Chapter 13 Repsonses

1. While the South saw Manifest destiny as the country's divine right the north saw it

2. During the expansion towards the west, men mostly were looking forward to moving then women. The whole idea of moving westward was very masculine ideas and women didn't want to disturb their settled family life to go west. Women were not willing to risk their lives to on a journey while men felt that it was a very manly thing to do. In the migration women were drastically out numbered by the men. On the Oregon and California trails women were outnumbered by 2 to 1 and this increased during the gold rush by 10 to 1. Even though men were willing to uproot their family life, once they reached their destination men quickly replicated the homes and communities they had before. Although women were reluctant to migrate they were still forced by their husbands. Even though the urban middle-class families believed in equal partnership in marriage, the man still still made the big decision and women had to obey even if they liked it or not.

3. With the Westward expansion slavery increased. The controversy was that the north did not want southern to increase in power due to the increase in slave states. The issue mainly became an issue with the annexation of Texas and the war with Mexico. The northerner believed that expansion to the west and more specifically the annexation of Texas was just a plot to expand slavery. The idea that the annexation was a plot to expand slavery was proven when a letter from the Secretary of State John C. Calhoun stated the Americans wanted to annex Texas in order to protect slavery. During the discussion of the Annexation of Texas the issue of slavery was a big topic in the election of the President.

4. The Mexican War started over the acquisition of California and New Mexico. Throughout the whole war the American armies were outnumbered by the Mexican armies, but the Americans were still powerful in intelligence, military tactics and weaponry. There were different phases of the Mexican War. The first phase was led by Zachary Taylor. During this phase he retreated Mexicans 100 miles South of the Rio Grande in order to better fortify the Monterrey. After immense fighting Taylor took control of the City. The Second phase was led by General Stephen Watts Kerny. Kerny was able to seize Santa Fe without even firing even one bullet. His strategy was that he bluffed and intimidated the governor of New Mexico, which made the governor retreat his militia southward. The third phase was an attack on Mexico City which was led by General Winfield Scott. In this phase, General Scott marched his army of no more than 14,000 men, up the mountains and to Mexico City from Veracruz. After many days of fighting, General Scott in the end did capture Mexico City.

5. James K. Polk used his political mind to come up with plan os, he would have more control over the Mexican government, but the plan backfired. Polk believed that if he helped Santa Anna rise to power, then Santa Anna would make peace with America. In order to execute his plan, Polk ordered the navy to pass Santa Anna through its blockade of Mexican ports. A Mexican general saw this as a victory and rode to Mexico City to claim his title as hero and President of the Republic. Instead of peace, the General raised new levies and marched north to attack Taylor's army.

6. California and New Mexico amplified the issues of slavery. The South wanted full freedom in expanding slavery into the new West but the North wanted to completely abolish the horrid system of slavery. The Compromise of 1850 is a compromise between the South and North. The Compromise pleases both sides and in a way unified the North and the South again. In the series of the Senate debates over these issues, John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, William H. Seward and Henry Clay " The Great Compromiser" give speeches of their opinion. In his speech Calhoun, stated that the south and the north cannot remain in a union if the North does not agree to the expansion of slavery into the new territory and reestablish the Fugitive slave law. In response to Calhoun's statement, Webster urges for the Wilmot Proviso and says that nature will exclude slavery. Lastly, Seward gave his antislavery speech. In his speech, Seward states that slavery was vicious and that there a higher law than the Constitution which was the law of God. He argued that God saw all people as equal so, slavery should be brought to a peaceful end. Henry Clay's speech was incorporated the different views of the north and the South. In his speech, he states 5 proposals. The first allowed the admission of California as a free state and made no restrictions against restriction for the rest of Mexican Cession. The second settled the boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico in favor of New Mexico and in return Texas would receive a compensation. The third abolished slave trade but allowed existing slavery. The fourth stated that Congress had no jurisdiction over interstate slave trade and the fifth called for a stronger fugitive slave law.

7. The Fugitive Slave law required that a slave who has escaped to a free state, be returned to his of her owner. All the slave owner had to do was to prove their ownership over the slaves in front of any state of federal court. The Southerners saw the Fugitive slave law as an opportunity to recollect all of their lost property and also honor and rights, but the Northerners were outraged by the thought of fugitives being captured in a land of freedom. As the antislavery movement began to gain more support, the free states were unwilling to give in the runaway slave. In response, slave owners were hiring slave-catcher to find the slaves. The slave-catchers did not play fair. They were capturing innocent free blacks and forging ownership documents to prove the slaves belonged to the slave owner. The Northerners in response to these illegal actions, passed anti kidnapping laws and gave fugitives the right of a trial by jury. While the Northern states were attempting to help the fugitives, the southern slave owners kept treating slave horribly and sending more slave-catchers.

8.A filibuster is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition. Narciso Lopez, a Cuban soldier organized hundreds of American for a filibustering expedition. At the time President Polk offered to buy Cuba but the Spanish Foreign minister refused the offer. The Cuban people, restless under the Spanish rule, were drawn to the American rule. Narciso Lopez used filibustering as a way to start a revolution and break free from Spanish rule. President Taylor prevented Lopez's ships from leaving New York, but Lopez created a new force of filibusters and port officials overlooked the situation as the filibusters sailed away..