Prior to the War for Independence, the colonists began to cobble together an ideology that would become known as Revolutionary Republicanism from British political thought, the theories of the Enlightenment and their own experiences that would shape the nation’s ideas on freedom and liberty. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 143) Coupling this school of thought with the rise of utopian communities like Oneida and the Shakers, which they themselves, drew upon the earlier ideas of Puritan and Quaker utopianism. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 357) The Oneida and Shakers shared and revitalized the Puritan focus on the welfare of the community and the belief in transcending personal ambitions and wealth as well as societal reform. (Nash, et al., 2007., pp. 67, 357) These ideas combined with the ever present belief in American exceptionalism gave rise to the concept of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the driving force behind the rapid westward expansion of the United States in the nineteenth century as it was the expression of the belief that there was a “God-given” right to to spread across the continent. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 379) …show more content…
The building of railroads, canals and turnpikes cut travel times and prices as they connected far-flung cities together. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 283) In addition to industrialization people were attracted westward by new opportunities such as land speculation, becoming a doctor or lawyer on the frontier, some were drawn by mining wanting to get rich off the natural resources. (Nash, et al., 2007., pp. 388,
Manifest Destiny was a phrase said by John O'Sullivan and it was believed that America should cover the whole continent. He also stated that the United States was destined and had a special purpose to extend its boundaries all the way to the Pacific. Many Americans thought the idea of expanding was inevitable as the Mississippi flowing into the sea. Manifest Destiny was basically the United States trying to move westward and cover the whole continent. There were many causes and effects of the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation.
“Manifest Destiny” is a phrase that perfectly sums up the American experience in the early 19th century. During this time, Americans were moving west with the idea that they had the god given right to do so and this idea didn’t stop there. Continuing into the American imperialism ages of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States never abandoned the “justification” given to them by God and used this to drive their expansion into foreign nations and beyond, as stated in Document B. It could be argued that the expansion of the late 1800s and early 1900s is a continuation of the previous westward expansion, but many aspects of expansion changed during this time as well. Obviously, the expansion of the early 19th century and
Manifest Destiny is the belief of the nineteenth century that America was destined by God to expand westward. The author of Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis believed that God established Anglo-Saxons as the superior people whose purpose was to spread Christianity. (Doc B) This idea of spreading a superior culture or religion has been a motive for expansion for decades before this. Despite this support for expansionism, there were those who were against it.
The Manifest Destiny was the 1800s belief that Americans should expand westward. The Manifest Destiny benefited the country and the people of the United States. For example, the United States doubled in size through the Louisiana Purchase (A Growing Nation Notes). All of the different purchases at this time made the US the size that it is now. In result of the United States growing, more people came to the country for a new beginning so it was beneficial to the people in the country.
After the Glorious Revolution, in my essay I had informed you about how the colonists were ruled by one person, the English monarch. This English monarch’s power had been reduced by 1689 by an act called the English Bill of Rights, after the monarch’s power had been reduced is when their government had changed into a representative government, like ours today. Along with, the colonists had also gotten their right to vote for their representatives, still except the women. Throughout all of these events, in the 1700s, many church leaders had started getting worried about colonists losing their religious faith. In order to try and revive the colonists interest, several ministers in the middle colonies began holding revivals.
In the 1800’s Manifest Destiny became a widely-held belief among settlers, their mentality was that they were destined to expand across North America pushing the natives out of their land. This attitude among western settlers fueled the removal of Native Americans and war with Mexico. The thinking of some of these settlers was both inevitable and justified by their God to expand and take more land with no limit. Geographically speaking, modern day America is the result of this “Manifest Destiny”. This was also happening around the time the United States experienced its second “Great Awakening”, which was another protestant religious revival movement happening in the early 19th century.
Manifest Destiny is the belief that God wanted the U.S. to stretch from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast. This belief was a wide spread one in the U.S. at this time. The president of 1844, President James K. Polk, believed in Manifest Destiny. Add it all up people support it and leader support it this equals it going to happen. O’Sullivan writes that “...Manifest Destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying of millions.
2. What is Manifest Destiny? What impact did it have on American expansion?
Manifest Destiny was a phrase used by politicians and leaders in the United States in the 1840s to justify and promote territorial expansion across the North American continent by providing a sense of mission to citizens. It promoted this sense of mission by fomenting a desire to establish a large empire-like nation in which the ideals of democracy, freedom, and progress are ostensibly protected and promoted. It strongly characterized U.S. internal and external policies and has continued to do so to this day. In theory, one aspect of this desire was its principle to bring the ideals of democratic self-government to any peoples capable of it; in practice, however, this often meant excluding Native Americans and those with non-European ancestry.
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.
In the colonial era, through the Revolutionary War, the foundation of America was oratorically clarified as an act of prudence—that is, God led people, specifically the white Europeans, to America to find a new and superior or incomparable societal order that would be the light unto all realms.2 In fact, many settlers also believed in creating a new nation filled with history and stories. Along the same lines, Americans imagined a community created through selectively and elaborated events, myths of origin, courageous stories, and asserted values.3
“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.
That is just one of many reasons there was Westward Expansion. Overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities. These are three of many reasons why Americans in the 1800’s felt urged to move west. Some may claim that Westward expansion was not right for America to do because of the conflicts that were aroused afterward.
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.