In 1845, John O’Sullivan famously said, “…our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions”(Document A). His idea of Manifest Destiny was that it was America’s God-given right to spread their population, and along with them the ideas of liberty and democracy, across the continent of North America. During the 1840’s, President James K. Polk worked diligently to fulfill these ideals. This resulted in America gaining most of western North America, including the half of the Oregon territory from Britain and Texas and California from Mexico. Although Manifest Destiny had a few benefits, the negative consequences far outweigh these gains. The negative consequences of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion do …show more content…
One of the consequences of Manifest Destiny was the Mexican-American War. Following the ideology of Manifest Destiny, Texas was annexed into the United States in 1845, creating tensions with the Mexican government. While the annexation of Texas had great benefits for America, from the Mexican point of view it caused many issues legally and threatened national security (Document C). In pursuit of the grand ambitions of Manifest Destiny, President Polk and many Americans forgot to consider the consequences of achieving their ultimate goal of controlling the whole of North America. While before the United States had supported the independent countries, such as Mexico, that had broken free of Spanish rule, during this time period America lost sight of their ideals and made
Manifest Destiny was a phrase that was made up by journalist John L. O’sullivan back in 1844. The United States wanted to push westward to the frontier such as Texas, California, and Oregon. The reason behind Manifest Destiny was to expand to provide new places to live and jobs. Manifest Destiny is the belief that the Americans could extend themselves from coast to coast. The way Americans conquered the new land were removing the Native Americans from their land.
In 1819, John Quincy Adams asserted that the United States had prerogative to all of North America. He thought it was America’s destiny to expand to the Pacific Ocean. Many Americans had agreed with him by the 1840s. The Manifest Destiny had an important role in the Election of 1844. The Democrats had chosen James K. Polk for President, a man who wasn’t really known, while the Whigs chose Henry Clay for President.
James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse by Sam W. Haynes Haynes’ biography of James K. Polk is a little bit different from the traditional biographical book with enumeration of important dates from life of historical figure. Instead the author takes different approach: while recounting development of Polk’s career, he looks at the Polk’s presidency through the lens of expansionism. Though he frames the 11th President as a strong adherent of aggressive territorial expansionism, Haynes also emphasises that Polk’s decisions cannot be separated from the political and social climate of his time. The author renders Polk from one side as the initiator of expansionists political moves, and from the other, as a product of contemporary social beliefs,
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.
Manifest Destiny is known as the nations biggest attempt to expand westward and possibly to gain control of the world. The idea imperialism started off the idea of gaining power over the wen led to bloody battles and successful wars for the United states. The Louisiana Purchase was the first territory the U.S gained in 1803. James Monroe and Livingston were sent by the president to Paris to negotiate the sale.
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.
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
“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.
The annexation of Texas occurred in the early 1800’s. American colonists were expanding into the Northern sector of the Rio Grande, which developed the need for Texas to become a part of the United States. In the South, the people supported the drive toward the annexation of Texas, but the Northerners opposed this idea. Texas was another slave state and the nature of their society did not appear appealing to the North.
A wide range of Americans politicians, regular Americans, church leaders benefited from Manifest Destiny by gaining land and having the chance to share the American culture. They had the idea to spread democracy by taking over the land. They had a great idea but the execution wasn't well thought. You can't just kick the Native Americans out of their home and expect them to be ok with it. Making the American culture expanded is fine but it felt like they were trying to get rid of the Native American culture and make them accustomed to the culture, thoughts, and customs of the Americans.
Manifest destiny had many different effects on people. America had accomplished their goal of Manifest Destiny, which is the idea that god had set aside all of North America of the United States. The Native Americans had lost all of their land. While Mexico lost california and Texas. Manifest destiny had many affects on Mexico, Indians, and the United
Manifest Destiny and the Westward Expansion was made so that the Americans could expand as far as the Pacific Ocean. All though this was a benefit for the Americans, it caused the Native Americans and the Mexicans to deal with a lot of hardship. There were many political, economic, and social reasons for Manifest Destiny, but these reasons did not always have positive outcomes. The Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny negatively impacted the economic vision of America.
By the 1900s, the word Manifest Destiny was everywhere. Every American believed that the expansion of the US was a “God-given right.” America had already doubled its size through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, but it had gotten another opportunity to expand in 1846. Texas had declared independence from Mexico in 1845, and applied for statehood. Ten years later, it was accepted into the Union and became one of the US states (province).
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.