Manifest Destiny - Written Questions

What is Manifest Destiny?

It was America’s God given right and obligation to expand over the whole continent

Explain the motivations and destinations of expansion

• Manifest Destiny

• Land

• Trade

• the Pacific

• Individual Opportunity

• Religious Freedom (the Mormons)

Explain the reasons why Texas became independent and stayed that way

• Settlers clashed with Mexico: American settlers in Texas didn’t follow Mexican laws, causing tension.

• Dictatorship and crackdown: Mexican leader Santa Anna's harsh rule led Texans to rebel.

• Texas won independence in 1836: After battles like San Jacinto, Texas became its own country.

• Mexico couldn’t retake it: Mexico was too weak to bring Texas back under control.

Explain Polk’s strategy during war/why he wanted to keep the war small

• Polk wanted a quick, limited war: He didn’t want a big, costly conflict—just enough fighting to pressure Mexico.

• Goal was land, not conquest: Polk mainly wanted California and the Southwest, not all of Mexico.

• Feared political backlash: A long war might upset Americans, especially over slavery in new lands.

• Kept it focused: He used small, targeted military actions to push Mexico to negotiate.

Explain the terms of the compromise

• California became a free state.

• Utah and New Mexico got to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.

• Slave trade banned in Washington, D.C., but slavery itself stayed legal there.

• A stricter Fugitive Slave Law was passed, requiring escaped slaves to be returned.

• The U.S. paid Texas to give up land claims in New Mexico.

Explain the Election of 1844/how Polk won

• Polk promised to expand the U.S., including adding Texas and Oregon.

• Clay was unclear about Texas, so some voters didn’t trust him.

• A third-party candidate took votes away from Clay in key states.

• That helped Polk win a close race, especially in New York.

Explain the effects of the war on politics (slavery is a big topic)

• Debate over slavery's expansion: As the U.S. gained new land, people argued whether slavery should be allowed in those areas.

• Wilmot Proviso: A proposal to ban slavery in the new territories didn’t pass, but it sparked more debates about slavery’s spread.

• Rise of the Republican Party: Opposition to the expansion of slavery helped lead to the creation of the Republican Party in the 1850s.

• Increased tensions: The war and the new land it brought deepened divisions between the North and South, pushing the country closer to Civil War.

Opinion based question on annexation of Texas (was it justified?)

The Texas Declaration of Independence was unjustified for several reasons.

• First, Texas settlers agreed to follow Mexican laws but violated them, especially by keeping slavery. This made their claim to independence questionable.

• The declaration also ignored Mexico's sovereignty, as Mexico never recognized Texas' independence. This led to a war with Mexico and Texas' annexation. The annexation fueled U.S. expansionism at Mexico's expense and worsened tensions over slavery. It raised ethical and legal concerns about disregarding Mexican sovereignty for territorial gain.