Background History of the
Ostend Manifesto for kids: Franklin Pierce and Expansionism
The Ostend Manifesto
was a result of the expansionist policy that was strongly favored by
President Pierce and the belief in the
Manifest Destiny
of the United States. The president was a pro-south Democrat, who
believed that additional new territories could be added to expand
the lands in the southern slave states. The south believed that
their agrarian society that relied on agriculture for it's main
source of support and sustenance, and made viable by the use of
slave labor, was secure despite the growing protests against slavery
in the north. (Refer to the
Abolitionist Movement
and the
Compromise of 1850).
Background History of the
Ostend Manifesto: Latin American Territories
The prime targets for expansionism in the south were the Latin
American territories. The Mexico and ends up with a third of
Mexico's territory. The
Texas Annexation and the
Mexican-American War
had ended in 1848 with
a third of Mexico's territory
via the
Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo in which Mexico was forced to sell Alta
California and New Mexico to the United States. William Walker was
making plans to takeover Nicaragua. Another target was to obtain
Cuba from Spain.
Ostend Manifesto:
Cuba
The acquisition
of island of Spanish owned Cuba, only 90 miles off the shore from
Florida, had long been a goal of expansionists in the United States.
The southerners saw the acquisition of Cuba as a chance to extend
slavery in the south if Cuba became an American possession.
Ostend Manifesto for
kids: The
Black Warrior Affair
The Black
Warrior incident inflamed diplomatic relationships between the
United States and Spain. The Black Warrior was an American merchant
steamer that operated from New York City and often stopped at
Havana, Cuba. On February 28 1854, the Black Warrior merchant ship
was boarded and seized by Spanish authorities at Havana who arrested
the crew and imposed a $6,000 fine on the grounds that the ship had
violated customs regulations. The Black Warrior increased tensions
between the United States and Spain. Spain responded quickly by
releasing the crew and the cargo. But the incident caused outrage in
Congress and President Pierce was put under considerable pressure to
apply retribution for the incident.
Ostend Manifesto for
kids:
Secret Document
The Ostend
Manifesto was a secret document was drawn up by U.S. diplomats in
October 1854 planning the annexation of Cuba from Spain.
Ostend Manifesto for
kids: The
Diplomats
The Ostend
Manifesto was drawn
up, under the orders of President Pierce, by James
Buchanan, American minister to Great Britain, John
Mason, the minister to France and Pierre Soulé, the
minister to Spain. The Secretary of State, William
L. Marcy instructed Pierre Soulé to try to buy Cuba
from Spain for $120 million. The representatives,
all proslavery diplomats met in Ostend in Belgium,
Europe and drafted the secret document.
Ostend Manifesto:
Pierre Soulé
The Ostend
Manifesto made the
case for the annexation of Cuba. However Pierre
Soule used "Gunboat
Diplomacy" and made aggressive threats to
Spain that if they refused to sell Cuba for $120
million, then the United States would take it by
force. The
diplomats were
not authorized to make the threat and antagonized
relations between America and Spain. The threats
resulted in immediate rejection in England, France,
and Spain.
Ostend Manifesto
Controversy
William Marcy,
the United States Secretary of State, was forced to
unconditionally repudiate (disclaim) the Ostend
Manifesto. News of the secret Ostend Manifesto
leaked out and sparked a great controversy in the
northern states. The Abolitionists and the Northern
politicians expressed furious outrage, it was clear,
given the precedent of the
Kansas-Nebraska
Act, that if Cuba was taken by the United States
it would become a slave territory. The Ostend
Manifesto diplomats were well-known advocates of
slavery and the antislavery groups denounced the
Ostend Manifesto as an attempt to extend slavery
whereas the proslavery Southerners naturally
advocated the Ostend manifesto.
Significance of the Ostend Manifesto
The significance
of the Ostend Manifesto was that:
● The
presidency of Franklin Pierce was ruined
following the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the issue
of the Ostend Manifesto leading to his defeat in
the next election
● The Ostend
Manifesto made the North more suspicious of the
South's desire to expand slavery, pushing the
North and South further apart and was another
milestone along the road to the
American Civil war (1861-1865)
Ostend Manifesto for kids - President Franklin Pierce Video
The article on the Ostend Manifesto provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
Franklin Pierce video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 14th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1853 to March 4, 1857.
Ostend Manifesto
●
Interesting Facts about Ostend Manifesto for kids and schools
●
Definition of the Ostend Manifesto in US history
●
The Ostend Manifesto, a Important
event in US history
●
Franklin Pierce Presidency from March 4, 1853 to March 4, 1857
●
Fast, fun, interesting
facts
about the Ostend Manifesto
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Franklin Pierce
● Franklin Pierce Presidency and
the Significance of the Ostend Manifesto for schools,
homework, kids and children |