Daniel Webster Protests the War with Mexico

Webster argued that the war with Mexico and the admission of new states would be horrible. This was his own opinion, but many individuals during this time period felt the way that he did. Webster talks of what the president has his mind set on and how that mindset cannot be changed. This is viewed as a problem that Webster can not get over, he feels that the president should listen to the people and not be caught up in his own mindset. The mindset of the president was one that was given to him by many of the people of the United States, but was it the majority of the people? Webster never discusses this with his readers. This may be for certain reasons; maybe the majority did feel the need for expansion. Webster would have hurt his own argument for him to put that in this article.

Webster firmly believed that President Polk will not change his mind about the need to fight a war with Mexico and gain territory from the winning of the war. Webster adamantly disagreed saying that any new state joining the Union was a bad thing and that it would only hurt the United States. “For the sake of peace, we must take territory! This is the will of the President!” (237). Webster continued by saying “Mr. Polk will take no less! That is fixed upon! He is immovable!” (237). This clearly shows that Webster firmly believes that the President will not change his mind about the annexing of any new states. Webster tells that the people do not want to allow anymore states into the Union. “If we will take peace without new States, and the Administration will have no peace without new States, I am willing to stand upon that, and trust the people” (237). Webster then argues that “if a state proposes to come into the Union, and to come in as a slave state; then there is an augmentation of the inequality in the representation of the people” (237).

Webster firmly believes that if the United States decides to take New Mexico and California then there is no reason for them to stop there. “Why, do we not here it avowed ever day, that it is proper for us to take Sonora and Tamaulipas,