The Mexican American War was caused by America's belief in Manifest Destiny and desire for expansion under President Polk. While America won the war, it led to tensions over the expansion of slavery into the new territories acquired from Mexico. This resulted in several compromises in the 1850s to determine whether new states would allow slavery, including California joining as a free state, and the Fugitive Slave Act requiring escaped slaves be returned. Further tensions arose from the Kansas-Nebraska Act abandoning the Missouri Compromise, allowing settlers to vote on slavery in the territories.

1. Mexixan American War The Mexican American War was the first major conflict caused by Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny is the belief that America had the god fiven right to expand from sea to shining sea. As Teas was just becoming a state tensions were growing between Mexico and America. President Polk wanted a war to claim more land from Mexico. There was a war and America won!

2. The Compromise Of 1850 California became a free state and there were no Federal Restrictions on New Mexico and Utah Territories. Texas was annexed and given ten million dollars but lost their land in New Mexico. In DC slavery was legal but you could not buy or sell them. The Fugitive Slave Law was made wich means that if a Northerner finds a slave they must return them to their owner or they will be put in jail, but the Northerners did not enforse this law.

3. The Gadson Purchase It was and agreement between America and Mexico, wich America agreed to pay Mexico ten million dollars for 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico. Wich later became part of Arizona and New Mexico.

4. The Kansas Nebraska Act Popular Sovoreignty violated the 1820 Compromise and the Missouri Compromise. States were allowed to choose weather they wanted slavery or not. The Wig Party was split Republicans (north) and Democrats (south). Bleeding Kansas occurred. Bleeding Kansas was when Charles Sumner was beat up by a man who used a cane in the U.S. Congress, because he spoke out against slavery; Charles Sumner could not return to the Congress for one year due to injuries.

5. Alaska America bout Alaska from Russia in 1867. When we bought Alaska it marked the end of Russian efforts to expand trade and settlements to the Pacific coast of North America. Seward, who was the Secretary of state bought it. And this became an important step to the U.S. rise as a great power in the Asia-Pacific region.