Labor History in the United States Of America

Labor History in the United States Of America After the American Civil War that lasted from 1861 to 1865, American industrial workers wanted to enlarge their rights at workplaces and be able to create strong labor unions to improve the quality of the work.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labor History in the United States Of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More At the beginning of 1990s, a considerable part of workers died each year because of poor working conditions: accidents at factories and mines, constant injuring, and inconveniencies with work. Industrial workers hoped that numerous labor unions would provide them with safety at working places and the families of killed people with the necessary financial support and other benefits. The international influence of the United States started rising at the beginning of 1910s and lasts until now. Rising of American impact considerably influenced the vast majority of American industrial workers; the processe s of mobilization, liberal consensus, and nationalism affected American labor unions in different ways: on the one hand, these changes advanced workers’ rights by providing the benefits, and on the other hand, they hurt workers’ interests and cause numerous misunderstandings. The influence of America has been powerful for a long period of time. It is a nation full of immigrants and industrial workers from the whole world. The United States opens its gates to lots of people and provides them with an opportunity to earn for living. However, at the beginning of 1900s, the situation was a bit different: people, who came to the United States faced lots of problems, Asian and Mexican workers had to pass a strong control to visit the country and start working. Some people just had no chance but accept all the conditions offered by the American government in order to find some job; usually it was work at factories and mines including running the machines. Native American indus trial workers faced certain problems with work as well. For the government, it was easier to hire people from other countries in order to pay less money and use the same labor force. This is why rising of the international influence of the United States attracted too many people from different countries, and Native American industrial workers got less opportunities to get good jobs. â€Å"The use of undocumented workers as a highly exploited or reserve labor sources† (Ngai, 58) – this is what was inherent to those times and was the major obstacle for American workers.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the beginning of the 20th century, one of the most significant conflicts in the labor movement was a conflict between the representatives of craft unions and industrial unions. Craft unions, also known as trade unions, restricted the membership in unions to specifi c traders: shoemakers, plumbers, etc. In their turn, industrial unions were such organizations, which were eager to accept the workers of any ranks: skilled and unskilled. The representatives of the Knights of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World may serve as the best and well-known labor union organizations, which made a certain impact on the rising of industrial workers in the United States. The conflict between those labor organizations was considerable, and in order to smooth it, John L. Lewis decided to organize the Committee for Industrial Organizations (C. I. O.) and tried to organize all unskilled workers into one group. Black workers were also eager to join this organization in order to have more or less stable position at the labor-markets. After all, the industrial workers won their independence by means of violent fights and mobilization of their memberships. Mobilization is a process of gathering people into the certain groups with common interests and purposes . Lewis chose one of the most effective ways to achieve the desirable results and created a membership of works of different levels. Because of its simplicity and clear marking of the purpose, lots of workers started joining that union. Nationalism is one more factor that influenced the development of American labor. Nationalism is defined as an ideology that focuses on the interests of the nations. It is probably one of the strongest phenomena inherent to each country. National flags, armies, and anthems – all this is a banal example of nationalism. The idea of one race, ethnicity, and even one language was also crucially important to the American industrial workers. As for nationalism of American industrial workers, one the one hand, it advanced their interests and helped to achiever the set purposes and achieve the equality in the labor market. One the other hand, the idea of nationalism was not the only leading factor in the development of American labor. In fact, the ide a of mobilization was the initial one, and in order to win craft unions, industrial unions had to be united without taking into account the ethnicity factor. Due to this simple fact, Native American industrial workers should put aside their personal preferences and use as more people as possible to gain the desirable recognition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labor History in the United States Of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the most important ideologies, which played the final role in the development of the American industrial labor, is the idea of the liberal consensus. Cold War and liberalism that was one of this war’s main objectives turned out to be the dominant paradigm in the United States. â€Å"At times, a confluence of economic, social, cultural, and political factors has impelled major shifts in societys understanding (and construction) of race and its constitutive role in nat ional identity formation. The Civil War was obviously one of those times; the present multicultural moment is another.† (Ngai 7) In general, the rising of the international influence of the United States considerable affected the vast majority of the American industrial workers. The process of mobilization of both skilled and unskilled workers of different race and gender advanced the interests of American labor and encourage them to work and present more effective production. The war between craft unions and industrial unions, described in the works by Mae Ngai and Eileen Boris, the liberal consensus, which put the final full stop in the labor conflict, and American workers’ nationalism – this is what was crucially important during the 1910s till the 1990s. Between 1924 and 1965, the times analyzed by Ngai, the restriction policies did not concentrate on exclusion of the unskilled workers. Their major purpose was to determine geographical and racial gaps between the workers in order to abolish the rights of the illegal aliens and underline the importance of the national origins of the workers. Civil War was rather predictable, taking into consideration the situation between the unions and inhabitants. â€Å"Cold War liberalism’s emphasis on America’s image abroad narrowed the concept of immigration reform to a question of formal equality.† (Ngai 245) The results of that war put the end of the war for independence, equality of rights, and freedom. Boris, E., Lichtenstein, N. Major Problems in the History of American Workers: Documents and Essays. D. C. Heath, 1991.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ngai M.M. Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Princeton University Press, 2004

Judaism and Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Judaism and Divorce - Essay Example Although divorce in the United States of America is governed primarily by state laws, religion also plays an important role when many people consider divorce as an option. This is true whether the married couple is Christian, Jewish, Mormon, or attached to any other religious institution. What results is a multi-layered approach to divorce in which religious scripture exists alongside state law as a governing set of principles and processes. Of particular interest is when religious doctrine cannot be neatly harmonized with secular state laws; this is significant because there are instances, such as in the case of Judaism, when a civil divorce is granted under a state's laws but not granted pursuant to Jewish doctrine. The consequences can be especially difficult for Jewish women. This essay will examine this multi-layered approach to divorce, the tension that can exist between religious scripture and state divorce law, and how divorce among Jews compares with people from other religi ons. As a preliminary matter, divorce must be considered within a legal context. In the United States that means a combination of federal and state law; in the case of divorce, state laws are fundamentally controlling. Indeed, as stated by a leading scholar in the field, "Judges, scholars and practitioners commonly assume that family law decisions are quintessentially matters of state law. For example, a common theme of the Supreme Court's federalism decisions is the assertion that "family law (including marriage, divorce, and child custody).

Organizational and National Cultures in a Polish-U.S. Joint Venture Essay

Organizational and National Cultures in a Polish-U.S. Joint Venture - Essay Example The Poles believe that only older people have the experience and knowledge to be managers. In addition, it is also more difficult to earn the trust of Poles compared to Americans who are more sociable and trusting. Poles are also more formal in their communication than Americans are while they also expect to have a clear distinction between families and work (Cullen, 2011). In the latter case, they view extra hours at work as being intrusive on their family life. Finally, Polish managers will most likely utilize negative feedback and criticism, instead of giving positive feedback, as a means of motivation. Apply Hofstede’s and the 7d cultural dimension models to explain the cultural differences noted in the case Clearly, the first main difference in Poland is that they possess a power distance society that is higher than in the US. This explains the basis of evaluations or promotions on trustworthiness, while also explaining why they do not like work and seem to accept inequal ity, which, in turn, drives general distrust (Cullen, 2011). The second big difference is that Poland, compared to the US, is a country with high uncertainty avoidance. This helps to explain the reason why Poles value age and seniority. For instance, seniority is used to promote workers, thus reducing uncertainty. Using the 7d model, the first big difference is the neutral dimension. Poland scores highly to provide an explanation for their formal nature. In neutral cultures, people work without revealing feelings or thoughts, while also being under more control. The achievement dimension also varies with lower scores for Poland, explaining why they prefer seniority, as well as their preference for titles (Cullen, 2011). Finally, the difference is critical with regards to internal control with Poland scoring one hundred. This shows their decreased tolerance for volatility and their increased drive to control the environment. Analyze institutional explanations for how the Polish worke rs react to U.S. management style In this case, the most significant explanation involves institutional effects that communism left on Poles and the manner in which it affected its workers. For example, the former communist regimes in Poland saw a dependence on affiliations and connections for success, rather than performance (Cullen, 2011), explaining why they desire to be managers without qualifications. In addition, communist societies oversaw a system that had little or no institutional structures that were meant to guarantee exchange (Cullen, 2011). Therefore, Poles are less trusting of others, preferring to rely on personal affiliations. This low level of trust is also a good explanation for the reason why Poles do not favour teamwork. All new workers in Poland are considered as competition, which makes it difficult to build trust that is, in turn, essential for team building. Finally, the effects of the former communist regime also explain why there is little positive feedbac k between managers and workers. This could also explain their preference for public statements on salaries, which is meant to give them an idea of their status and standing (Cullen, 2011). Recommend the types of cultural adaptations to the U.S. expatriate managers regarding their management styles Working in Poland, expatriate US managers should have more respected for older workers and managers, while also

Empowering and delegating Essay Example for Free

Empowering and delegating Essay Delegation is the method of giving decision-making authority to lower-level employees. For the process to be successful, a worker must be able to obtain the resources and cooperation needed for successful completion of the delegated task. Empowerment of the workforce and task delegation is closely interrelated. Empowerment occurs when upper-level employees share power with lower-level employees. This involves providing the training, tools and management support that employees need to accomplish a task. Thus, the employee has both the authority and the means to accomplish the work. Even though authority can be delegated, responsibility cannot; the person who delegates a task is held responsible for its success in the end. Thus the assigned worker is liable for meeting the goals and objectives of the assignment (Camp 2006). Using successful delegation benefits management and subordinates within the organization. Possibly the most significant advantage for the company is a higher quality of work. At my workplace, delegation can improve quality of work by permitting the employees who have direct knowledge of the laws, regulations and procedures governing the administration of public assistance grants and programs and of interviewing and record keeping techniques to make decisions and complete tasks. Employees may do their work better because they may feel a personal liability for the ending result, even though responsibility ultimately rests with the person who made the delegation. Motivation should also be enhanced as delegation enriches the workers job by expanding the types of tasks that are involved in it (Camp 2006). â€Å"Effective delegation leverages the manager’s energy and talent and those of his or her subordinates. It allows managers to accomplish much more than they would be able to do on their own. Conversely, lack of delegation, or ineffective delegation, sharply reduces what a manager can achieve. The manager also saves one of his or her most valuable assets, time by giving some of his or her responsibility to somebody else. He or she is then free to devote energy to important, higher-level activities such as planning, setting objectives, and monitoring performance† (Bateman and Snell 2007). Empowered delegation can increase the coordination and integration of work by funneling information and final accountability through a single source (Whitten ump; Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Managers who delegate effectively also receive several personal benefits; most importantly, they have more time to do their own jobs when they assign tasks to others. Working in management can be chaotic and hectic at times, so time is very precious. The use of delegation gives management freedom to focus on managerial tasks such as planning, organizing and control. Managers can also benefit from the skill development of lower-level employees. With a more highly skilled workforce, they have more flexibility in making assignments and are more efficient decision makers. â€Å"Managers who develop their workforce are also likely to have high personal power with their staff and to be highly valued by their organization† (Camp 2006). Effective delegation is actually crucial for effective succession. The main task of a manager in a prosperous organization is ultimately to develop a successor. When this happens, everyone within the organization can progress to higher things. â€Å"As a giver of delegated tasks you must ensure delegation happens properly. Just as significantly, as the recipient of delegated tasks, you have the opportunity to manage upwards and suggest improvements to the delegation process and understanding especially if your boss could use the help† (Chatman 2008). Three behaviors to be practiced by a manager to enhance their skills in Delegating and Empowering are: Good Communicator Knowing what you want accomplished may seem clear in your head, but if you try to explain it to someone else and are met with a blank expression, you know there is a problem. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done is extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t all be working towards the same goal. The ability to communicate with people at all levels is a very important skill managers need to possess. Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback. There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. The manager is also the teams link to the larger organization. The leader must have the ability to effectively negotiate and use persuasion when necessary to ensure the success of the team and project. Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and team achievements by creating explicit guidelines for accomplishing results and for the career advancement of team members. Training new members and creating a productive work environment all depend on healthy lines of communication. Whether that stems from an open door policy to your office, or making it a point to talk to your staff on a daily basis, making yourself available to discuss interoffice issues is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend on you, and will be less hesitant to work harder. Ability to Inspire An effective manager is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. It was once said that a leader is someone who lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change. Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. According to Bennis They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organization. (Bennis, 1997). Being Organized Organization is an obvious characteristic of a manager, but it manifests itself in a variety of ways, including in an ability to stay focused on the big picture and to prioritize competing responsibilities. In most projects, there are so many things that have to get done that its hard to stay on top of everything and in control of everything, says Kondo. Being able to prioritize work for your team is a critical aspect of what a manager has to do with respect to delegating and empowering. Conclusion In conclusion, allowing management to dedicate more time to important decision-making tasks while lower-level employees carry out assignments means that assignments are done in a more well-organized and lucrative manner. Additionally, as employees develop and progress in their own line of work, their skills to contribute to the company enhances also. Throughout the delegation process, management and employees must work together and communicate about the project. The manager should know the ideas at the beginning and inquire about progress or problems at periodic meetings and review sessions. Thus, even though the employee executes the task, management is available and currently aware of what’s going on. Many projects and issues are complex; therefore, managers will be pressed for times to address issues in a timely manner. The manager does not have to do it alone. The manager can delegate work. An effective manager does not mind delegating, for it can maximize the organization success, empower employees, and increase productivity. When a manager can delegate effectively it demonstrate leadership, and it maximizes the manager success. Without delegation and the empowerment that must accompany it, no organization and no manager can enjoy long-term success† (Whitten ump; Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Management within an organization that wants to find out how to successfully delegate should keep this quote in mind: â€Å"If you are not delegating, you are merely doing things; but the more you delegate, the more you are truly building and managing an organization† (Bateman and Snell 2007). References: Bateman, Thomas S. and Snell, Scott A. Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World, Seventh Edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007 pages 266-269 Camp, Richard R. (2006). Delegation: Benefits of Delegation, Drawbacks of Delegation, Planning, Process. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/De-Ele/Delegation.html February 20, 2008 Chatman, Alan (2008). Effective Delegating Authority Skills, Tasks and the Process of Effective Delegation. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/delegation.htm February 21, 2008 Chatman, Alan (2008). Goal planning – Personal Aims, Targets, Goals, Visions, and Life-Changes – Making Things Happen. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/goal_planning.htm February 21, 2008 Bennis, W., 1997. Learning to Lead, Addison-Wesley, MA.

Essay on Flashbacks, Thrid Person Narration, and Harsh Language in Anot

Use of Flashbacks, Thrid Person Narration, and Harsh Language in Another Country James Baldwin's novel, Another Country , is enhanced by Baldwin's unique narrative style. The majority of the exposition of Another Country is presented through flashbacks. Baldwin uses the third person omniscient point of view to narrate his characters' personal thoughts and develop the characters. Lastly, Baldwin intensifies the rage and anger through his uncommonly harsh diction. Quite often Baldwin oversteps the traditional bonds of appropriate language. Although his diction is not appealing, it is both strong and effective. Such words evoke emotions in all readers. "You took the best, why not take the rest?" is the opening statement of Another Country. Readers begin the novel with the description of a man who has sunk to a low position in life. This man has fallen from his position as a prominent jazz musician to the lowest of street bums. His hair is uncombed; his body is unclean. He has descended from a very public position to a place where he hides from family, friends and police. And finally, in desperation, this man sells his body to another man for food and drink. All this action takes place in two pages. It is at the bottom of the second page that Baldwin give... ...the novel. Through harsh language Baldwin intensifies the anger. One such example is this passage: "I'll be back," he (Vivaldo) said. "No, you won't," said Rufus. "I'll kill you if you come back" (58). This passage expresses great rage when it is placed in context. Rufus is talking to his one true friend. His words are abrasive and at times abusive. Baldwin's diction represents the anger of his characters and his time. Another Country is written in an intense narrative style. James Baldwin utilizes the techniques of flashback narration, omniscient point of view and harsh language to increase the power of his novel.

The Business Model

The Business Model * Based on your reading of Chapter 4 from the Hess book, â€Å"An Elevator-Pitch Business Model,† and the â€Å"Why Business Models Matter† article, complete the following: a. Write a concise two-sentence â€Å"elevator pitch† customer value proposition for your real-world business. (You can use the examples in the Hess book as a guide. ) We will offer services to assist customers acquire any type of property to be used in any kind of way that is responsible to the needs of all parties and governments.Delivering exceptional results by constantly improving on service and processes, being accountable for culture, a winner’s intensity, and innovation that endears a strong service ethic. b. Then, incorporating your elevator pitch, expand it to a full but still crisp business model description, or â€Å"story,† as Magretta refers to it. Establishing a business to satisfy the needs of a community or region through the practice of ethica l behavior and providing individuals or business that desire to acquire property locally or globally quality in service and process through the transaction process.We offer services to the acquisition of any type of property to be used in any kind of way that is responsible to the needs of all parties and governments Uncontested Market Space Strategy—First Pass Hamel and Prahalad (2005) write, â€Å"The strategist's goal is not to find a niche within the existing industry space but to create new space that is uniquely suited to the company's own strengths—space that is off the map. † Based on your reading of the articles â€Å"Value Innovation: A Leap into the Blue Ocean† and â€Å"Strategic Intent,† in two paragraphs, apply the thoughts of the authors and describe how your eal-world business attempts (or will attempt) to create new competitive â€Å"uncontested market† spaces, and what the primary challenges to such a strategy are or will b e. Be specific. Strategic intent will be to grow the organization organically to increase profits by 15% per month and maintain and highly ethical work environment and relationship with customers, employees, stakeholders, and allies. We will focus on the needs of the customer with respect to culture of the region, economics, social environment, and community needs.Ethics will be a strong part of the of the implementation of this strategy to find and partner with likeminded individuals with a belief to and commitment to represent themselves in an honest way being accountable for their actions. Form alliances with individuals that don’t lie, cheat, steal, and create value for the customer through providing thorough, high quality service and products, use ethical procedures and processes, and develop long term relationships with the customer base instead of the arm’s length deals that usually transpire.General Force and Customer Analysis With the reading SWOT Analysis I: Looking Outside for Threats and Opportunities in mind, answer the following questions: a. Identify and discuss the three most important general environmental forces or workstyle and lifestyle trends that are shaping the â€Å"big picture† opportunity for your real-world business. Mobility, technology, and ergonomics: Mobility is being able to work from home or office and form alliances to work as a team when necessary.Working in a team with other individuals in different regions could reduce set up cost, the need for office space, and costly travel to other regions. Using technology to reduce the cost associated with travel and establishes a communication base with allies and team members. Working with allies would assist with handling traffic in other regions coordinating transaction activities and maintaining a cultural presence and providing a physical presence in the market place. Ergonomics building green and designed environmentally friendly for employee comfort, safety , and healthy environment.Daily operations would be on an ad hoc fashion constructing the day around the most important functions early on in the day whether it be documenting recent transactions or setting up meeting with prospects. b. Perform a customer analysis, and using the categories and ideas from pages 6-8, describe as carefully as you can who the customers of your business are, what â€Å"problems† they have that your company can solve, and so forth. Limit your analysis to two single-spaced pages. Use of the internet for the purpose of making money will it harm or make your business profitable.The use of the internet will create new customers and new market segments from which a company can grow and be more profitable. In real estate transactions there are numerous negotiations and other communications that are necessary to complete a transaction. In situations where travel and long distance communications can be very expenses the use of the internet to communicate a nd transmit documents for the purpose of setting up transactions. New markets and customers can be accessed via the internet and alliances can also be established to assist in moving into market segments reducing cost and regulation of local government.Opportunities in the form of alliances, diverse market diffusion strategies, create value by providing ergonomic and energy efficient building processes reaching more and varied consumers in varied market segments. Pricing in the housing markets along with scandal in the lending industry has created a big problem with home acquisition for many local residential consumers. Many qualifying criteria for getting home loans have become more restricted as a consequence of the widespread fraud in the lending industry.As a result of this fraud many communities have been flooded by situations where the accumulation of distressed homes is in an overabundance in many communities. With many communities containing distressed properties devaluation of property values resulted in many owners losing money on their investments. Seemingly with lower home values and lower interest rated this would stimulate buying by consumers for home sales. But with the tougher qualifying standards for lending products fewer consumers are able to purchase and trending toward leasing.Building green also has negatively affected the market place locally because of the cost associated with higher material cost to build green. The opportunity that is created by communities containing distressed property sales is it attracts a different type of buyer to market too. The market share for this type of buyer will be fiercely competitive because more often than not this type of investor is cost conscious and highly educated with their investment practice. Customers are the ultimate target to market too for a business to be profitable in real estate.So it is very important to define your customer and market segment. So generally when you think of customers for real estate business you immediately think of businesses or individuals interested in the acquisition of property. You have three levels of customers all related to financial position of household. You have the economy customer that lives from check to check and almost always want more than they can afford and is misguided because they believe they can spend any money without a budget. You have median income household which may be considered middle class most of these customers are budget wise and educated buyers.Lastly you have the custom buyers where they are all six and seven figure incomes. Opportunities for new customers exist when you enter the international market where you have foreign investors interested in properties located locally. You may also have businesses locally wanting to acquire property globally through a local broker with international access. The customer base will need to be redefined by demographics as well the type of buyer or seller you are working wi th. Personally I have had the best success with working customers in a certain age, income, and educational level in the residential market place.

Manifest Destinys meaning to American expansion

Manifest Destiny was a term that came to describe a widespread belief in the middle of the 19th century that the United States had a special mission to expand westward. The specific phrase was originally used in print by a journalist, John L. OSullivan, when writing about the proposed annexation of Texas. OSullivan, writing in the Democratic Review newspaper in July 1845, asserted our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions. He was essentially saying the United States possessed a right granted by God to take territory in the West and install its values and system of government. That concept was not especially new, as Americans had already been exploring and settling westward, first across the Appalachian Mountains in the late 1700s, and then, in the early 1800s, beyond the Mississippi River. But by presenting the concept of westward expansion as something of a religious mission, the idea of manifest destiny struck a chord. Though the phrase manifest destiny may seem to have captured the public mood of the mid-19th century, it was not viewed with universal approval. Some at the time thought it was simply putting pseudo-religious polish on blatant avarice and conquest. Writing in the late 19th century, future president Theodore Roosevelt, referred to the concept of taking property in furtherance of manifest destiny as having been belligerent, or more properly speaking, piratical. The Push Westward The idea of expanding into the West had always been attractive, since settlers including Daniel Boone moved inland, across the Appalachians, in the 1700s. Boone had been instrumental in the establishment of what became known as the Wilderness Road, which led through the Cumberland Gap into the lands of Kentucky. And American politicians in the early 19th century, such as Henry Clay of Kentucky, eloquently made the case that the future of America lay westward. A severe financial crisis in 1837 emphasized the notion that the United States needed to expand its economy. And political figures such as Senator Thomas H. Benton of Missouri, made the case that settling along the Pacific would greatly enable trade with India and China. The Polk Administration The president most associated with the concept of manifest destiny is James K. Polk, whose single term in the White House was focused on the acquisition of California and Texas. Its worth nothing that Polk had been nominated by the Democratic Party, which was generally closely associated with expansionist ideas in the decades before the Civil War. And a Polk campaign slogan in the 1844 campaign, Fifty-four forty or fight, was a specific reference to expanding into the Northwest. What was meant by the slogan was that the border between the United States and British territory to the north would be at north latitude 54 degrees and 40 minutes. Polk got the votes of the expansionists by threatening to go to war with Britain to acquire territory. But after he was elected he negotiated the border at 49 degrees north latitude. Polk thus secured the territory that today is the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming and Montana. The American desire to expand into the Southwest was also satisfied during Polks term in office as the Mexican War resulted in the United States acquiring Texas and California. By pursuing a policy of manifest destiny, Polk could be considered the most successful president of the seven men who struggled in the office in the two decades before the Civil War.  In that period between 1840 and 1860, when most occupants of the White House couldnt point to any real achievements, Polk had managed to greatly increase the territory of the nation. Controversy of Manifest Destiny Though no serious opposition to westward expansion developed, the policies of Polk and the expansionists were criticized in some quarters. Abraham Lincoln, for instance, while serving as a one-term Congressman in the late 1840s, was opposed to the Mexican War, which he believed was a pretext for expansion. And in the decades following the acquisition of western territory, the concept of manifest destiny has been continually analyzed and debated. In modern times, the concept has often been viewed in terms of what it meant to the native populations of the American West, which were, of course, displaced or even eliminated by expansionist policies of the United States government. The lofty tone which John L. OSullivan intended when he used the term has not carried into the modern era.