Manifest Destiny And Nationalism

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Both the Mexican American and Spanish American War witnessed the metamorphosis of a young nation initially seeking to establish national borders in North America into an emerging power that would enter the 20th century immersed in a multitude of global affairs. From the mid 19th century, nationalism and the ideological phenomenon of Manifest Destiny, an idea that it was a God-given right for the United States to expand from the east coast to the west coast, took strong root in American culture, and both would influence the social issues of the times as well as permeate into the a more powerful political realm. How did the principles of Manifest Destiny and nationalism bolster American spirit while subsequently debilitating and disintegrating…show more content…
In 1836, Sam Houston and the Texan Army definitively defeated Mexican forces led by Antonio López de Santa Anna, claiming the independence of the land of Texas from Mexico and proclaiming it a republic. However, Mexico did not recognize the independence of Texas immediately, but rather considered Texas a rebellious province, because of deep-rooted national pride that they were capable of governing the territory they acquired from the social and political revolution they fomented against Spain in 1821. Furthermore, they believed that the territory of Texas was their personal possession, and any brazen attempt to usurp their territory justified violence. In the United States, a nation in which most citizens favored aggressive territorial expansion, Democratic President and ardent expansionist James Knox Polk emerged as a key force in the propagation of Manifest Destiny. In 1845, Congress authorized the annexation of Texas after Mexico “agreed to formally recognize the independence of Texas on the condition that Texas agree not to be annexed to the United States” (Henderson, 146). Such an action crippled relations between the U.S. and Mexico and the regime of acting president José Joaquín de Herrera, and put a permanent strain on diplomatic relations. Mexico possessed a political body crippled by constant succession of revolutions, military coups, and…show more content…
In early 1895, Cuban insurgents revolted against the Spanish rule due to an increasing antagonism of both the corrupt supremacy of Spain and its crippling economic measures, including the imposition of a tariff on Cuban sugar (Gould, 20). Both President Grover Cleveland and subsequent President William McKinley responded to the Cuba issue in fundamentally different ways: the former supported Spain; the latter, the insurgents. However, it was during the McKinley administration when diplomacy took root over the issue of Cuba between Spain and the United States. During the critical period between 1896 and 1898, McKinley attempted to avoid war at all costs, develop peaceful though firm relations with Spain, and adopt a conciliatory policy with Cuban insurrectionists. Upon hearing of the Spanish mistreatment of Cubans in reconcentration camps, McKinley argued humanitarian measures for the Spanish rule in Cuba, and Spain, in response, “suspended its reconcentration policy, declared an amnesty for political prisoners, and released Americans who were in Cuban jails” (Gould, 30). Moreover, the Spanish responded positively to the demands of the United States, but tensions did not cease. In January of 1898, Congress desired to send a ship to Havana, of which the Spanish deemed an “unfriendly

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