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Difficulty: MediumWestward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties

"The navigation of the Mississippi is to us so indispensable, that we cannot be in friendship with any cabinet which would deprive us of it... [and] we must make up our minds to get it by force, if it cannot be obtained by treaty."
— Thomas Jefferson, letter to the U.S. Minister to Spain, 1790

Which of the following developments in the 1790s most directly resolved the issue described in the excerpt?

  1. The signing of a treaty with Spain that recognized the thirty-first parallel as the southern U.S. boundary and granted Americans navigation rights on the Mississippi RiverAnswer
  2. B
    The establishment of a national bank to finance joint-stock ventures aimed at colonizing Spanish Louisiana
  3. C
    The execution of the Northwest Ordinance, which asserted federal supremacy and cleared Spanish claims to the Ohio River Valley
  4. D
    The passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts to suppress Spanish-aligned agitators in the western territories

Answer

The signing of a treaty with Spain that recognized the thirty-first parallel as the southern U.S. boundary and granted Americans navigation rights on the Mississippi River
The correct answer is the option focusing on the treaty with Spain that established the thirty-first parallel and granted navigation rights. This treaty, known as Pinckney's Treaty or the Treaty of San Lorenzo (1795), directly resolved the issue of Spanish control over the Mississippi River and secured the right of deposit in New Orleans for American western farmers, meeting the exact need expressed in Jefferson's 1790 letter.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and the core conflict described.
Thomas Jefferson is expressing a vital need for the United States to secure access to the Mississippi River, which was controlled by Spain in 1790, even suggesting force if diplomatic treaties failed.
Understanding the geopolitical challenge (Spanish control of the Mississippi River blocking Western American trade) is necessary to identify the resolution.
2
Evaluate the historical developments of the 1790s that addressed western navigation and border disputes.
In 1795, Thomas Pinckney negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo (Pinckney's Treaty) with Spain.
This treaty directly addressed Spanish restrictions on American trade and shipping along the Mississippi River.
3
Connect the treaty's terms to the resolution of Jefferson's concern.
Spain recognized the 31st parallel as the U.S. boundary and opened the Mississippi River to American duty-free navigation, resolving the immediate crisis.
This matches the resolution to the issue of Mississippi River access described in the 1790 letter.

Key Concept

Pinckney's Treaty (1795) and the resolution of Mississippi River navigation rights with Spain
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Westward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties

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