What was the primary consequence of the Gadsden Purchase?

The Gadsden Purchase was significant in that it completed the continental expansion of the United States by acquiring additional territory from Mexico. This land, which is located in present-day southern Arizona and New Mexico, was primarily purchased to facilitate the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad. This endeavor was crucial for the economic growth and settlement of the West. By acquiring this territory, the U.S. solidified its borders and further realized its Manifest Destiny ideology, the belief that Americans were destined to expand across the continent.

Other options reflect misunderstandings of the historical impacts. The assertion that it initiated the Civil War doesn’t hold true, as the tensions leading to the war were primarily rooted in issues of slavery and states' rights, rather than territorial purchases. While the Gadsden Purchase did relate to the question of slavery as it added more land to be divided into free or slave states, it was not a direct cause of the Civil War. The idea that it brought about statehood for Texas is also incorrect, as Texas had already achieved statehood in 1845, before the Gadsden Purchase occurred in 1854. Moreover, Canada remained a separate entity during this period, and tensions with Canada were not a direct consequence of the Gadsden