Manifest Destiny and Western Expansion

Manifest Destiny was the term used to describe the idea in the United States, beginning in the 1840s, that the US was destined to expand from ocean to ocean and all of North America from north to south. It developed, in part, from a great surge of nationalism (patriotism) following the War of 1812, as the nation expanded west. Because of our economic and political superiority, and due to the rapid growth of our population, and because it was God's will, our superior civilization should take over the others on the continent. In 1845, John L. O'Sullivan wrote an article about the annexation of Texas and first used the term, manifest destiny. The idea was revived toward the end of the 1800's during the Spanish-American War, and also led to the the US becoming an imperialistic nation at the turn of the century.

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Belief that the US should expand "from sea to shining sea"

that the US should be expanded to the west coast.

While the idea of promoting democracy throughout the world, otherwise known as manifest destiny, sounds like a common cause for unification of the population of the US, it has been taking a beating in the last several decades. As a self-fulfilling prophecy, that which is predicted comes to fruition, has not been the case with the manifest destiny followers.

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God gave the white man the means to take the land he wanted.

A concept

It made people believe that the country was destined to grow larger.

After Mexico lost the Mexican American War to the USA, the Mexican government ceded land from the Texas border to the Pacific Ocean to the USA in exchange for peace.

People used boats and ships more often in those days.By building canals in the West, people would be more likely to go there if they weren't built.

manifest destiny is a time period in the USA where we wanted more power, we wanted more land from the west. so James Polk was all for moving west and that's the main reason why he was elected

Expansionists -study island

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expansionists used the term "manifest destiny" to justify what belief?

The United States should extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

James Polk

The belief that the United States was destined to grow meant that the country needed more land.

The Benefits

-- greatly expanded the geography of the country

-- improved/enhanced national identity

-- greater wealth

The Drawbacks

-- cruelty to native Americans

-- increased sectional divides

-- led to Civil War

The "cowboy" did not yet exist during the period of the western expansion.

They came into existence later after the Chicago meatpacking industry was set up to supply New York and other east coast cities restaurants with beef by refrigerated railcars and went out of existence when the railroads expanded their lines to reach the various western cattle ranches. The cowboys were responsible for the cattle drives; from branding newborn calves on the open range so they could be identified later and rounded up later, to rounding up the widely dispersed cattle on the open range and identifying the ones owned by their employer by the brand, to driving the cattle from the open range to the nearest railhead for shipment east to the slaughterhouses and meatpacking companies, to selling the cattle for the best price possible, to helping load the cattle into cattle cars on the train. The cowboys skills and clothing were largely derived the Mexican vaqueros employed by the large Mexican rancheros and quite a few of the early cowboys in the US were spanish speaking vaqueros hired from Mexico.

When considering the positive viewpoint of Manifest Destiny we are faced with four aspects of the topic, which are political, economical, moral, and factual issues. From the settlers' point of view, their democratic government was the best in the world. They also had a right given by god to spread rule of the United States to the Pacific Ocean. This was known as "sea to shining sea." The trade relations with the Indians for furs and control of water routes, in exchange for guns, powder, knives, and alcohol. Settlers paid Native Americans 15-20 cents an acre and sold to settlers for high prices. Brought by Christianity to Indians through missionaries-Whitman's. They have provided safe places to live on reservations since they couldn't support themselves among the white population. Native Americans were not good managers of their property-acquired little or no property or articles of personal property to sustain life. On the other hand, while looking at Manifest Destiny, we found that there were just as many cons as pros in the same areas as well. For instance, politically Indians had signed treaties with whites that used complicated language that Indians didn't understand. Economically, the fur trade began to die out from over trapping by trappers-no way to support themselves. Indians also sold land to buy guns and tools that they were dependant upon made by settlers. Morally, Indians were forced at gunpoint to leave their homes. They couldn't take anything with them. The Indians' property was taken from them and was sold before their eyes for almost nothing. Americans also used forced flattery force and alcohol to convince them to sign treaties. Factually, Indians didn't understand the value to white man's money. Also, in 1838 the congress passed the Indian removal act forcing Indians off their land and to move west.

William McKinley

land

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