The Manifest Destiny, Essay Example

As early as 1750 president Benjamin Franklin had described the destiny of Americans to fill and conquer new lands in the west. Preceding presidents such as Monroe, Adams and Jefferson all had expansionist dreams. However, it was during the rule of presidents Polk and Tyler that the manifest destiny became a reality. The territory of the united states expended by over 800,000,000 acres through the military conquest of New Mexico and California, appropriation of Texas, acquisition of Oregon and the take over of the Great Lakes Region driving away the native American tribes into the Great Plains. Not only were these expansions dramatic in extent, but also quite nationalistic and Aggressive in tone. These expansions were justified with the “Manifest Destiny” ideologies invoking exceptionalism, national superiority, and divine providence. This paper discusses the meaning of this concept and how this belief in the U.S. as a “Nation of progress… destined to be the great nation of futurity” played out in early American history.

Movement and ideas

The idea of Manifest destiny invoked divine sanctions to expand the territories of the United States. This phrase first appeared in the United States Magazine of Democratic Review in 1945. The anonymous author, believed to be John L. O’Sullivan, claimed that the American manifest destiny to spread through the continent was Providence allotted for the free development of the American multiplying millions.

This article was in fact referring to the annexation of Texas, which had happened not long before. New applications of the manifest destiny were soon discovered. It was employed to the territorial expansion and conquers of New Mexico (which culminated into war with Mexico), the acquisition of Oregon (achieved through negotiation with Britain) and the 1850s seizure of Cuba from the Spanish.

The manifest destiny received a lot of philosophical support based on the ideology that America was destined to expand its democratic institutions to the west and North America. Accordingly, this idea gave the United States a moral right to govern regions where this goal would not be respected by other interests. This was especially evident with the alterative dictatorship in Mexico, and Texas, but was also applied in the territory of Oregon. While Britain might have been democratic in Oregon, its purpose in Oregon was not democratic.

The idea of manifest destiny was an easy to understand and popular phrase, and was gladly accepted by successive leaderships and political parties in the United States. This concept was absorbed by the republican parties and the platform of Whig, despite originally being the idea of the Democratic parties.

Later on in the century, the expansionistic desires of the United States surfaced again. This round it involved the migration of Americans to the west for the purposes of settlement and seeking new opportunities. The growth of the country’s economy and the development of powerful industries led to the control of new lands in the in the Caribbean and pacific. Even the purchase of Alaska in 1867, and other Acquisitions such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Samoa and Guam were exemplified as the action of manifest destiny.

Justifications for manifest destiny

The emotion or concept of manifest destiny was expressed in a variety of ways. The various justifications and rationalizations that Americans relied upon to conquer new lands all tend to have one focal point. Perhaps the best explanation as why the United States rapidly expanded across the continent is the description of Albert Weinberg who explained that nations, like living organisms, must attain natural boundaries; must grow or die; undeveloped lands cannot be left in their natural state; and the benefits of democracy must be brought to the benighted who do not know about democracy. Basically, these were some of the main arguments that were used by Americans to justify the expansion of the United States in the 18^th century.

Consequences of the manifest destiny

The concept of manifest destiny had serious repercussions on African Americans and the Native Americans, particularly the Indians. The territorial expansion of the United States meant the annexation and occupation of the areas where the Native Americans lived, in some cases even expanding to slavery. In a policy developed by Henry Knox, the Indians were encouraged to sell their land to the government of the United States and become “civilized” which meant, among many other things, becoming farmers, abandoning hunting, and living as families rather than clans.

Effect f the Manifest Destiny on Indians and African-Americans

During the age of manifest destiny, the idea of ‘Indian removal’ gained ground. While most historians believe that the Indians would have been better off living away from the whites, they were regarded as opponents of the American expansion and as such were either killed or displaced for resisting. Africans Americans were also not spared. As the manifest destiny became racial, many African Americans were enslaved or mistreated in many ways.