Ap Ush 2010 Form B Dbq

Territorial expansion in the United states became a huge issue during the years 1800-1855. There was much debate going on about whether the decisions the government were making about expanding the country were ones made in the people’s interest. There were also issues that arose from the annexation of these territories such as the issue of whether to make the newly gained territory into slave land or to ban the act of slavery in those areas. Many people supported the expansion of the United States because they believed a large country is a strong country. Likewise, a large sum of Americans did not accept the actions that were being made and thought it would lead to the fall of our country. All of these issues lead to a strong tension between citizens in the United States. The supporters of the expansion of the United States between the years of 1800 and 1855 believed strongly in the idea of Manifest Destiny. The Manifest Destiny was centered around the idea that America was destined to expand across the whole continent. This spread of land was the cause of the war of 1812 which the South supported because they wanted more slave states. (Document B) Thomas Hart Benton predicted that American settlers in Oregon would open trade with Asia in a speech he made to the U.S. Senate in 1844. This prediction encouraged the people of the United States to continue expanding due to the trade opportunities presented. (Document F) The Ostend Manifesto also implied that the United States was justified in their interest to seize Cuba from Spain. (Document J)All of these factors supported the expansion of the United States but there were also many people that thought, In the long run, this growth would be the end of our country. The expansion that occurred early in the 1800s was primarily opposed by federalists. The reasoning behind their oppugnancy was that it was unconstitutional, bad for the country, and could compromise the national security of the United States. (Document