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Define “manifest destiny” and discuss the influence of this ideology on latenineteenth and early twentieth century United States expansion
Westward expansion in the 1800s
Westward expansion in the 1800s
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One of the largest and most wealthy countries in the world, the United States of America, has gone through many changes in its long history. From winning its independence from Great Britain to present day, America has changed dramatically and continues to change. A term first coined in the 1840s, "Manifest Destiny" helped push America into the next century and make the country part of what it is today. The ideas behind Manifest Destiny played an important role in the development of the United States by allowing the territorial expansion of the 1800s. Without the expansion of the era, America would not have most of the western part of the country it does now. Manifest Destiny, before becoming nationally known, started very meagerly. The term "Manifest Destiny" was first used by Congressman Robert Winthrop before being made popular by John L. O'Sullivan in 1845 (Manifest Destiny). O'Sullivan first used the term, "Manifest Destiny" in an article he wrote for the Democratic Review in the July-August edition of 1845. O'Sullivan wrote to other nations who had, "the avowed object of thwarting our policy and hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the Continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions" (Adams 332). He was actually talking about the annexation of Texas but the term was stolen from him and used by expansionists of the time to justify other annexations (Adams 332). Many causes fueling America's need to expand and acquire new lands existed. One of the reasons was Americans were experiencing "a large birthrate increase due to immigration. And because agriculture provided the primary economic structure, large f... ... middle of paper ... ...spaper in the early nineteenth century, to building a nation, Manifest Destiny has changed not only the United States but possibly the world. Works Cited Adams, James, ed. Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940. Appleby, Joyce, Alan Brinkley, James M. McPherson. The American Journey: Building a Nation. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2000 Dictionary.com. AOL Search. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=imperialism. 2003. Downey, Fairfax. "Mexican War." The New Book of Knowledge: Deluxe Library Edition. 1999 ed. Ferrell, Robert H. "Manifest Destiny." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 2003 ed. Manifest Destiny. AOL Search. http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_32_Notes.htm. 2001. Manifest Destiny: An Introduction. AOL Search. http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/dialogues/prelude/manifest/d2aeng.html. 2003.
Many Americans packed few belongings and headed west during the middle to the late nineteenth century. It was during this time period that the idea of manifest destiny became rooted in American customs and ideals. Manifest Destiny is the idea that supported and justified expansionist policies, it declared that expansion was both necessary and right. America’s expansionist attitudes were prominent during the debate over the territorial rights of the Oregon territory. America wanted to claim the Oregon territory as its own, but Great Britain would not allow that. Eventually the two nations came to an agreement and a compromise was reached, as seen in document B. The first major party of settlers that traveled to the west settled in Oregon.
Behind the scenes of Manifest Destiny, what really transformed the country was the ability to move products across great distances and the Erie Canal was a huge turning point for economic growth in America. Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal was the engineering breakthrough of the nineteenth century: Its four waterways would connect manufacturing and eastern ports with the rest of the country. Farmers could now ship their goods, they could move out, come down the Hudson River and this way of commuting became a part of a global economy. This Moment would bring about the thought of expansion which will become the fuse to enormous economic growth that will ultimately in the next century, become the belief of manifest destiny. The nation that both reflected the pride which reflected American nationalism, and the idealistic image of social perfection through God and the Church caused the nation to separate.
In the 1830’s America was highly influenced by the Manifest Destiny Ideal. Manifest Destiny was the motivating force behind the rapid expansion of America into the West. This ideal was highly sponsored by posters, newspapers, and various other methods of communication. Propaganda was and is still an incredibly common way to spread an idea to the masses. Though Manifest Destiny was not an official government policy, it led to the passing of the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act gave applicants freehold titles of undeveloped land outside of the original thirteen colonies. It encouraged Westward colonization and territorial acquisition. The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. To America, Manifest Destiny was the idea that America was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic, to the Pacific Ocean. Throughout this time Native Americans were seen as obstacles because they occupied land that the United States needed to conquer to continue with their Manifest Destiny Ideal. Many wars were fought between the A...
Reginald Horsman’s Race and Manifest Destiny: The Origins of American Racial Anglo-Saxonism explores the evidence and reasons for racial prejudices in America and discusses one of the most controversial topics in American history. The book also navigates the subjects of white superiority, and the creation of Anglo-Saxonism. Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean; it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquisitions. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believed that expansion was not only good, but that it was obvious and certain. Originally a political catch phrase of the 19th century, "Manifest Destiny" eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the expansion of the United States across the North American continent.
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the United States saw many problems come and go. Some problems were more important than others, however all led to further division of American politics. The most divisive issue in American politics during this time frame was the idea of Manifest Destiny, or territorial expansion.
The Manifest Destiny was a progressive movement starting in the 1840's. John O'Sullivan, a democratic leader, named the movement in 1845. Manifest Destiny meant that westward expansion was America's destiny. The land that was added to the U.S. after 1840 (the start of Manifest Destiny) includes The Texas Annexation (1845), The Oregon Country (1846), The Mexican Cession (1848), The Gadsden Purchase (1853), Alaska (1867), and Hawaii (1898). Although this movement would take several years to accomplish fully, things started changing before we knew it. New technology took off right away!
I believe that the American policy of Manifest Destiny was justified for many reasons. It comes down to the Louisiana purchase when Thomas Jefferson made the risk of purchasing land that was almost double the size of the country that they had already established. There are many reasons why I believe the Manifest Destiny like, land benefits, resources and the transportation industry. But yet there are a couple reasons why it should not be justified like how they had to kill of and take most of the indians territory. This had to be done though. All in all I believe that the Manifest Destiny should be justified for many reasons.
Manifest Destiny is known as the idea that the United States will control the continent from the east coast all the way to the west coast. However, this idea took time to happen, which is shown through the first sixty years of the idea when territorial expansion was the primary goal. This may not have been able to happen if it weren't for several key factors. Factors such as Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, along with the Louisiana Purchase were able to personify Manifest Destiny due to its push westward on the boundaries of the United States.
Manifest Destiny is the idea that the U.S. will eventually own and govern all of North America. We will not achieve this through military conquest, but through a natural flow of events. This idea surfaced during the time when James K. Polk was president. The benefits of westward expansion outweighed the negative consequences because of the economic development, opportunities, and decrease in travel time.
Manifest Destiny was an ideology that emerged in the late 1840’s that had profound significance in the development of the United States of America. The main idea behind Manifest Destiny was that Americans have a God given right to take over the unsettled land in North America. Manifest destiny was fueled by nationalism, population increase, new technological advances, and reform ideals. While some may argue that Manifest Destiny was a benevolent movement that lead to the expansion of the United States, the reality is that Manifest Destiny was imperialism. It lead to wars in Texas and Oregon that costed many innocent lives, despite the fact that the United States ultimately gained those territories.
In the 19th century, the U.S. experienced a major change. This change was the Manifest Destiny, an ideology first expressed in 1845 that the expansion of white settlement across the continent was inevitable and ordained by God, a means to spread protestant Christianity and Jacksonian Democracy to more people. It was this belief that fueled westward expansion, Native American removal, and war with Mexico. The U.S. reliance on Manifest Destiny permanently altered the geographical, social, and political visage of the nation.
All though the Manifest Destiny has caused many good and valuable contributions to the United States, it has also come with a price. The opposing side thinks that this has taken land from the Indians, caused trouble with the Mexican and Indian removal, and it is unconstitutional, which means that it is not in a matter of a political constitution. Americans accomplished expansion through the conquest and massacre of over powering numbers of native people and the following political and relating domination of their remaining communities. There may be an opposing side to the Manifest destiny but it also comes with many positive actions as well. Let's get...
The proposal of Manifest Destiny influenced the U.S. The Mexican-American War was the first American military conflict fought entirely on another country's soil and the first to be closely recorded by the press. Jackson declared the war by invoking congress to recognize the existence of war (James k. Polk, Message on war). The war ended with American victory and a treaty that increased the nation's size by more than 500,000 square miles (2014 Shmoop University, Inc.). The next diplomatic settlement was a disagreement over the boundaries of the Oregon Territory, known as the Fifty-Four Forty or Fight (United States History, Harcourt Education Company), was between the United States and Britain in 1818. They established a joint claim over the Oregon Territory ,but ended in the addition another quarter million square miles to the U.S nation. This rapid ex...
Manifest Destiny was a continuous development beginning in the early 1840s. Manifest Destiny was the act of expanding the United States westward. Many people and presidents have promoted this movement. The very first president from the trans-Appalachian West, Andrew Jackson, won the presidency in 1828. Mr. Jackson founded the Democratic Party, which was formed in the 1820s. He served as a major-general in the War of 1812. He commanded the U.S Forces in a long five-month movement against the Creek Indians. Andrew’s focus as president was to expand the United States. He forced Indians to move west of the Mississippi River, which later was known as the Trail of Tears. Today it remains one of the most compelling and controversial events
Manifest Destiny is the belief that the United States was “destined” to expand its territory over North America from “sea to shining sea.”1 The phrase Manifest Destiny is credited to New York journalist John L. O’Sullivan.2 Americans of the East believed they had a God- given right to spread democracy, conquer anything and anyone as they marched across the North America continent to expand westward. The land was put there by God for taking, therefore the immigrants fulfilled his call with the westward expansion. White Americans thought they were ordained to settle the entire continent of North America.3 Manifest Destiny was the common thought of the colonists to expand the United States to benefit from the existing opportunities westward; the