What it is

When the newly inaugurated President Pierce took office, he said that his administration would completely disregard any fears of evil from expansion. This proved to be very true when he immediately set out searching for opportunities to expand the nation. He sent James Gadsen to buy the northern part of Mexico and lower California. Pierre Soule was sent as minister to Spain to buy Cuba. Pierce then pursued purchasing Hawaii, a naval base in Santo Domingo, and contacted the Russians to discuss purchasing Alaska. The Gadsen Purchase was approved in the face of Northern resistance only after removing 9,000 acres from the deal. 
 

Southerners and those that sided with them such as President Pierce saw the island of Cuba as potential for making more profit by adding slave territory to the nation. This was the result of the constantly increasing aggressive nationalism. The Ostend Manifesto was created as a result of Pierre Soule's mission. He had been charged with negotiating a deal with Spain to purchase Cuba, but the nation was unwilling to sell. The Secretary of State William L. Marcy directed the ministers to Spain, England, and France to meet and decide upon the United States' policy towards Cuba in 1854. After meeting in Ostend, Belgium, the trio created a document recommending a course of action - the Ostend Manifesto.

​

The manifesto stated that it was critical that the United States find a means to acquire Cuba. If not by purchasing the land from Spain, then it would have to be taken by force. The ministers who wrote the Manifesto even suggested sparking an insurrection to create an excuse for America to involve itself in the matters. Although the document was intended to be kept confidential, it was eventually leaked to press. As soon as it did so, it sparked immense protest.