In the 1830s, Why Was Congressional Funding for a Naval

In the 1830s, why was congressional funding for a naval expedition into South America remarkable?

A) The protection of merchants was not valued in America's maritime history.
B) The president had specifically argued against national expansion.
C) Both the Navy and Congress agreed that the Navy's peacetime mission was the protection of merchants.
D) Congress had stressed exploration into Canada, not the southern hemisphere.