ipl-logo

Manifest Destiny Was The Driving Force Of American Expansion Westward

771 Words4 Pages

Manifest Destiny was the driving force of American expansion westward. This concept was first introduced by New York newspaper editor James O’Sullivan who explained the role of the U.S. overspreading the continent. The idea of Manifest Destiny had to do with the fact that it was the right and duty of White Americans to settle the West and specifically expand to the Pacific Ocean. The idea of Manifest Destiny gave birth to the idea of the American pioneer spirit as well. Many people set out to move to the West for new lives that would give them new economic opportunities and greater freedom. Three areas of westward expansion that are important to talk about are Oregon, Texas, and California.
The first area to discuss is the Oregon Territory …show more content…

Fur trappers, merchants, and farmers all came to Texas to try to find new opportunities. Mexico also began to give land grants to settlers to promote more settlement. However, there were two major problems that began to occur during this time. One was that the number of American settlers was starting to be greater than the number of Mexican settlers. The second problem had to do with the fact that American settlers were bringing slaves to this area but that clashed with the idea that Mexico had declared independence from Spain and outlawed slavery. The Mexican government felt the need to regain control over the area by prohibiting further American migration and also sending an army to deal with slaves brought into the region illegally. Americans declared independence from Mexico but that led to two more events. One event was when Antonio López de Santa Anna attacked Americans and Tejanos and the other event was the Battle of Jacinto which would lead to independence. Texas would remain independent for some time due to the balance of free and slave …show more content…

California became popular animal furs as well as hide and tallow trade. There was a lot of potential when it came to California and President James Polk even negotiated with Mexico to buy parts or all of California but Mexico refused. Polk deeply believed in the idea of Manifest Destiny and for him that meant war. People who liked the idea of Manifest Destiny also supported the war but there were others like Northerners who didn’t want the war. The Mexican-American War would last from 1846 to 1848 and would end with a negotiation called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This gave the U.S. California, New Mexico, Texas, and also other portions of the American Southwest. A little bit before the end of the war was when the Gold Rush started in California which would lead to more population as well as change in the economy. Another aspect to mention was the debate between slave states and free states. California was admitted as a free state and it was also decided that Congress wouldn’t make the decisions anymore about states being free or slave states. This would lead to even more division among the expanding

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Manifest Destiny By John L. O'sullivan

    529 Words  | 3 Pages

    Manifest destiny was the belief that was created by John L. O'sullivan in the 1840. Manifest destiny consisted of three steps, the creation of manifest Destiny, the process of achieving manifest Destiny, and finally achieving Manifest Destiny. These are the three subjects that will be talked about in this article. Like I said in the previous Paragraph it was created by John L. O’sullivan when he wrote it in his article on Texas annexation and the dispute over the British Oregon trails. There were several diffrent way people used the word Manifest Destiny like the way John L. O'sullivan used it was he believed that “ majority of Americans at the time believed was their mission from God: to expand to west and bring the United States government to unenlightened people.”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Remember The Alamo: A Symbol Of Texas Independence

    443 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mexican had expanded their land towards Texas and the Americans did the same. The Alamo was already part of Mexico. The people in Texas wanted to separate due to the Mexicans laws, religion, and politics and did not want to pay taxes to the Mexicans homeland. A lot of the Texan citizen were American immigrants who were accustomed to the laws and freedoms of the United States. They did not respect the culture and beliefs of Mexico.

    Read More

  • How Did The Us Expand During The 1840's

    493 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1820 the countries boarder extended a lot. They bought a lot of land, but America had a hard time in buying Texas. They couldn't buy it without becomming Catholic, learn the Spanish language and become a Mexican citizen. This is one of the reasons for this to be controversial. As a response on this, more than three hundred American families with slaves came to the country.

    Read More

  • How Did The Mexican War Become President Polk?

    991 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, because he was so stubborn, he was willing to go to war to obtain it, thinking that the Mexicans would not put up much of a fight. Polk had, at first, hoped he could gain California from Mexico the same way he had gotten Oregon from Great Britain--with what is called “eyeball diplomacy,” staring at the opponent and expecting he would blink first. This tactic obviously did not work, which angered him. Economically, the United States was not fit for a war, especially a war in a foreign country. Though the Americans did win the war, their relationship with the Mexicans became poor.

    Read More

  • Why Did The Mexican War Happened To Manifest Destiny?

    1863 Words  | 8 Pages

    America had raised money for weapons and some soldiers joined the army of Texas. Mexico became angry when Texas was annexed. President Tyler was the one who invited Texas to be a part of the United States. Texas claimed the border was the Rio Grande which decreased the amount of Mexican land. Mexico didn’t want to negotiate about where Texas’s border was and they didn’t want to give up California or New Mexico.

    Read More

  • Andrew Jackson's Manifest Destiny

    269 Words  | 2 Pages

    Manifest Destiny is what the mindset of the American people where in the 19th century, where in they believed in the expansion of American territory from coast to coast and that time, to the West. Although even as the early 1800s, Andrew Jackson led an army of men during the Florida crisis and conquered forts and cities. He also punished Indians who supported Spanish troops. The expansion was not only focused on territory but also to achieve freedom and economic stability for the people. There was territorial expansion.

    Read More

  • The Expansion Of Manifest Destiny By James K. Polk

    746 Words  | 3 Pages

    Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was the cultural belief in 19th-century America that American settlers were destined to expand throughout North America. Manifest Destiny justified expansion with a sense of mission and purpose, viewing America's expansion as inevitable and predetermined by God. US President James K. Polk was the chief who was most associated to Manifest Destiny. The ideology of Manifest Destiny influenced a variety of policies to aim at or destroy indigenous people. Manifest Destiny ignited partisan tensions over slavery that ultimately led to the Civil War.

    Read More

  • Why Was The Mexican War Important

    247 Words  | 1 Pages

    This action made the other Americans want Texas to be a part of America because they were loyal to the same country. The idea of nationalism was planted in the Americans at this time, but the Mexican War made it grow. When America defeated Mexico, the Americans saw themselves as the best because

    Read More

  • Summary Of Manifest Destiny And American Territorial Expansion

    1622 Words  | 7 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Slavery: The Most Significant Cause Of The Mexican-American War

    444 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1836, Texas secured its independence from Mexico following the Battle of San Jacinto and the signing of the Treaty of Velasco. Texas became an independent country, yet almost immediately began looking to join the United States. In 1845, the U.S. annexed Texas, making it the 28th state. The causes of the Mexican-American War were slavery, and America's greed for land and manifest destiny. Although slavery was an important cause, the most significant reason was the American belief in manifest destiny to expand to California and the Pacific.

    Read More

  • Mexican American War Essay Thesis

    1171 Words  | 5 Pages

    INTRODUCTION Throughout the 1840s and 1850s a major war happened called the Mexican American War which drastically changed the U.S. and Mexico and lead to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to be signed and which established the Rio Grande and not the Nueces River as the U.S Border. This also lead to the U.S. annexation of Texas and lead to the Mexico agreeing to sell California and the rest of the territory for 15 million. So you 're probably wondering why the war was fought but you 'll find that out later.

    Read More

  • How Did Manifest Destiny Affect Mexico

    541 Words  | 3 Pages

    Manifest destiny also affected the relationship with Mexico. Several factors led to the Mexican- American War in 1846. The factors were that the U.S citizens were moving into California and Mexico. Since there were many revolutions happening in Mexico throughout this time period the Mexican government was not able to protect the U.S citizens in this region. Another factor was that Mexico was upset that Texas declared independence from them and then the U. S annexed Texas in 1845.

    Read More

  • Cause And Effect Of Manifest Destiny

    2016 Words  | 9 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Theodore Wilson's New Nationalism Vs. New Freedom

    1363 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Westward Expansion consisted of almost 7 million Americans migrating west, hoping to get land and be wealthy. It is often called Manifest Destiny, because many people believed settlers was intended to expand the west. Because so many people thought this way it was also thought the U.S was physically separated from Europe. This migration of people included people from Spain, France, Mexico, and other countries. The Western Expansion had a part in the foreign policies in the expansion towards the pacific and the way the U.S treated their relationship with other

    Read More

  • Cause And Effect Of Manifest Destiny

    930 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Manifest Destiny Was The Driving Force Of American Expansion Westward

Open Document