Question

The Mexican War divided Americans. Many in the South and West favored the war as an opportunity to add territory to the United States. Others, opposed the war, however. Among them was the writer Henry David Thoreau, who was briefly jailed for protesting the war by not paying his taxes. The experience inspired him to write his famous essay, "Civil Disobedience."

What is the most likely reason Thoreau and other Americans opposed the Mexican War?
A.
They believed it would only lead to conflict with European colonial powers.
B.
They believed it was a plot by southerners to add slave states to the country.
C.
They believed it was a plot by industrialists to gain customers for their products.
D.
They believed it would only lead to conflict with American Indian tribes.

Answer 1

B. They believed it was a plot by southerners to add slave states to the country.

Thoreau and many Northerners saw the Mexican–American War as an attempt by Southern slaveholders to gain new territory for slavery (the “slave power” conspiracy), which is why opponents resisted the war and measures like the Wilmot Proviso were proposed.