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Difficulty: MediumManifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

"It would seem that the White race alone received the divine command, to subdue and replenish the earth! for it is the only race that has obeyed it—the only one that hunts out new and distant lands... It would seem that the Red race has not yet received this command... The White race has now, in its westward march, reached the Pacific Ocean; and here they meet the Mongolians, the other great division of the human family... The civilization of the West will thus meet the civilization of the East... The two will act upon each other, and the result must be the elevation of both."
— Senator Thomas Hart Benton, speech in the United States Senate, 1846

Which of the following historical developments of the 1840s and 1850s was most directly driven by the ideology expressed in the excerpt?

  1. The acquisition of West Coast ports and the initiation of diplomatic and commercial relations with East Asian nationsAnswer
  2. B
    The formation of permanent military alliances with European nations to enforce the Monroe Doctrine
  3. C
    The implementation of federal mercantilist regulations to restrict merchants to domestic shipping
  4. D
    The passage of the Dawes Severalty Act to divide Native American lands into individual family allotments

Answer

The acquisition of West Coast ports and the initiation of diplomatic and commercial relations with East Asian nations
The correct answer is correct because Thomas Hart Benton's speech exemplifies the ideological drive of Manifest Destiny, which sought to extend United States territory to the Pacific Coast. Reaching the Pacific facilitated trans-Pacific trade and diplomatic engagement with East Asian nations, such as the Treaty of Wanghia (1844) with China and the opening of Japan by Commodore Matthew Perry (1854).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and main argument
The excerpt shows Senator Thomas Hart Benton advocating for westward expansion ('westward march') to the Pacific Ocean and anticipating that this expansion will connect the United States with East Asian ('Mongolian') civilizations.
Understanding the core argument allows the student to link the ideology of Manifest Destiny to its geopolitical outcomes.
2
Evaluate the historical developments of the 1840s and 1850s against this ideology
During this period, the US acquired Oregon (1846) and California (1848), securing vital Pacific ports. This geographic expansion facilitated treaties such as the Treaty of Wanghia with China and the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry in 1854.
This step connects the expansionist ideology of the stimulus to actual historical events in the target decade.
3
Identify and eliminate incorrect distractors
Other options describe policies from different eras (mercantilism, Gilded Age Native American assimilation) or mischaracterize US foreign policy (permanent military alliances).
Eliminating options based on chronological inaccuracies and conceptual errors confirms the correct choice.

Key Concept

Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion
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Topics

Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

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