How did the annexation of Texas contribute to the sectional conflict in the U.S.?

The annexation of Texas significantly contributed to sectional conflict in the United States primarily because it intensified the debate surrounding the expansion of slavery into new territories. When Texas was annexed in 1845, it entered the Union as a slave state, raising concerns among Northern states about the balance of power in Congress between free and slave states. This addition of territory was seen as a direct challenge to efforts aimed at limiting the spread of slavery.

The fear that more slave states would be added to the Union led to increased tensions between the North and the South, as each side aimed to protect its own interests regarding slavery. This situation came to a head in the debates around the Missouri Compromise and later the Compromise of 1850, both of which sought to address the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories in the wake of the Mexican-American War, which was partly fueled by the annexation of Texas.

Thus, the correct choice captures the pivotal role Texas’s annexation played in heightening sectional tensions, ultimately setting the stage for conflicts that would lead to the Civil War.