In 1819, John Quincy Adams asserted that the United States had prerogative to all of North America. He thought it was America’s destiny to expand to the Pacific Ocean. Many Americans had agreed with him by the 1840s. The Manifest Destiny had an important role in the Election of 1844. The Democrats had chosen James K. Polk for President, a man who wasn’t really known, while the Whigs chose Henry Clay for President. Polk had soon became known for wanting land expansion and he demanded that Oregon and Texas should be added to the United States. On election day, Polk was elected President since the Americans had showed favoritism of expansion.