Some Questions about Lincoln!!!

[Thomas Thorne]

(06-20-2013 09:33 AM)Matt Macoubrie Wrote:  Hey everyone,
3. Why did the Illinois people dislike Lincoln's opposition to the Mexican American War?
-Matt

Illinois during the Democrat-Whig period of party rivalry was a pretty reliable Democratic stronghold. The Democrats were generally committed to territorial expansion. The Democratic presidential convention of 1844 called for the acquisition of Texas and Oregon. The realization that the obvious Democratic candidate for the presidency, Martin Van Buren, opposed Texas annexation ,caused a revolt at the convention which led to the nomination and election of the ardent expansionist James K. Polk.

While the actual annexation of Texas was subsequently done by the lame duck administration of Pres. John Tyler, Polk came into office eager to defend Texas' claims to its disputed boundaries with Mexico and to acquire what became the Mexican cession by purchase or if need be by force.

This resulted in the Mexican War.

Polk also pursued what was known as the "Oregon Country." This consisted of mostly the present states of Oregon,Washington and British Columbia. Oregon was governed by what was called a "joint occupation" by the US and Great Britain. Both nations had previously deferred the question of ownership of the area until significant numbers of white settlers showed up. They started to do so in the 1840's and Polk and the British government split the Oregon Country by giving what is now the states of Oregon and Washington to the United States while Britain retained British Columbia which eventually became part of Canada.

There was a significant reaction by Western Democrats toward Polk for his refusal to press the British over British Columbia. They felt betrayed that the US had not obtained all of the Oregon country. It is interesting that Polk believed he could successfully wage war against Mexico but not Britain.

While the Mexican cession led to the great quarrel over the status of slavery in the conquered lands, the vast majority of Northern Democrats in the 1840's supported territorial expansion although many might quarrel with their southern brethren over slavery.

Eventually southern efforts to expand slavery in the 1850's to areas belonging to the US and to foreign countries fatally compromised the popular idea of expansionism by associating it with the extension of slavery.

This development occurred much too late to help Congressman Lincoln in 1848 who opposed the majority sentiment of his region.
Tom