President Polk & Manifest Destiny: Hand in Hand
The United States' policy during the early to middle nineteenth century can be seen as five general concepts of American foreign policy: isolationism, expansionism, imperialism, idealism, and exceptionalism. Each of these concepts was prevalent during the crisis leading up to and including the Mexican-American War of 1846. The War of 1846 is viewed by Mexico as an act of US imperialism. Brack, a historian, claims that "the process of becoming a continental power required the United States to acquire territory from several nations, but only the acquisition of lands belonging to Mexico required a war...neither France, Spain, nor England ceded to the United States territory contiguous to the homeland as Mexico was requested and then forced to do" (Brown, 54). In other words, the acquisition of Mexican territory through purchase or by conquest was inherent in the basic concept of Manifest Destiny. The precipitating causes of the war are deeply rooted in the domestic and international affairs of the United States and in the personality of President Polk and his insatiable desire to acquire California. The desire to acquire territory, especially with ports, fertile soil, and growing markets, led to American interests in the West. Po
Isolationism, expansionism, imperialism, idealism, and exceptionalism all played roles in forming America's vision and foreign policy. The personality and character of the President shaped those themes. James K. Polk, a Democrat and enthusiastic expansionist was determined to see California and New Mexico incorporated into the territory of the United States. He used a minor border dispute to bring the vast resources of America to war against the weaker Mexican country. Relying on transportation and communication advances, Polk exercised swift diplomacy to quickly attain his goals. His hastily sent diplomat, John Slidell, arrived in Mexico and caused the fall of a Mexican government willing to negotiate with the United States. "Foreign powers should therefore look on the annexation of Texas to the United States not as a conquest of a nation seeking to extend her dominions by arms and violence, but as the peaceful acquisition of a territory once her own . . ."(250). America's isolation from other great powers allowed it to develop into Western Hemisphere hegemony. Thoughts of Anglo-Saxon superiority, together with the stereotypes of Mexicans and Indians, led to a belief of the inferiority of all non-whites in North America. This can be viewed in the interactions between Anglo Saxons and Blacks (slaves) as well as Indians (slaves to their reservation). Superiority fueled a belief in the easy acquisition of the "empty" lands in the West. In an attempt to return to the idealism of Jefferson, America pursued an expansionist policy whose goal was to procure ports to begin Pacific expansion, as well as sufficient land to slow urbanization and industrialization of the Eastern coast due to an influx of immigrants. The personalities and desires of the politicians involved, especially Polk's aspiration in the United States to obtain California and New Mexico and Santa Anna's hope to create a stable form government in Mexico, along with the nature of expansionism were crucial factors leading to war because of the powerful ideological and racial contrasts. In blaming President Polk for the conflic
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Approximate Word count = 1420
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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