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.
