The historical development which illustrates the fulfillment of Winthrop's argument is:
(A) Polk negotiated a compromise with the British over Oregon.
Explanation:
Between 1859 and 1872, Great Britain and the US fought a bitter war for the control of Oregon. This war was caused by a stray pig; no wonder, the US termed it: "the Pig War." Earlier John Winthrop had argued that the United States, the New England, was to become "a city on a hill," very conspicuous to all men. Possession of the new land signaled an alliance with the word of God. Failure to uphold the human part of the covenant would expose the country to ridicule. President Polk, fighting the Pig War with Great Britain over Oregon without victory, was a sign of failure to uphold the covenant. The country was exposed to public ridicule because the war only ended with the signing of a treaty (a form of compromise), which ceded the whole of Vancouver to Britain and then Oregon to the US.
