Manifest Destiny Dbq Analysis

506 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Political implication of manifest destiny

With every American war, there is always controversy. In 1846, the United States went to war with Mexico, a war known as the Mexican War. This seemingly insignificant war resulted in thousands of lives lost, both Mexican and American, and new lands for the United States. After Texas separated from Mexico, President James K. Polk—also known as Mr. Manifest Destiny— was quick to annex Texas and, soon, California. War erupted between Mexico and the United States after a battle on disputed territory in southern Texas. Between the idea of manifest destiny and the moral dilemma that the United States faced, controversy emerged and America was, once again, divided. However, despite the controversy, the United States was not justified in going
Manifest destiny is a concept to conceal the atrocity known as racism. John O’Sullivan uses the idea of manifest destiny in an attempt to explain the reason behind overtaking Mexico: “Imbecile and distracted, Mexico never can exert any real government authority over such a country” (Doc A). Racism is a prominent factor as to why we wanted to expand our borders. Many of the American settlers who moved into Texas were Protestants who favored slavery which contrasted the beliefs of the Catholic Mexicans who opposed it. O’Sullivan continues to claim that the “Anglo-Saxon foot is already on [California’s] borders” (Doc A) which shows how there is a stigma that white people are superior. The intent behind manifest destiny is fueled by racism. The reasons for entering the Mexican War are not justifications; they are excuses. It is an excuse to use racism and white superiority in order to steal land from ‘weaker’ nations. Americans hid behind God so they can justify slavery and white-washing various cultures. The United States expands its borders to spread our views on freedom and democracy. America is the land of the free. What is the cost of American freedom? The Mexicans have paid for

Show More
Related

  • The Hardest-Working Man During The Mid-1800s

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    In addition, during Polk’s term he expanded the United States’ border to the west coast. His desire to enlarge the country stemmed from his belief in “manifest destiny” which was the idea that the United States was destined to stretch to the Pacific Ocean. His presidency; his decisions for the country were influenced by manifest destiny. In the article titled “Mexican-American War,” James K. Polk wanted to acquire California and the southwestern land of the United States. Polk’s movement of troops into the conflicted zone between the Rio Grande and Nueces River initiated a conflict with Mexico. The conflict developed into a war, with hefty Mexican losses, but finally ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with the U.S. as the victor. In the treaty, Mexico decided to sell all the land north of the Rio G...

    Read More

  • How Did The Us Go To War With Mexico Dbq

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although many Americans did not take the war seriously, the Mexican-American War of 1846 was responsible for the thousands of both Mexican and American deaths, and permanently left a scar on the the U.S’ relationship with Mexico. In 1846, the U.S declared war on Mexico after shots were fired at American soldiers on the “Texas side” of the Rio Grande, which the Americans believed was the border between Mexico and the U.S. The war was very controversial, and many Americans vigorously opposed President Polk’s decision to declare war. However after winning the war, the U.S gained most of Mexico’s territory in the West, completing the Manifest Destiny (BGE). Was the U.S. right to go to war with Mexico? The United States were unjustified in going

    Read More

  • Was The Us Justified In Going To War With Mexico Essay

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Was the U.S. Justified in going to war with Mexico? The war between the United States and Mexico was brutal, but yet very interesting. “Today, we stand as a united country and are much closer to the ideals set forth in our Constitution that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The first sentence of this quote is a perfect example of the Mexican American War, the war we were supposed to be united. Manifest Destiny states that we as the United States are bound to have all the land, God wants them to.

    Read More

  • Was The Mexican War Justified Dbq Essay

    460 Words  | 1 Pages

    One reason the Mexican War was justified was the United States Manifest Destiny beliefs. Evidence supporting this reason is that, according to Document A, John O'Sullivan said it was God’s choice if the United States will grow by taking or buying territory. Also, the annexation of Texas helped grow the United States which gave the

    Read More

  • Mexican War Dbq Essay

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    This caused conflict between the two countries. Is it right for the United States to declare war against Mexico? America was justified in going to war with Mexico because they could gain economic benefits, Mexico threatened America first, and citizens and James K. Polk wanted to fulfill their manifest destiny. Another reason that the Mexican War was justified was because Mexico had already threatened the United States by advancing past the boundary of the United States.

    Read More

  • Manifest Destiny Dbq Essay

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through Manifest Destiny, the U.S. conquered many new territories. Ever since the U.S. became its own country, they always wanted more land. They thought that the Manifest Destiny gave them the right to expand and conquer more land. The United States were offered a deal known as the Louisiana Purchase which doubled their size. Even after they received this land, they were thirsty for more. They wanted to have Texas as their own. After Texas got their independence from Mexico, President Polk annexed it. Polk had his eye set on California next. But before he could get California, he had to deal with border dispute in Texas, leading to the war with Mexico. So, did the United States have a good reason to go to war with Mexico? The answer is simple, the U.S. was not justified into going to war with Mexico. This is proven through the Manifest Destiny, border disputes, and an American viewpoint on the war.

    Read More

  • Mexican-American War Dbq

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Americans, we’ve taken far greater than just tacos, burritos, and nachos from the culture of Mexico. Through America’s past relations with Mexico, America has taken large amounts of land, and a sense of power from country south of the United States, Mexico. In 1846, James Polk, a former president of the United States, declared war on Mexico. There was confusion between Mexico and America. Land was being traded, new borders were being formed, but disorientation was aroused causing conflict. Differences in culture, beliefs, and even national law led to dispute among these two countries, making it even more difficult to reach a treaty of peace, or a deal. The Mexican-American War was not justified because it was an excuse for gaining land,

    Read More

  • Mexican American period (1848-1856)

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, the Invasion of Mexico, the U.S. Intervention, or the United States War Against Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States and the Centralist Republic of Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Riot. Through this time, supply ships from San Blas continued to be unpredictable and the missions—with their native workers—were worried to provide for the population. When the native groups began to resist the bigger demands, they were placed under firmer military control. Also, additional tribes were gathered, mixed, and combined into dense groups in order to serve the payment. Under these conditions, new diseases quickly spread and native cultures were further disrupted.

    Read More

  • How Was The Mexican War An Expansion Of American Imperialism

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rodolfo Acuña and Norman A. Graebner take opposing standpoints on this topic. Acuña takes the standpoint that the Americans took advantage of the Mexican government, which was young and unstable at the time. He argued that the United States waged an unjust war solely for the acquisition of new lands. His excerpt from Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, 3rd Edition provided the basis for his argument. On the other hand, Graebner took the standpoint that President James Polk pushed a policy, enforced by a stronger nation, to force Mexico to sell New Mexico and California and recognize the annexation of Texas to the United States without starting a war. His argument was taken from his article “The Mexican War: A Study in Causation”. Both sides of the American Imperialism argument contain their own strengths. However, after the examination of the articles, Graebner proposes a more convincing

    Read More

  • Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Manifest Destiny

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term “Manifest Destiny” was never actually used until 1845, but the idea was always implied from the Doctrine of Discovery. Without understanding the Doctrine, it is impossible to understand the reasons and fundamentals behind why Manifest Destiny began.This Doctrine was a set of ten steps and rules that European nations followed in order to avoid conflict over land holdings, created in the early 1400s. The first few steps give the discovering country full rights to buy the land from the native peoples. This is important, since it gave the discovering country the power of preemption. Conquered Indian peoples lose sovereign powers and the rights to free trade and diplomatic relations, and the land they occupy is said to be vacant. Religion played a massive role in the regulations of the Doctrine, since “non-Christian people were not deemed to have the same rights to land, sovereignty, and self determination as Christians”(Miller 4). These rules were all meant to favor the ethnocentric, with full understanding of the repercussions on those who lived in the places being conquered.

    Read More

  • Reginald Horsman’s Race and Manifest Destiny

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    Reginald Horsman’s Race and Manifest Destiny: The Origins of American Racial Anglo-Saxonism explores the evidence and reasons for racial prejudices in America and discusses one of the most controversial topics in American history. The book also navigates the subjects of white superiority, and the creation of Anglo-Saxonism. Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean; it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquisitions. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believed that expansion was not only good, but that it was obvious and certain. Originally a political catch phrase of the 19th century, "Manifest Destiny" eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the expansion of the United States across the North American continent.

    Read More

  • Was The Mexican American War Justified Essay

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because America came in and broke the laws, there were no borders for Texas, and America stole Mexico's land. Tejanos(Mexicans) invited Americans in to settle in Texas. Americans also known as Anglos Broke most of the few laws Mexico made. There was a war for the independence of Texas. A couple years later, President Polk went to go ask Mexico for some of their land because of their belief called Manifest destiny.

    Read More

  • Manifest Destiny

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    Americans throughout history have always felt that they were superior. The concept of “Manifest Destiny” has been the fuel to the fire of superiority. Manifest Destiny is the belief that it is American’s are the chosen ones and have the obvious right to conquer and own land between the eastern and western seaboards and that such expansion was inevitable. Manifest Destiny along with Christianity were two reasons that drove and encouraged both expansion within North Amer...

    Read More

  • The Mexican-American War

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Mexican-American war determined the destiny of the United States of America, it determined whether or not it would become a world power and it established the size of the United States of America. Perhaps the war was inevitable due to the idea of Manifest Destiny - Americans thought they had the divine right to extend their territory. The Mexican-American War started mainly because of the annexation of the Republic of Texas (established in 1836 after breaking away from Mexico). The United States and Mexico still had conflicts on what the borders of Texas was, the United States claimed that the Texas border with Mexico was the Rio Grande, but the Mexicans said that it was the Nueces River, so the land in between were disputed and claimed by both the United States and Mexico.

    Read More

  • Manifest Destiny Analysis

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Plains were once home to a wide variety of nomadic Indian tribes. These tribes relied on buffalo for food, clothing, weapons and shelter. Eventually people from the east decided to move west with the hopes of securing new land and making more money. Buffalos became the pioneers’ source of food and fun. The settlers left the landscape littered with the decomposing remnants of their prey. Due to the mass hunting of buffalo, their population vastly decreased. In the image from Harper`s Weekly, the audience can see a white buffalo hunter, who is in the process of skinning his prey. This picture illustrates certain praised virtues and stereotypes of the American West.

    Read More

More about Manifest Destiny Dbq Analysis

Open Document