Abraham Lincoin, shing Li
Summarize, in a complete essay paragraph, the arguments
made by Abraham Lincoln in his "Spot Resolutions" address
made on December 22, 1847.
inger

Explanation:

Throughout the history of the United States, Presidents have made

many proposals to deal with issues facing the country. Congress has

not always agreed with these proposals. American society has since

been affected by the outcomes of these proposals. Two of those

situations were caused by President James Polk and his involvement

in the Mexican American War, and President Franklin Roosevelt and

his attempted court packing scheme. Doc 1. In 1846, President James

Polk wanted Congress to declare war on Mexico. He claimed his

reasoning behind this was that the Mexicans had invaded American

lands and murdered American citizens. Aroused by the loss of

American lives, Congress immediately and overwhelmingly voted for

War. Soon after however, many members of Congress began to reconsider

their vote. In document 2, Abraham Lincon, a Whig at the time used

his “spot resolutions” tactic to demand knowledge of the precise “spot”

on American soil in which the conflict had began. President Polk

would not give Lincoln a clear answer to the question. The debate over

the legitimacy of the War would not be the only problem the U.S

would face. After the war ended in 1848 with the treaty of Guadalupe

Hidalgo, the debate over slavery would continue to pick up speed. Doc 3.

In “The West, and illustrated history”, Geoffrey C. Ward wrote that

Congress was split over the issue of slavery, and California’s statehood

threatened that balance. Congress had once hoped the issue of slavery’s

extension had been forever settled by the Missouri compromise of 1820,

which outlawed slavery in most of the West. But with the defeat of

Mexico, and the instant acquisition of vast land, everything changed.

Now the main issue would be whether or not new states such as

California would be free or slave states. President Roosevelt was very

U.S. Hist. & Gov. Rating Guide – Jan. ’17 [61] Vol. 2

Anchor Paper – Document-Based Essay—Level 2 – B

upset that the supreme court ruled that most of the bills enclosed in his

New Deal Recovery Plan were unconstitutional. He then decided to

create a proposal that would increase the number of supreme court

justice’s from 9 to 18 in order to appoint more judge’s favorable of his

New Deal. His proposal shocked many people, including members of

his own party. Doc 8 Congress was severely opposed to his plan,

stating that they would not interfere with the separation of powers put

in place by the United States Constitution. Doc 9. In the aftermath of

the court packing scheme, many felt that the opposition shown by

congress to President Roosevelt should stand as a warning to future

Presidents who are planning to tamper with branches of government

such as the supreme court.

February 4, 1938.

Explanation: