Which option described a potential move to acquire Cuba from Spain?

• A. Ostend Manifesto
• B. 13th Amendment
• C. Dred Scott Decision
• D. Black Codes

Answer: (A)

The move described is the Ostend Manifesto, a mid-1850s plan in which U.S. diplomats argued that if Spain would not sell, the United States should seize Cuba by force and add it to the country. This shows expansionist thinking of the era and a direct idea to acquire new territory, which fits the question about acquiring Cuba from Spain. The other options relate to domestic issues: the 13th Amendment ends slavery in the United States, the Dred Scott Decision held that African Americans could not be citizens, and Black Codes were laws restricting the rights of freedpeople after the Civil War. None of those propose taking Cuba.