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The Pros And Cons Of Manifest Destiny

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Due to the reaffirmation of American independence by the War of 1812 and a tenacious feeling of nationalism, the United States craved more land; therefore, after the acquisition of land from the Mexican Cession, many felt America’s Manifest Destiny had made a significant step toward complete fulfillment. The American desire to expand westward- known as Manifest Destiny- was at its height during the nineteenth century. This aspiration spurred many political debates such as the following: slavery, Native American territory, and land claims. The moral aspects of these aforementioned controversies were periodically obscure, yet more frequently were they a minor factor in political opinion. Many original ideals emerged during these debates, and …show more content…

In 1819, lawmakers were forced to revisit the topic of slavery in deciding the fates of new territories gained in the Louisiana Purchase. The opinion of New York Senator Rufus King was such that Congress possessed the power to make all new states ones of freedom for those African Americans who had lived their lives in subjugation. Contrastingly, Georgia Senator Freeman Walker believed that Congress did not have the power to decide abolition. His viewpoint was as follows: slaves are property, and if the government restricts slavery then it has the right to restrict any property and means of working, such as determining exactly how a farmer is to cultivate their soil, which is overstepping the boundaries of the government set forth by the Constitution. Not only are the two viewpoints adversely different, but also they demonstrate the various extremes of opinions on slavery. Neither argument appeals to the depravity enacted by the institution of slavery itself, more so questioning the extent of Congress’ power; thus, the moral consideration in both perspectives is …show more content…

In 1818, Great Britain and American had agreed to a joint ownership of the territory; however, in 1843, American immigration to the northwestern area escalated, and it became clear that a joint occupation was no longer viable. The debate of how to divide boundaries ensued between the two countries. The slogan “54 degrees 40 minutes or fight” emerged under the expansionist Presidency of James K. Polk. Finally it was agreed upon that 49th parallel be the dividing line of the territory. The moral atrocity within this debate lies in the simple fact of the United States’ greed and willingness to go to war over a debated territorial

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Manifest Destiny is a unique, yet mysterious fundamental series of events in American history. No other country’s history contains such an eventful history as the United States. Amy Greenberg’s book, Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, provides documented evidence that settlers believed they were destined for expansion throughout the continent. In other words, many religious settlers believed that it was a call from God for the United States to expand west. On the other hand, people believed that Manifest Destiny vindicated the war against Mexico.

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Notably, Senator Henry Clay gave a speech to the Senate that he could not imagine that a slave state, in this case, South Carolina, actually wanted to secede from the Union in 1833 (Document A). The growing tension between the North and South seemed to not phase the Republicans, Henry Clay’s party. Perhaps if the idea of secession had been taken carefully from the beginning, the Civil War would have been different. Nonetheless, the ever-growing debate on slavery was growing. In 1834, an annual report from the American Anti-Slavery Society labeled slave owners as thieves of humans and that slaves should be freed immediately (Document B).

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Influential figures such as Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson had “made their mark in politics after moving West”, and westward expansion engendered the establishment of technology such as canals and railroads (326). As America grew, however, so did the questions and issues surrounding the issue of slavery. Manifest Destiny was not just a catalyst for the expanse of slavery, but a hindrance as well, as the United States began to divide over this key issue in regard to whether a newly-acquired territory should be designated as free or slave. Though attempts were made at compromise, the spread of slavery through Manifest Destiny proved to be both the driving force for territorial expansion, as land was acquired in order to grow more, but also the challenge for it, as the continued growth of slavery and territory forced the United States to finally approach the issue and decide whether it would remain a divided country, or finally become united in its social, economic, and political

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Gunshots thundered across the Rio Grande, closely followed by the distressed cries and pain filled shouts of men as bullets and bayonets ripped through white and bronze flesh alike; the war had officially begun, but who was responsible? In the years of 1846- 1848, America and Mexico had buried themselves into a quickly growing conflict concerning what would be determined as the Mexican-American border after Texas was annexed. Texas had finally, after several failed attempts, convinced the U.S. to annex the them into the union, however Mexico immediately decided to claim a large chunk of rightful Texan land as “Mexican land” while America and Texas claimed that the Rio Grande was the rightful border of Mexico and America; not the Nueces

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James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse by Sam W. Haynes Haynes’ biography of James K. Polk is a little bit different from the traditional biographical book with enumeration of important dates from life of historical figure. Instead the author takes different approach: while recounting development of Polk’s career, he looks at the Polk’s presidency through the lens of expansionism. Though he frames the 11th President as a strong adherent of aggressive territorial expansionism, Haynes also emphasises that Polk’s decisions cannot be separated from the political and social climate of his time. The author renders Polk from one side as the initiator of expansionists political moves, and from the other, as a product of contemporary social beliefs,

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1. When did the “Aroostook War” occur & what was its cause? An explosive controversy of the early 1840s involved the Maine boundary dispute. The St. Lawrence River is icebound several months of the year, as the British, remembering the War of 1812, well knew.

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America is a country with historical scars that will never truly heal as racial tensions continue to gradually increase. However, these tensions often lead back to the establishment of the United States and its origins, which was slavery. The anger of many African Americans is the result of years of oppression and submission. To understand the oppression and submission that African labor have experienced, Thomas Jefferson’s “Notes on the State of Virginia,” from 1781, discussed how slavery challenges the morality of humanity and its ethics. In addition, the “Rules of Highland Plantation,” by Bennet H. Barrow from 1838, not only supports the perspective of Jefferson, but also provides a glimpse of how slaves were subjugated by their masters

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A slave’s rights aren’t acknowledged, and that the government banned the practice of slavery in this region is proof yet again of their commitment to defending individual rights. The government passing these ordinances and statutes reflects the theme of the United States government: to protect individual

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Towards the end of the Civil War, the United States watched as Eurocentric countries imperialized, but decided to focus westward of their own country instead. An earlier idea from years previous called manifest destiny, became apparent again. White settlers began to settle west and even forced a eradication on Native tribes in Oklahoma, and did the same for Mexicans within Texas. Both stood in the way of their "God given" destiny.

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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

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The year 1845, the American newspaper editor John O’Sullivan first coined the phrase, “Manifest Destiny”. This term is the belief that the United States should expand their territory from coast to coast. The Americans thought God was in their favor and should have the ability to take land. Without a doubt, might does not make right since the Americans did not have the right to be justified in the American acquisition of Texas and Mexico. The Americans were invited by the Mexican government to trade and settle in the northern territory, under these circumstances: learn Spanish, adopt the Roman Catholic religion and bring no slave nor democracy, which was not followed by the Americans.

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Manifest Destiny was the term used by John O’Sullivan to describe America’s desire to expand West due to reasons including both the vast amount of unclaimed land and the opportunities Americans wanted to explore. During this time, Americans believed that it was their God-given right to expand West, and therefore they were entitled to push away any groups that were in their way. Due to the mindset that the Americans could do as they pleased with the groups of people who got in their way, Manifest Destiny affected many groups of people, including the American Indians and Slaves, and continued to build up the preexisting tension between the North and South. One of the groups of people affected greatly by Manifest Destiny were the Native Americans. Manifest Destiny affected the American Indians by spreading foreign diseases to them as they moved Westward, through the Native American territory.

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The benefits of the Manifest Destiny outweighed the consequences. This is because the U.S was able to get more resources, increase population in the west, advance trade, and improve technology. These benefits have contributed to the economic development in the U.S. Furthermore, as the U.S were fulfilling the Manifest Destiny, they also imposed the Homestead Act, which helped evolve frontiers. The discovery of gold in the west, specifically, in California lured more people to the west.

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Manifest destiny is something that went down in the early 19000ths. It was an expansion on the U.S To basically expand the states of the U.S.American continents was both justified and inevitable. It started in 1840. But it was mostly recognized in the 19000ths. It made states like california join the union.

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2016 Words | 9 Pages

“Once we became an independent people it was as much a law of nature that this [control of all of North America] should become our pretension as that the Mississippi should flow to the sea” –John Quincy Adams (Henretta, p. 384). In the 1840s, Americans had a belief that God destined for them to expand their territory all the way westward to the Pacific Ocean. This idea was called Manifest Destiny. In the nineteenth century, Americans were recognized for coming together and building up one another for one cause: westward expansion.

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