Arguments Against Manifest Destiny

During the 1840, the United States was able to access much more land in the west than previously before. The United States saw this as an opportunity to expand their territories and to settle and obtain all things the land has to offer. The United States justified their actions through the idea of Manifest Destiny, which they viewed to be a harmless and benevolent philosophy. Manifest Destiny was in fact not as benign as the United States has come to believe; it caused the colonization and imperialism of land that held many Natives who were eventually killed or sent into reservations. People in the southern region of the conquered land were greatly influenced by this expansion as well; it caused many families who were living in the Texas area

The United States exploration of their new territory was justified through the idea of Manifest destiny; the idea that the United States was destined to expand and spread their influence to the west through any means necessary. This way of thinking is what caused America to imperialize and drive the Natives out of the west and into lands that were not their homes or to their deaths. Manifest Destiny caused the American people to charge through the west without abandon and thought, these actions are justified by John Louis O’Sullivan, who coined the phrase “Manifest Destiny,” when he states, “... the right of our manifest destiny to over spread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty…” his statement was published and resonated with the American people and the sense of nationalism that they felt toward their country. They felt it was their duty to spread American ideals and culture to those who did not already possess it so that the west would be able to join in The United States idealistic superiority, despite the fact that other people in the west had developed their own cultures and ideas. For instance, many native tribes did not regard their beliefs and spirituality as a religion, but as a part of their being and as a reasoning toward their habits and mannerisms; when

Westward expansion gave the US access to various types of nature they didn’t have access to before. Prairies, deserts, and plentiful amounts of bison were among them any resources the American settlers exploited on their journeys through the west. The vast amount of land that was available was used immediately to grow crops such as corn and wheat despite the fact that the grassland they were using were not adept to growing those types of crops consequently changing the land and its capabilities. The animals in the exploited areas suffered as another result of the change and degeneration of the land; animals began to die out due to lack of food and shelter. Settlers also began to exploit animal populations through mistreatment. Animals, like bison, were over grazed then killed then so that they could be exploited then sold or traded. Other animals such as coyotes or wolves were seen as pests or in the way of the settlers so they were killed as a way of extermination so that the Americans may move forward without impediment. The unfamiliar land was vastly different from land in the east that Americans had grown used to. They were unaware of how to make use of their new surroundings so much of the resources they had available to them were wasted so that the settlers may try to tailor the land to the way they were used to. According to a traveler Josiah Gregg, “Once at