When whig illinois congressman abraham lincoln stated in 1848 "whigs did not believe in enlarging our field, but in cultivating our present possessions, making it a garden," he was espousing the whig ideal that the key to america's prosperity was through?

Abraham Lincoln espoused the Whig ideal that in order for America to prosper, it should have an economic development. This is when Lincoln stated in the year 1848 that Whigs didn't believe in expanding their field, but instead, they cultivate their present possessions and make it like a garden.