The U.S.-Mexico War (1846-1848) was a prelude to the Civil War (1861-1865), the battles between the North and the South to determine whether the United States would allow the wicked practice of slavery to continue and spread into new territories.
During the U.S.-Mexico War (1846 – 1848), one of the central questions was whether the acquired territories from Mexico would be annexed as free states or slave states. After much debate about what to do with the newly annexed territories, the U.S. passed The Compromise of 1850.
The following video clip explains how this compromise reflected dominant ideas of the time and how it granted all White Americans the right to report and detain Black people suspected of being runaway slaves. The Fugitive Slave Laws, in particular, contributed to a culture of surveillance in the United States that we continue to see today.
The Compromise of 1850 led to increased tensions among the North and South in the United States, culminating in the outbreak of the Civil War a decade later. Note: Mexican Americans fought on both sides of the U.S. Civil War. Some fought for the South to maintain a system of slavery in the United States while others fought for the North to abolish the practice of slavery in the United States. The North won and slavery was legally abolished in the United States.
Mexico refused to comply with the Fugitive Slave Laws included in the Compromise of 1850 and a little-known “Underground Railroad,” or secret path to free territories formed during this time. It ran through Texas and into Mexico.
The story of the underground railroad in Texas to Mexico serves a a great example of early activism in Texas and it is a story of Brown, Black, and White people working together to challenge White supremacist rule in the region.
We need more stories like this. Imagine telling a story that shows how people have resisted White supremacist rule for as long as it has existed?
Imagine having examples of different groups working together to create a better world for us all, across borders and across time? A different history emerges.
Discussion Board Writing Prompts:
search for more information about the underground railroad that ran through Texas and into Mexico. Select one good source to share with us here and explain what you learned from it.
After you submit your initial post, you will see another writing prompt from me for part 2.
