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Manifest destiny as the main cause of westward expansion
How manifest destiny changed america
Causes of westward expansion and manifest destiny
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The first thing is the westward movement. Around 1803 the Louisiana Purchase occurred. After this purchase many Americans traveled to the new land to gain land and be successful. However, the journey to the land wasn’t a piece of cake. These people who chose to move West ran into many obstacles such as, animals dying, becoming lost and even death.
Between 1830 and 1860, Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion did more to divide America than it did to unite. While it was not the main for the divide of America that was shown in the South’s secession from the United States, it brought up many issues that ultimately led to the Civil War. These issues are shown in the annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War that resulted from that, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Until 1836, the area of Texas was controlled by the Republic of Mexico and was a distant and irrelevant piece of land in most American’s minds. A few Americans had emigrated there from the South at the invitation of the Mexican government, but not many.
In 1845, when John L. O’Sullivan used the term “manifest destiny” to describe America’s given right to expand west, he did not know what impact it would have on the United States. Manifest destiny influenced the expansion and settlement of America, as well as the culture and economy. As the United States expanded west in the 1800s, wars and treaties impacted the growth of the nation. War and treaties, specifically the Mexican-American War and the Oregon Treaty of 1846, impacted the westward expansion of the United States. At the end of the Mexican-American War, which occurred from 1846 to 1848, the U.S. and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Manifest Destiny is a unique, yet mysterious fundamental series of events in American history. No other country’s history contains such an eventful history as the United States. Amy Greenberg’s book, Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, provides documented evidence that settlers believed they were destined for expansion throughout the continent. In other words, many religious settlers believed that it was a call from God for the United States to expand west. On the other hand, people believed that Manifest Destiny vindicated the war against Mexico.
He was a highly devoted man who entered the presidency with an unambiguous plan, setting out five main goals which he successfully executed in only one term in office (Bockert par. 13). Although the incessant pressure of American westward expansion had temporarily accumulated itself behind the Great Plains, it was now about to erupt with a deluge unlike any previous occurrence (Woodworth 59; "Expansion to the Mississippi"). A new start beyond the Western horizon would prove to be crucial to Americans so Polk became determined to use the concept of Manifest Destiny. This concept proved to prompt the American westward movement and lead to a flow of immigrants, and as portrayed in the figure above, to have a massive effect on the population of
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
Many people wanted to explore pass the river, and through the land covered by trees, plains, mountains, and many rivers. And when settlers would travel, they often risked getting snowed in. Many people wished they could expand the land. The nation's first opportunity for expansion during the early 1800s involved the vast territory to the west of the Mississippi River, then known as Louisiana.
In the Jacksonian age people were steadily pouring westward for various reasons. The panic of 1837 brought financial unrest, and created many poor who sought a new chance out on the frontier. Others moved west from the Great Awakening that stirred a race to convert the Indians to Protestantism before the Catholics got to them first (Allen and Schweikart).
Was it Destiny to Move West? Manifest Destiny was the belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American Continents was justified and inevitable. Although it was not justified or inevitable. There was violence that did not need to happen. And the expansion of the US did not happen through inevitability it happened through government action.
Lauren Williams Period 11 Group 5 The United States was united by the addition of states through Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion, which inflicted feelings of Nationalism, until the existence of slavery was threatened. Disagreements over whether the newly acquired territory should be slave or free led to the Kansas – Nebraska Act, which did not prevent slave rebellions or the Wilmot Proviso that proposed the outlawing of slavery.
Population boomed because of immigrant going for the open land and americans reproducing like crazy after the war. During the western expansion Americans justified the things they did as something that god would want, like going westward. Some americans did stuff like kick natives off their land and fooled them into selling their land cheaper than it actually was. Manifest destiny went in the favor of white people and against natives and african americans. Manifest destiny helped americans have a reason to go west which resulted in more people getting land which caused war.
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. One of the groups of people affected greatly by Manifest Destiny were the Native Americans. Manifest Destiny affected the American Indians by spreading foreign diseases to them as they moved Westward, through the Native American territory.
The benefits of the Manifest Destiny outweighed the consequences. This is because the U.S was able to get more resources, increase population in the west, advance trade, and improve technology. These benefits have contributed to the economic development in the U.S. Furthermore, as the U.S were fulfilling the Manifest Destiny, they also imposed the Homestead Act, which helped evolve frontiers. The discovery of gold in the west, specifically, in California lured more people to the west.
Intro: Manifest Destiny changed the lives of many who lived in the US. The effects made a difference to how many lived before. Many believing that it was their destiny to occupy the entire continent. Having had many wars within, wanting to gain independence from the government.
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.
