Essay On Contending Views Of Destiny By William Ellery Channing

Improved Essays
Contending Views of Destiny

William Ellery Channing and John O'Sullivan exhibit generally contrasting perspectives on the subject of the addition of Texas, against and for, separately. Their contentions stay impactful today the same number of have demanded that America ought to have asserted Iraq's oil numerous circumstances since the First Gulf War and less as of late on regardless of whether to attach Japan. The fundamental cases made by these two men still illuminate our approach which has been conflicting from numerous points of view, however continuously has inclined from O'Sullivan's position to that of Channing.

Channing saw the proposed extension of Texas as opposed to the laws of countries and of God. Despite the fact that the
…show more content…
He saw the extension as "inescapable" and noticed that "her Convention has without a doubt confirmed the acknowledgment" of the proposition (O'Sullivan). He, such as Channing before him, overlooks the reasons given and the reasons in actuality behind the development for Texas to separate itself from Mexico and to look for admission to the United States as a parallel individual from the Union. His lone gesture to the conditions being referred to comes when he encourages his audience members to "stop to decry and denounce" everything associated with the addition" (O'Sullivan). For him, ethical quality does not go into the question, spare with regards to the matter of the indecency of keeping up a no longer viable position. That is, it was silly and wrong to contradict addition since it was an expert truth. He guarantees that there was "no commitment of obligation toward Mexico" (O'Sullivan) while disregarding the genuine question in regional cases, regardless of the possibility that one acknowledged Texas' autonomy and her later addition as real. Generally, Mexico never acknowledged the idea that Texas incorporated the domain west of a line running from present day Corpus Christi to Wichita Falls. The progressing disagreement about that region would in the long run give the appearance to war. O'Sullivan never says this genuine circumstance on the ground or its possible results. For him, the fait accompli was all that mattered, a far lower request of thought in the ethical terms commended by Channing than even the idea that whatever it takes to get the job done, so be it. Time and again, current observers have made that same claim: It is correct in light of the fact that it is as of now done. To acknowledge such a contention is to acknowledge detestable practices of the past as needful and appropriate while overlooking their

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Cornerstone Speech

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alexander H. Stephens was known as the Vice President of Confederacy. As you know the Confederacy was a strong supporter of the idea of enslavement of Africans. They also believed that there was not any moral issues because they were not actual people. We today however know that this is completely incorrect. Alexander Stephens will eventually give a speech addressing the Confederate named the Cornerstone.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    John Slidell was trying to make america's destiny. Infact, his mission was to get the areas of Califoria and New Mexico. Once/if he got that, Mexico would probly just give up Texas. It would be like a sore thumb it the middle of the U.S. What would be its use to them then?…

    • 104 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Stephen Austin The Father Of Texas 2/14/17 Period 1 Liam Clark Stephen Austin was the first person to create a American colony in the Tejas province of Mexico. Stephen Austin was born in south western Virginia and when he was five his family moved to Missouri. He attended schooling at Yale college for four year’s he later returned to Missouri where he became a storekeeper, manager of the family lead mining company, and a failed bank director. In 1820 the governor of Arkansas appointed him as a circuit judge. Stephen Austin's father Moses Austin took steps towards establishing an American colony in the Tejas province in 1820 he traveled to San Antonio and petitioned for a land grant in 1821 he received approval to settle 300 American families on 200,000 acres of land but Moses Austin died before completing his plans and the colony fell to Stephen Austin.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal in 1803 made between France and the United States that resulted in America expanding further into the New World and doubling their land size. This real estate deal resulted in the mass acquisition of land made under Jefferson’s presidency and later fueled Polk into wanting to expand further through the mid-19th-century idea of Manifest Destiny. This idea, made by John L. O 'Sullivan, was that it is America’s god-given right to expand from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The synthesis of the Louisiana Purchase and the later idea of Manifest Destiny helped spur many debates over newly gained territories through territorial expansion. These debates arose from issues on whether or not land from the Louisiana…

    • 1755 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The idea of what makes someone American comes down to the belief in three rights; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Americans have rallied behind these inherent rights to form a strong unified nation. In Thomas Bender’s book, A Nation Among Nations, he argues in his chapter, Freedom in the Age of Nation-Making, that 19th century political thinkers believed that an overlapping “space of decision” and “space of culture” was the best way to form national unity and protect the individual liberties of citizens. The “space of decision” is the government established by the people of a nation and the “space of culture” are values and belief systems of the people of a nation. In relation to the Civil War of the United States, the institution…

    • 1074 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Territorial Expansion DBQ

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One side felt Texas could “increase the wealth and happiness of all classes in our society” (Doc G) and believed “all this patriotism ¬-all this philanthropy -all this religion- appeals to us in favor of the addition of Texas to our Union” (Doc G). On the other hand, the opponents knew that “we are anxious to force free government on all” (Doc H) but only under “a very high state of moral and intellectual improvement, in a civilized state” (Doc H) is the nation able maintain a free government and form “a constitution capable of endurance” (Doc H).…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To be a natural born or naturalized citizen of the United States is regarded by most as a privilege, because for many immigrants, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are best accomplished in this country than those they leave behind. After all, the United States is built on these moral principles, and afforded to anyone willing to exercise these values. On the other hand, America is also built from the tired, sore, and bleeding hands of men, women, and children who, with promises of a better future, liberated themselves from one evil only to be introduced to a different kind of evil, one more oppressing than the one they fled from. How exactly was the ‘great nation’ able to allude such high esteem by countries everywhere, mainly, it’s…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Polk’s “War Message to Congress”, given in May of 1846. In his message Polk justified his need for a declaration of war against Mexico based on the alleged “…wrongs perpetrated by Mexico upon our citizens throughout a long period of years…” (p. 75). Specifically though, Polk thoroughly emphasized the event of Mexican’s shedding the blood of American citizens on American soil as the main reason for going to war. Polk was playing on Americans’ pride and nationalism as there have been very few times, if any, that the United States have allowed any attack on its citizens or the country in general to go unanswered, so why let a situation as severe as this go?…

    • 1006 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    William Channing wrote an annexation of Texas to the United States to Henry Clay and was published in 1837. The argument draws from the bearing of the measures on our national union. The opposition to the annexing taxes was largely found in the north, because of slavery. Some people were supporting the annexation of Texas, however others in the North were not agreeing to the annexation. Channing was expressing his feelings to what it can cause if Texas were to be part of the United States.…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because, America invaded mexico ,American were stealing land from Mexico, and the American were disobeying Mexico rules when they were in Texas. During the year 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain. Before America took mexico’s land, it was about the size of the United States itself. Mexico stretched from Guatemala to Oregon . Texas tried two time to apply for annexation to the United States, both times Congress said no. in 1844, when James k. Polk, a strong supporter of the manifest destiny ( god’s plan the America extend its territory all the way to the pacific ocean) became president, Polk didn’t only want to annex Texas, but he also wanted California (Roden background essay).…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1829, American settlers began to reside in Mexico’s territories in the southwest, disregarding their customs and laws. American colonists in Texas protested Mexican rule, sparking the Texas Revolution in 1835. Soon after, Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna attacked Alamo and won, but the Treaty of Velasco gave Texas independence and created the border between Texas and Mexico (Berkin 314). Unfortunately, Mexicans wanted renegotiation of the treaty, threatening war. On April 22, 1846, Mexico announced that its territory had been invaded and declared war.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As The United states began a time of expansion into the west in the late 1830’s, debates over whether or not slavery would be permitted in those territories vacated by the native Americans caused great disagreements in Government and Society. While slavery is the most obvious reason for succession, Westward expansion and the rights of the new states were responsible for much of the violent conflicts that lead to the Civil War. States struggled to find common ground, but the differences between North and South and new Immigration made A series of compromises were created but by 1860 compromise had failed. Southerners feared an increase in free states would create an imbalance of power and create an advantage to the abolition of slavery.…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It will darken our future history” (Channing 236). Channing made valuable points, because starting a war in your own country reflects the country bad. Channing also believed that by the believing in manifest destiny that it will start a trend that it is acceptable to go and fight for whatever you want until you get it, which will ultimately start more problems. Briefly in W.E. Channing Denouncing Expansion he wrote “Hitherto I have spoken of the annexation of Texas embroiling us with Mexico; but it will not stop here. It will bring us into collisions with other states” (Channing 237).…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Jacob Ashcraft 24 October 2016 Texas Revolution Was Inevitable In one of the first major scholarly works on the Texas Revolution, historian Eugene C. Barker in 1928 described the conflict as a “clash of cultures.” Barker maintained that Anglo-Texans and Mexicans had little in common and, as a result, concluded that the rebellion could not have been avoided. Barker is correct in his statement about war being inevitable. Some believe it was because the Anglo colonists wanted overrun Texas and break away to become a part of the United States in the venture westward.…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sleuthing The Alamo In the Rhetorical analysis, Sleuthing The Alamo, James E. Crisp dives head long into an extensive evaluation of the events, people, and historical stories of the Alamo. As he began his research he stumbled across a speech written and given by Sam Houston. Houston is a well acknowled man in both Texas and U. S. history with a reputation for fairness, and being and all around good wholesome man with a polished set or morals. Upon reading a statement Houston made to his men Crisp felt as if something were wrong.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays