Why did James K. Polk want to annex Texas?
A. He was willing to give the Oregon Territory to Britain in exchange for Texas.
B. He was a strong believer in Manifest Destiny.
C. He had no choice but to follow public opinion.
D. He believed that Mexico would not object.
B?
Yes. President Polk had one mission as president, and that was what's called "Manifest Destiny".
Yes, B is the correct answer. James K. Polk wanted to annex Texas because he was a strong believer in Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief that it was America's destiny and right to expand its territory from coast to coast.
To get to this answer, you can eliminate the other options:
- Option A: He was willing to give the Oregon Territory to Britain in exchange for Texas. This is not accurate because Polk actually favored the idea of expanding the territory to the west coast, including Oregon. He was willing to negotiate with Britain to settle the boundary dispute peacefully, but not to exchange territories.
- Option C: He had no choice but to follow public opinion. While public opinion did play a role in James K. Polk's decision-making, it was not the primary reason for wanting to annex Texas.
- Option D: He believed that Mexico would not object. This is also not accurate because Mexico strongly protested against the annexation of Texas and considered it an act of aggression.
By eliminating the other options, you can conclude that B is the correct answer.