The three characters: Thomas Hart Benton, Jessie Benton Fremont, and John C. Fremont all shared a unified vision of manifest destiny in book one. The future of the US was envisioned by these three people, and it was based on the concepts of Manifest Destiny and westward migration. The concept of "Manifest Destiny" asserted that it was America's duty and destiny to colonize the West and spread democracy and civilization throughout the world. The Western region was seen by many who supported this vision as a chance for American power to flourish, expand its territory, and grow economically during the regime of President James K Polk. The influential Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton was a powerful advocate of Manifest Destiny. He thought it …show more content…
Additionally, Benton aggressively backed the annexations of Texas and California. These were all key in promoting immigration and settlement in the western areas. As characterized many times throughout the novel, Thomas Benton was seen as one of the strongest advocates of Manifest Destiny. “The state’s own senator, the famed Thomas Hart Benton, was perhaps the greatest exponent of westward expansion and his unapologetic vision of a continental United States” (pg 57) and “More than anyone else in Washington—more than President Polk, even—Tom Benton was the face and voice of Manifest Destiny” (pg 59). Jessie Benton Fremont, John C. Fremont's wife and the daughter of Thomas Hart Benton, had a big impact on both men and their vision. She was an intelligent and independent woman who supported and influenced her husband in his endeavors. She actively took part in and recorded John C. Fremont's military operations and excursions. Her father was a powerful man, and she was able to gain funds and support for her husband's endeavors through him. She helped further the common goal of the United States' westward expansion through her advocacy and …show more content…
He saw the American West as an area ripe for exploration and expansion. Fremont's explorations and maps aided in increased migration and assisted in securing new lands for the US. Furthering their Manifest Destiny objectives, Fremont's military activities during the Mexican-American War contributed to the conquest of California and other areas. His conquest of California was considered essential to the ideas of Westward Expansion. This was described in Chapter 18: “Your duty, Mr. Carson” where “John Fremont’s role in this uprising was tangential but nonetheless crucial” (pg 128). In conclusion, Manifest Destiny and westward expansion were crucial to the shared future vision of the United States held by Thomas Hart Benton, Jessie Benton Fremont, and John C. Fremont. John C. Fremont's explorations and military actions directly contributed to the realization of their shared vision for the country's future, and Thomas Hart Benton's influence as a senator in favor of expansionist policies was also significant. Jessie Benton Fremont also provided support and connections for her husband's
In the 1800s, Americans had the want to expand because of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny is the belief that God wants the U.S. to expand from coast to coast. However, with acquiring this land, many issues presented as well. One issue was Nebraska and Kansas coming into the Union. In Document 5 President James Buchanan describes the Nebraska-Kansas Act in his Inaugural Address.
In 1845, the idea of Manifest Destiny was created by John O’Sullivan. Manifest Destiny continued to have a large impact on the development of the U.S. Furthermore, Manifest Destiny helped unite the U.S. through the common goal to expand, however, it further developed the split on slavery. Documents one, four, and six show that Manifest destiny led to a common goal to expand westward, specifically, unifying whig and democratic parties to a common objective. The first document was from a Whig journal and it is clear that he was for expansion,” the natural progress of events will undoubtedly give us that province[California]”(document one).
Robert Morgan claims that there are heros and villains throughout Westward Expansion. He writes of many expansion leaders during that time and people as readers decided that with ones out of all are hero or villains. In “Thomas Jefferson’s America”, it talks about
"Manifest destiny" enlightened Americans to their right of land. It was the explanation for the war that the Mexicans could not control their extra land, so it was the right of the Americans to control it for them. When Stephen Austin and his settlers settled in Texas, it showed that the Mexican Government could not handle the extra territory. In order to get even with Mexico after the Alamo war was a necessity. Polk tried time and time again to negotiate peace but his vision of a better America and respected stubbornness allowed him to keep his mind set for the interest of the American people.
1.) What role did ideas of race play in the theory of Manifest Destiny? Manifest Destiny stressed opportunity for all white Americans, with a protestant millennial vision that denied the nation’s future in term of progress of “civilization”. Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri echoed O’Sullivan’s vision of American’s future, “The White race alone received the divine command, to subdue and replenish the earth!”
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
We notice that in the expansion to the west coast there was conflict whilst trying to obtain simple objectives driven by the motive of Manifest Destiny. This book shows the simple facts of the ideas of wanting to achieve something can lead to more aggressive outcomes which leads to a bigger effect on future events and
With mention to all of the following text, including “There Is No True History of the Westward Expansion”, Morgan’s emphasis is clear that big and small, heroes and villains and thousands of figures claimed a huge role in westward expansion. In the early 1800’s in the United States, Thomas Jefferson, David Crockett, Kit Carson, other famous figures, and the thousands of unnamed and un-heard of Americans in the United States at the time played huge roles in expanding America’s territory in the Westward Expansion movement to gain America new land and new opportunities and to gain the birth rights Americans rightfully earned by standing up for what they believed in and following their strong leaders such as Jefferson. History see’s achievements
James K. Polk, along with his Democrat counterparts, initiated an expansionist campaign that promised he would acquire Texas, Oregon, California, and New Mexico if he won the presidential Election of 1844. Similar to other Americans, Polk had been inspired and influenced by the Manifest Destiny of 1839 that described the United States to have a divine fate in westward expansion in order to spread ideas of democracy. Following the conclusion of the election and Polk’s inauguration, Texas entered the Union and the Oregon territory was claimed. However, Polk’s rapacity continued and led him to fight for every parallel of territory in order to continue the practice of ‘manifest destiny.’ The annexation of Texas and its unofficially declared boundaries
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.
President James Polk was pro manifest destiny. That means he believed that G-d wanted the Americans to spread throughout the whole continent. James Polk of course wanted to annex Texas. Doing this caused more problems for Mexico and America. Mexico’s borders were now screwed up and the issue of slaves came up.
“The expansive future is our arena, and for our history. We are entering on its untrodden space, with the truths of god in our minds, beneficent objects in our hearts, and with a clear conscience unsullied by the past.” This is telling the reader that we have a huge desire to go and capture something that no one can stop us from.” Manifest Destiny” is supporting of expansion, discovering new lands and resources. “Manifest Destiny,” “American Progress,” “Reporting to the President, September
“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.
In the 19th Century, there were strong supporters of the ideology of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was basically the belief of expansion by settlers expanding all over America because god supposedly destined the Americans for expansions by their resources. This resulted for the Americans to find a modern mode of transportation that would make traveling from the east to the west coast easier. This resulted in a mega construction known as the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad not only helps with transportation but with trading.
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.