Guide to receiving a 9 on every DBQ

JTcbellcbell
Fri, 15 Nov 2013 08:39:46 +0000

Manifest Destiny is the idea that Americans are God’s chosen people and that their country should stretch from sea to shining sea. Americans developed this idea amidst an Era of Reform and Nationalism, after settling west of the Mississippi they felt they could conquer all. Little did they know this would lead to two wars, the Mexican War and the Civil War. This idea divided the United States from 1830 to 1860 in three ways, economically, socially and politically.
Socially, America was divided by Manifest Destiny mainly because of the slavery issue. The idea to acquire land was basically national but the means of getting that land and how it would be settled were social disruptions of the Era. Northerners, although not supporting equal rights, normally supported emancipation because it was immoral. This is shown in Document C. It states, “The strongest argument against annexing Texas is that… it will extend and perpetuate slavery.” A reverend wrote this quote to the famous Henry Clay. It shows the Northern opposition to annexation of Texas. Southerners obviously supported the expansion of slavery even if the land couldn’t use slaves effectively. As shown in Document D, Senator George McDuffie is a devout southerner who stated, “The slave population must not be diminished but increased”. This shows the South’s support to the expansion of slavery when the United States was to acquire more land. The slavery issue was brought back quickly on the annexation of Texas and continued on until it erupted in the Kansas and Nebraska Act and eventually the Civil War. These are all reasons why American society was divided by territorial expansion.
Economically, territorial expansion divided America as well. The North was impacted by territorial expansion when it expanded its manufacturing westward and created railroads to the new areas. The Southern economy was different than the North but by 1860 it had transformed. Almost all manufacturing was halted and nearly all capital was spent in slavery and products made in the North. The South supported low tariffs for its export oriented economy while the North now supported high tariffs to protect industry. These economic differences divided the two in a way that helped to cause the Civil War. The divisive issue of the annexation of Texas had economic roots. America wanted it because it would make Texas ports and its products more available to America. As shown in Document G, James K. Polk says, “Is there one who would not prefer free intercourse with her[Texas]?” This is a reason Polk gave to persuade Congress for its annexation. All these reasons show the issues created economically from territorial expansion.
Lastly, manifest destiny divided America politically as well. The annexation of Texas divided the Congress for many years. To annex it could mean war with Mexico, so it was debated for years. Northerners opposed its annexation because it would increase slavery. Many New Englanders especially opposed the Mexican War. As stated in Document H, It states, “To take military possession of territory… against a weak neighbor is without just cause”. This expresses the Northern view that the Mexican war was immoral and unjust. The question of slavery was the main political divisive issue of the Era. This was debated and 2 main solutions were created, one to extend the Missouri Compromise and another called popular sovereignty. The latter was the most supported and it meant to let the people decide this divisive issue. Another example is the Ostend Manifesto. This was an attempt for America to acquire Cuba, and for the South to expand slavery. All of these issues in Congress were caused by the idea of manifest destiny and the territorial expansion that resulted from it. In these ways America was divided politically.
Manifest destiny was a profound idea with profound effects, although these effects were mainly negative besides the national pride created. Manifest destiny and territorial expansion divided the United States politically, socially and economically. In essence manifest destiny served to divide God’s chosen people into the bloodiest war in American History.