A Moral Justification for Expansion

Discussion 1: A Moral Justification for Expansion
The aggressive spirit of expansion was given the name Manifest Destiny by John O'Sullivan. He wrote that God had destined us to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Do you believe there is a danger when someone aligns an historical position or movement with the will of God? Can it be useful to politicians to have God on their side? Is there any way for us to know God's will for our country? Who has the authority and training to speak for God? Create an argument through the use of historical evidence. Remember, you can eam 1 or 2 bonus points toward Exam 3 if you document your written opinion with sources other than your textbooks. See your syllabus for details.
Discussion 2. Slavery a Positive Good?
After 1830 the South became a more closed society and children were taught the 5 reasons slavery was a positive good. Men who wanted to keep their home in the South soon teamed these 5 reasons too! Civic leaders couldn't have gotten away with this if Christian ministers had taken a unified stand against it. Why didn't they? What happened to the few religious leaders who spoke out against slavery? What does this teach us about most Christian ministers? Does it have an application today? Create an argument through the use of historical evidence. Remember, you can earn 1 or 2 bonus points toward Exam 3
Discussion 3: Lack of a Single Party?
Some historians claim the lack of a single national party helped bring about the Civil War. The Whig party had disintegrated: the Democratic party divided into northern and southern democratic parties before the 1860 election. The new Republican party only existed in the north. This meant there was no national party with a leader that if elected could say he represented all the people in the U.S. Do you believe this lack of a national party contributed to the Civil War? Would we still have had a war even if a national party existed and their man had won? Why or why not? Create an argument through the use of historical evidence. Remember, you can earn 1 or 2 bonus points.

Sample Solution