Text 1: Historian Park argues that the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) was an aggressive war of territorial expansion. The United States, under President Polk, manufactured pretexts for invasion and seized over half of Mexico's territory, including California and the present-day Southwest.
Text 2: Historian Singh accepts that territorial gain motivated U.S. policy but argues that "aggressive" oversimplifies a contested decision. The war divided Americans deeply: Whig politicians condemned it; Henry David Thoreau went to jail rather than pay taxes that supported it; many U.S. officers expressed misgivings. The war was aggressive in outcome, Singh contends, but not unanimously embraced even at home.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- Acheck_circle
whether the war was domestically uncontroversial.
- B
whether Polk was president during the war.
- C
whether the war resulted in U.S. territorial gain.
- D
whether Mexico lost territory.
Explanation
Both accept the war's outcome and Polk's role. They differ on whether U.S. domestic opinion was unified. B captures the dispute, since Park's "aggressive war" framing implies a unified policy that Singh contests.