Manifest Destiny
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the United States saw many problems come and go. Some problems were more important than others, however all led to further division of American politics. The most divisive issue in American politics during this time frame was the idea of Manifest Destiny, or territorial expansion. Manifest Destiny was the idea that it was the United States' destiny to take over all of North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Most of the public was in favor of territorial expansion, though some politicians felt it contradicted the constitution. Strict constructionists were against territorial expansion, while loose constructionists felt expansion was the United States' destiny. Strict constructionists centered their platform around the fact that the constitution never directly states that the federal government has the right to acquire land. Those that view the constitution liberally, or loose constructionists, counter that stand
James Polk had been elected when the wars were on the verge of breaking out. For instance, free state members of Congress began accusing the slave state members of conspiracies. The only problem was Clay was nervous about territorial expansion. Of all the possible explanations for these problems, territorial expansion is the number one reason. That year Henry Clay, a well known and loved figure in American politics, ran and was expected to blow, little known, Polk of the charts. [Mexico] had passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon the American soil. " (Tindall 587) Polk's unexpected election, slavery conflicts, and the Mexican war were all issues in American politics during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This caused great distress among the senators and representatives. The idea of Manifest Destiny split American politics more than any other factor up to the eighteen fifties. Polk claimed, "The cup of forbearance had been exhausted. War with Mexico and Great Britain worried many of the people who were against expansion. " Slavery stirred up a lot of hard feelings though the slavery issue was not the hottest of the problems associated with territorial expansion. One of the supporters of Manifest Destiny was, democrat, James Polk who served as president from 1844 to 1848. He obviously wanted nothing to do with Britain's powerful navy, for he agreed to a compromise that gave the United States far less of Oregon than the public wanted. Polk felt a war with Mexico would only prove profitable for the United States, so he inticed the Mexicans to attack.
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Acceptance Essays
