Between 1830 and 1860, Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion did more to divide America than it did to unite. While it was not the main for the divide of America that was shown in the South’s secession from the United States, it brought up many issues that ultimately led to the Civil War. These issues are shown in the annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War that resulted from that, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Until 1836, the area of Texas was controlled by the Republic of Mexico and was a distant and irrelevant piece of land in most American’s minds. A few Americans had emigrated there from the South at the invitation of the Mexican government, but not many.
Which resulted in some conflict. Was the Unites States Justified in going to war with Mexico? Yes, because of mexican invasions, manifest destiny,and increasing population. The first reason the United States was justified in going to war with mexico is because Mexico themselves invaded them. Where United States claimed to be the border (Rio Grande) they sent soldiers to check to see if mexicans would cross the boundary, and when encountered the mexican troops injured and killed 16 of the 63 men dispatched.(Doc B) Mexico also attempted to subdue Americans’ beliefs.
This war happened mainly because the U.S. wanted to expand to the Pacific Ocean to fulfill their Manifest Destiny, trying to take away Mexico’s land. Mexico refused to to give land to the U.S. The big question is whether the U.S. was justified in fighting Mexico in the Mexican-American War. The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because Manifest Destiny, too much Mexican interference, and Texas was invaded. One reason the Mexican War was justified was Manifest Destiny. In Document A, John O’Sullivan writes: “Texas is now ours...Let their reception into the “family be frank, kindly, and cheerful….”
James K. Polk, along with his Democrat counterparts, initiated an expansionist campaign that promised he would acquire Texas, Oregon, California, and New Mexico if he won the presidential Election of 1844. Similar to other Americans, Polk had been inspired and influenced by the Manifest Destiny of 1839 that described the United States to have a divine fate in westward expansion in order to spread ideas of democracy. Following the conclusion of the election and Polk’s inauguration, Texas entered the Union and the Oregon territory was claimed. However, Polk’s rapacity continued and led him to fight for every parallel of territory in order to continue the practice of ‘manifest destiny.’ The annexation of Texas and its unofficially declared boundaries
During the year leading up the war with mexico the united states used major disputes and reasons for going to war being manifest destiny, Rio grande boundary dispute, and slidell 's mission. Manifest Destiny was the word used throughout the 1840s which is the belief that Americans had the right and the duty, to expand westward across the North American, from the Ocean to Ocean. In order to have this destiny, Americans would have to go to war with Mexico. so in 1844, James K. Polk who won the election, He and the Democrats went with Manifest Destiny, a concept that stated that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent and get as much land as possible. In Polk prestindestce he promised in his four step plan to get land westward and he did getting california and oregon.
Wars are waged for one reason and one reason only: land. The Mexican War was a war fought between America is its weaker neighbor Mexico. It is often said that the person who started the Mexican War was President Polk. Growing up in Mississippi during the latter years of Spain’s reign in the Southern states, Polk came to despise the Spanish.
With Polk’s narrow victory, the Democrats immediately called to admit Texas as a state, but was only successful by using a joint resolution,which included admitting Oregon as a state to satisfy Northern expansionist desires and balancing the number of slave-owning and free soil states. Not satisfied with these states alone, Polk turned to Mexico’s northern provinces (such as California and New Mexico) and endeavored to start a revolution in California. Polk’s audacious move to incite a revolution in California--done by sending Thomas Oliver Larkin to influence famous Californios to seek independence, seizing San Francisco Bay, and employing John Slidell to try to buy California--was met with greater tensions between the U.S. and Mexico for a war. These acts led to Polk utilizing more aggressive tactics to expand U.S. territory; Polk sent General Zachary Taylor to occupy disputed territory and “provoke a fight” (Pg. 419 Henretta), and the war concluded with American triumph. The war had started with patriotic expansionism, but soon divided the nation: the Whigs, who were against the war and did not support “this wretched cant about a ‘manifest destiny’”
In the early-mid 1800’s, there was a belief that the destiny for the United States was to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican Territory,
Exemplified in John O’Sullivan’s concept of Manifest Destiny, President Polk believed that it was America’s duty to spread American Exceptionalism throughout the entire North American continent. Resultantly, Polk sought to acquire California through peaceful methods at first, and later through more deceptive means. Ultimately, Polk moved troops to a disputed region between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers in order to provoke a war with Mexico, consequently expediting America’s Manifest Destiny. A justifiable war is one which is undertaken for defensive purposes only, and although misguided by the nationalistic, expansionist precepts of Manifest Destiny, and although he first attempted to acquire southwestern territory peacefully, President Polk failed to satisfy this burden, instead choosing to sacrifice “American blood” for the offensive expansion of his
When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, a string of ruthless dictators and weak presidents made Mexico an easy target for its powerful neighbor, the United States. The US swooped in to expand its territory and its popular institution of slavery. By doing so, the US started a war with Mexico that was justified for illegitimate reasons. The Mexican-American War was not justified because the US took Mexico’s land for the expansion of slavery, and justified their taking advantage of Mexico when it was politically weak by hiding behind Manifest Destiny.
In this set of materials, both the reading and the listening passages are talking about Manifest Destiny, which is vital political issue in 1844. While the reading mentioning about the history of the Oregon Territory as becoming a part of James Polk’s platform, the listening adds new points to the points made by the reading by talking about voters to this changement. To start with, according to the author, America speedily enlarged its territory by admission of Texas to its Union as the 28th state. However, the lecturer argues that the voters were not eligible to vote for it.
A man by the name of John O’Sullivan, during this time developed the idea of Manifest Destiny, the concept that America was destined, by God, to spread freedom and democracy from “sea to shining sea” and that only America would be capable of this feat (Intres, 2016l). President James Polk took this idea on as his presidency platform and through a series of negotiations with Britain to obtain the Oregon territory, and the Mexican- American war to obtain nearly half of Mexico’s land, completed Manifest Destiny (Intres, 2016l). However, with this increase in America’s land mass and the annexation of Texas, a question arose which would from this point on tumble into a disagreement that would literally tear the nation in two…How far would slavery
Intro: The wild west or west Texas, land coveted by the Americans who believe in Manifest destiny, but guarded by natives who wish to keep their homeland. On this frontier is a series of stories worthy of Shakespeare filled with bravery, danger, tragedy, and confusion. These are those stories. Will: Before the Civil war the frontier was practically owned by the white man, and the Native Americans were almost driven out.
Around this time, James K. Polk was president. Polk wanted much more of Texas, plus, he had his eye on California as well. Polk was a strong believer in Manifest Destiny and that was why he wanted to declare war on Mexico. The majority of Congress voted to declare war and it was put into action. The one question
As stated before, the US was justified in going to war with Mexico because of three reasons, Americans were killed, Texas was already annexed, and Manifest Destiny allows it. The United states had many superb reasons for going to war with Mexico. This essay is significant because it helps explain the United States’ choice to go to war with
