Have you ever wondered what the country would look like if President Polk decided to not start a war with Mexico? President James Polk, who favored the Manifest Destiny, would choose to take another route. In fact, he might focus on a negotiation with the Mexican government, in which he would offer the protection from European countries, the help in building up a stable government, and the establishment of a strong relationship between two countries in exchange for the annexation of Texas and the area of California and New Mexico. Let first take a look at the condition of the two countries before 1846. In 1845, James Polk took the office and he started to aim for gaining new territories.
According to Document A, Mexico has no real power and that conquering its territory would obviously greatly increase the size of the United States, which was the main goal of the Manifest Destiny. President Polk was also said to have been a firm believer in the Manifest Destiny hence his primary motive for waging war with Mexico would be to conquer the land, not to avenge the death of the fallen soldiers as he had said in Document B. I do not believe killing lives for a personal dream is right nor reasonable so in my eyes the war between the United States and Mexico will never be
In order to determine which border would be the U.S they had a war known as the “Mexican War”. The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because the U.S and President Polk believed in Manifest Destiny. Document B is a message sent to Congress by President James Polk on May 11,1846. According to Doc B James Polk said, “Mexico has passed the boundary of the of the United States,
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
James Polk was elected in 1845 and had an expansionist viewpoint. He accomplished all of his presidential campaign goals which included gaining Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico, and Arizona including a few more territories on the southern border, therefore, expanding America's territories. In addition, Polk began a period of Manifest Destiny. This was a phrase used to describe America’s goal to grow from “sea to shining sea”. Also, the Mexican-American War in 1846 acquired new lands for America in the southwest from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Polk provoked the Mexican people knowing that they would go to war, James Polk wanted war, and
As mentioned earlier, Polk was a strong supporter of “manifest destiny”, but the concept was merely a belief that stemmed from religion. It wasn’t strong enough to act as a foundation of international decisions. In addition to its lack of strength, it increased the gap between the two nations because Mexico was Catholic and the US was Protestant. The religious and personal beliefs of Polk caused the US to become egoistic. To prove this point, John L. O’Sullivan stated, “Other nations have undertaken… hostile interference against us,… hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence (God)...”
That is way Haynes refers to Polk as being “an agent of Manifest Destiny, not its creator”. However, the author demonstrates how well Polk was following the path acknowledged in Manifest: the annexation of Texas, Oregon, California, war with Mexico are perfectly aligned with the idea of the United States being a continental
President Polk, first tried to get that land for the U.S by offering Mexican money for the land. The Mexican government said no. President Polk tried to provoke a war with Mexico. He finally got congress to declare war with Mexico in 1836. When he talked about “Shedding American blood on American soil.”
Polk’s flowery language and fake solemn tone, after he started a fight, and did not believe in manifest destiny. Polk made a beautiful speech assuaging America of any guilt in the matter and blaming Mexico for everything, but people like Charles Sumner in Document D were not taken in and did not agree with this forcible theft of land and the noncompliance to Mexican laws that eventually led to the first hostilities. In Document D he rebukes Polk’s war address that denies American guilt and states, “...defiance of the Mexican ordinance… [and]...the lust of territorial robbery...in seeking extension of slavery, (our own citizens denied) the great truths of American freedom…” (Document D).
The Mexican-American War took place between the years of 1846 and 1848; it would become the first United States war fought on foreign soil. This war was fought between Mexico whose armies were led by military leaders such as Santa Ana, and an army established by United States president James K. Polk. His reason for declaring war on Mexico was found in the concepts of two words, “Manifest Destiny”. Manifest Destiny was the idea that Americans were divinely destined by God to expand their territory and govern the North American continent. A border zone confusion sparked the start of the infamous Mexican-American War and was then followed by multiple U.S. victories.
President Tyler Polk was such a strong believer and supported of the Manifest Destiny that he asked too much from Mexico. He asked for the border between the two countries to be at the Rio Grande River. When this was proposed Mexico threatened for war, so the President sent an ambassador. The
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
James Polk thought that it was in God’s plan for America to move west. But there was a problem with the idea of moving west… all the states in the west were Mexican territory. Since the American population was growing very rapidly, the east coast of America was beginning to overflow. Due to the population growth came with
and Mexican forces had taken place in U.S. territory.” “Further, legislators were at odds over whether Polk had the right to unilaterally declare that a state of war
