How Did Manifest Destiny Affect Slavery

Manifest Destiny and Its Effects on Slavery in America

Manifest Destiny was a term first applied by New York Journalist John L. Sullivan in 1845, when he described the idea of the United States continuing to acquire new territory in North America; however, the concept of Manifest Destiny had been applied in principle long before then. From the conception of the United States, Americans believed that their country was one predestined by God to exemplify purity and freedom, and to “manifest to mankind the excellence of divine principles” (O’Sullivan, John L.); therefore, it was their duty to spread this spirit by continuing to gain territory (Foner 339). As the country spread, so did slavery, and the American economy became dependent upon this

Influential figures such as Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson had “made their mark in politics after moving West”, and westward expansion engendered the establishment of technology such as canals and railroads (326). As America grew, however, so did the questions and issues surrounding the issue of slavery. Manifest Destiny was not just a catalyst for the expanse of slavery, but a hindrance as well, as the United States began to divide over this key issue in regard to whether a newly-acquired territory should be designated as free or slave. Though attempts were made at compromise, the spread of slavery through Manifest Destiny proved to be both the driving force for territorial expansion, as land was acquired in order to grow more, but also the challenge for it, as the continued growth of slavery and territory forced the United States to finally approach the issue and decide whether it would remain a divided country, or finally become united in its social, economic, and political

Essentially, Manifest Destiny eventually became a challenge for it. Historian Eric Foner states that “slavery led the South down a very different path of economic development than the North’s, limiting the growth of industry, discouraging immigrants from entering the region, and inhibiting technological progress” (401). As a result, the South did not experience an influx of innovative ideas or systems to challenge their current ones; thus, the common institution and ideologies of slavery remained. Everything in the South essentially revolved around the slave trade, from its purely agricultural economic success, to its political ideals, to the everyday societal norms. Therefore, the South was unwilling to compromise when situations presented themselves which threatened to compromise its way of life, like in the case with territorial expansion. Additionally, slavery began to be a social problem as well. Foner states that “if slavery were to spread to the West, northern free laborers would be barred and their chances for social advancement severely diminished” (491). These and other issues were brought into the light as the expanse of slavery was, for the first time, openly and legally challenged after America’s