In 1844, James K. Polk was elected as President of the United States and his goal was to expand the United States. However, the cost of doing this was at the expense of a weaker, newer country. James K. Polk and the United States were wrong in going to war with that country called Mexico. America should not have declared war on Mexico because it was an unnecessary, aggressive act to gain territory, the fact that Mexicans did not attack on American soil, and some Americans were against it because of the issue of slavery. The first reason America should not have declared war on Mexico is because it was unnecessary and aggressive. James K. Polk’s only reason to attack Mexico was to fulfill his wishes to extend America to make it a two ocean country. Many people who opposed Polk said that the “US was intent on wrestling… land from Mexico… and violating the country’s sovereignty” (Controversial Issues PDF). Polk’s opposers agreed that his decision to declare war was nothing other than an overly aggressive act to gain resources and land. Henry Clay argued that it was actually Mexico who was defending themselves from the Americans, not the opposite. Abraham Lincoln and the Whig party went as far as to say that Polk had “manipulated the American Public” to support his direction of starting this unjust war (Controversial Issues PDF). One of Polk’s aggressive acts was sending troops into disputed areas occupied by Mexican people knowing the outcome would be bad. When the first American blood was spilled, it was not spilled on American soil. Polk claimed that Mexicans instigated the war by shooting and killing Americans on US soil, but Abraham Lincoln thought differently. In Lincolns Spot resolution speech Lincoln asked questions about what was true about what Polk said. For example, he questioned whether “the spot on which the blood of our citizens was shed” was owned by Spain making it Mexican territory (Lincoln Spot Resolution Speech). Lincoln was in what he believed about it not being American soil. American soldiers were sent into areas occupied by Mexicans who had not “submitted themselves to the government or laws of Texas or the United States” and who did not participate in any American issues such as juries or elections (Lincoln Spot Resolution Speech). When American soldiers were sent into this are, Mexicans fled which showed that this was not in fact American soil. If the habitants of this area fled at the sight of an American Army leaving behind homes and crops, then there is no way they could be Americans. What Polk did was instigate the Mexicans into attacking first so he had an excuse to declare war. The country was divided on whether to go
