OSTEND MANIFESTO

This document, signed in 1854 by three American diplomats in Ostend, Belgium, reflected the continuing belief in manifest destiny and the growing importance of the sectional conflict. Minister to Great Britain James Buchanan, Minister to France John Y. Mason, and, especially, Minister to Spain Pierre Soulé urged the purchase of the Spanish colony of Cuba for as much as $120 million.

Secretary of State William L. Marcy, who had authorized Soulé to set up the meeting of the envoys, instructed Soulé to negotiate for Cuba, allowing him to offer Spain up to $130 million. If that failed—which it did—Soulé, known for his hot temper and proslavery views, could "detach that island from the Spanish dominion." He met with Buchanan and Mason. They issued the manifesto, which stressed Cuba's importance to the nation and how well it would fare under American control.

The Ostend Manifesto, however, attracted criticism for its ideas and its tone, and Marcy repudiated it, forcing Soulé's resignation. It also became part of the sectional impasse: Cuba was expected to become slave territory. Also, Soulé and Mason resided in slave states, and Buchanan, bereft of his customary caution, had long steered clear of his native Pennsylvania's opposition to slavery.

See also Caribbean-U.S. Relations; Manifest Destiny.