Many of these were financed by "Wildcat" banks.
Mercantilism perpetuated the rigid trade system between England and the colonies. Only the colonies were allowed to trade with the parent country. This restricted free trade among the colonists barring them from cutting the middleman role of the parent country. Mercantilism only furthered animosity between country and colonies, leading to eventual war.
The annexation of Texas, a slave state, raised a lot of tension because it ruined the balance of power between the North free states and the South slave states.
