The belief of manifest destiny spread and took hold of the country incredibly fast. The common definition of Manifest Destiny is the “god given right to expand westward”. People wanted to expand west for new opportunities. This mass movement of people from east to west started in 1812 and ended in 1867. Although the US hadn’t been granted the land west of them specifically or bought it, because of their military power and belief in expanding patriotism and influence, they were justified in expanding west. The US’s strong military and desire for more control was a large factor in their pursuit of gaining more territory in the West. In document 7, James K. Polk in his State of the Union Address says that to have and retain more power over rival …show more content…
In document 2, Andrew Jackson writes a letter to Moses Dawson, based on the topic of patriotism. He says that to eliminate any differences in society, between classes, or people, a person must have patriotism. Patriotism binds people together and makes everyone the same. He later states that it is our duty to teach and aid the men in the west about Patriotism to save them. The US utilized the Oregon Trail to spread patriotism and trade, which will tie in later. By sending hard working Americans who embodied the spirit of patriotism west, it helped spread the belief very well. Document one highlights the US’s belief in expanding overall influence. Influence means religion, form of government, and well established societal norms. Document one covers commencing trade with Asia. The Oregon trail (from notes), as mentioned above, was used to gain access to important trade routes on the coast. This allows the merchants to influence people from different nations. Document 5 argues that the US was not justified. It gives us a perspective on the Native American side. When the US expanded west, they pushed the Native Americans out of their home and moved them into one concentrated plot of land. Even though this was detrimental to Native Americans, the upsides of expanding west were very worth it. It helped the US trade, spread influence, and ultimately