigs, Henry Clay and the Democrats, Martin Van Buren opposed the idea of immediately annexing Texas.
