Divine Living: The Manifest Destiny

“Once we became an independent people it was as much a law of nature that this [control of all of North America] should become our pretension as that the Mississippi should flow to the sea” –John Quincy Adams (Henretta, p. 384). In the 1840s, Americans had a belief that God destined for them to expand their territory all the way westward to the Pacific Ocean. This idea was called Manifest Destiny. In the nineteenth century, Americans were recognized for coming together and building up one another for one cause: westward expansion. The time of Manifest Destiny was a time of true American brotherhood and comradeship. With Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk being the leading presidents of the cause during this time, it not only led to continental expansion but homicide as well. While the Americans believed they were expanding into free land, Native Americans had already settled the land centuries earlier. This led to the dark side of Manifest Destiny. Native Americans were forced to pick up their homes and resettle in areas that were less than sufficient to meet their basic needs. If Native Americans were not compliant, Americans would murder them. Although Manifest Destiny was seen as an inevitable movement among Americans and resulted in the formation of the American West in the Nineteenth century, it was truthfully an act of invasion and subjugation against peoples who had settled the land for hundreds of years earlier. Manifest Destiny led to an obvious upsurge in racial

Throughout the years of 1807-1910, there was a lot of tension and confusion within the United States. The major factor that prompted the U.S. expansion was they wanted to expand and make their borders known.

Manifest Destiny and the Westward Expansion was made so that the Americans could expand as far as the Pacific Ocean. All though this was a benefit for the Americans, it caused the Native Americans and the Mexicans to deal with a lot of hardship. There were many political, economic, and social reasons for Manifest Destiny, but these reasons did not always have positive outcomes. The Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny negatively impacted the economic vision of America.

In the early-mid 1800’s Manifest Destiny occurred. Manifest Destiny is a term for the United States expanding from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican territory. During this time, the United States obtained all the areas west of the original thirteen states. Many Americans had moved west because of personal economic problems. All throughout Manifest Destiny, the United States ran into problems with the Native Americans, faced a battle against Mexico, and obtained new land through battles with Mexico.

The Market Revolution generated a drastic change in the United States economy and altered gender barriers while at the same time accomplishing this in a provocative manner. This economic boom occurred around the first half of the 19th Century. The economic boom was achieved by inventions such as a transcontinental railroad system which resulted in a better transportation system which improved trade and the cotton gin which sped up the rate of removing seeds from cotton fiber. However like what the great Hugo said, “The brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over we realize this: that the human race has been roughly handled, but that it has advanced”. That is exactly what happened with this revolution in fact and the progress

The Spanish monarchy relinquished colonial power over Mexico in 1821. After gaining independence, Mexico established legislatures, including the abolition of slavery (Document D). The abolition of slavery would lead to a mass controversy and essentially a war. Before the Mexican War, a mass influx of United States, immigrants had entered Texas (Document D). Defying Mexican legislature, citizens in the western and southern parts of the United States saw Texas as an economic miracle to sell slaves. In the soon to be, the Republic of Texas, ninety insurgents signed a Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1836 (Summer, American Spirit). Texas became an independent nation after the battle of San Jacinto. The Republic of Texas remained an independent nation until 1845 when Texas was formally added to the United States of America. However, was the annexation of Texas justified? The United State had no validation to attack the Mexican government. Politically, the corruption of President James K. Polk fused with the new social belief of manifest destiny, influenced the war between the United States and Texas.

Manifest Destiny was the American belief that expansion in North America was justified and a responsibility(Rohrbough and Nash, 217). Many Southerners and Westerners supported the war and the possibilities of expanding west. Two years later, the U.S. army pushed down to Mexico City and forced the Mexican government to surrender. They signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and ceded 40 percent of its territory, including present day California and Texas. This only fueled America’s desire to acquire more land and fulfill Manifest Destiny(Rohrbough and Nash, 218).

Manifest Destiny was a phrase that was made up by journalist John L. O’sullivan back in 1844. The United States wanted to push westward to the frontier such as Texas, California, and Oregon. The reason behind Manifest Destiny was to expand to provide new places to live and jobs. Manifest Destiny is the belief that the Americans could extend themselves from coast to coast. The way Americans conquered the new land were removing the Native Americans from their land.

America had a dream of Manifest Destiny (O’Sullivan). Which they believe that God had set aside the entire North America for United States(Textbook). “Which later started the Westward movement”. During the time Native Americans tribes and Mexico had already had been inhabiting the area(Textbook). They would not leave without a fight.

Manifest Destiny was the term used by John O’Sullivan to describe America’s desire to expand West due to reasons including both the vast amount of unclaimed land and the opportunities Americans wanted to explore. During this time, Americans believed that it was their God-given right to expand West, and therefore they were entitled to push away any groups that were in their way. Due to the mindset that the Americans could do as they pleased with the groups of people who got in their way, Manifest Destiny affected many groups of people, including the American Indians and Slaves, and continued to build up the preexisting tension between the North and South.

Based on the following three sources, did the concept of Manifest Destiny motivate Americans to try to develop a relationship with land and to control something that cannot truly be possessed?

Manifest Destiny involved many groups of people, but six of the main categories are the mountain men, travellers on the Oregon Trail, pioneer women, cowboys, Native Americans, and the Miners, also known as the 49ers. The mountain men were men who lived in the Rocky Mountains, and made livings as trappers who sold goods such as beavers pelts to people back East and Europe. There were over 350,000 people on the trail, and most of which were families with children. This took place mainly in the 1840s and 1860s. A subgroup of the Oregon travellers were the Pioneer women. They had to move along with the long distances each day, and at the same time cook, clean, and take care of children. To add to the struggle, one in five of these women were

Manifest Destiny changed the United States socially, economically and politically. It was affected socially because it became more culturally diffused; it also affected relationship with the Native Americans due to the Americans belief that they were the better race and others were inferior to them. It was affected economically because there was more land to profit off of and politically it damaged the United States and Mexico’s foreign relations. Those who believed in the manifest destiny forcefully removed Native Americans from their lands in order for the United States to gain more land. America was shifted politically, due to new tense relations with Mexico, as an effect of the Mexican

“According to the theory of Manifest Destiny, the United States was the embodiment of the City of God on Earth and European race were chosen predestined for salvation” (Acuna, 47).The U.S believe it was their faith to spread their principles to the “New World” and the land that was inhabited by Natives did not belong to them since they were a below them. These beliefs are what spark the United States to invade the lands of the Natives and to forcefully teach them “the way of living.” These beliefs are also why white colonists believe Texas belong to them and began the war between Mexico over

It was the time when Manifest Destiny concept, an idea in special role and destiny of the United States, was highly popular. The concept that consequently justified the expansionism and nationalism. Therefore, Polk’s expansionist impulse, though strong and quite successful, was a product of dominant thoughts that were circulating among Americans.