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Nature Of Manifest Destiny

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It was once said that “America is the greatest, freest and most decent society in existence“. It is an oasis of goodness in a desert of cynicism and barbarism; this country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world“. Today, many Americans share these sentiments. In fact, for many, America is more than a country; it is also a philosophy and a way of life. Since its inception, the founding fathers believed that they could create a nation unlike any other. Based on the ideology that individuals should be free to pursuit a life of liberty and happiness, the founding fathers set out to create a perfect union, under god, where democratic principles were allowed to flourish. By the mid 1800’s, this ideology was deeply embedded into American society, and Americans sought to expand the boarders of the United States westward. In fact, in 1845 John O’Sulivian coined the term “manifest destiny” to describe America’s expansion into territories in the west. …show more content…

Accordingly, the intangible nature of the doctrine makes its theoretical underpinnings difficult to define. Although some suggest that the ideas expressed in the manifest destiny are situated around the belief that Anglo Saxons were ordained by god to peruse westward expansion, historian Reginald Horsman also argues that the ideology expressed in the manifest destiny is nothing more than political rhetoric or glorified propaganda used by the American government to conquer and occupy the territory owned by the Mexican government. Although each of these theories provides a different explanation for American expansion, they each demonstrate Americas will to forge forward into unknown

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