Manifest Destiny Essay

The United States has grown rapidly throughout the years, gaining power and wealth as it has expanded. One way the United States was able to expand its nation and gain power through acquiring territory was Manifest Destiny; the 19th-century belief that it was the God-given right of the United States to expand its territory across the North American continent. The belief that Manifest Destiny was reasonable and inevitable contributed greatly in shaping America by furthering westward expansion and led to the United States benefiting from their violent acts whilst “justifiably” harming others. The implementation of this ideology had far-reaching consequences for various groups, including the British, Mexicans, and Native Americans. Through westward

Both the British and Native Americans on the other hand, were harmed by losing their allies and control over some of their colonies. The War of 1812, “…lasted from June 18, 1812 to February 18, 1815, was a military conflict between the United States, Great Britain, and Great Britain's Native American allies on the North American continent” (Khan Academy). While the United States benefited by gaining international respect, the British and the Native Americans were harmed, “The Treaty of Fort Jackson forced the Creeks to surrender twenty-three million acres of land and to promise to never again ally with the British or Spanish against the Americans.” The Native Americans lost territory as a result of their ally with Britain, and many Natives were killed during the war. Since the British had allied with the Native Americans, they both ultimately lost land to the States. Post acquiring much land through manifest destiny, people of the United States, “…began to think of the United States as a proud and independent nation rather than a collection of formerly colonial territories. For this reason, the war is sometimes referred to as the ‘Second War of Independence’” (Khan Academy). The United States began to gain recognition as an independent nation after acquiring more and more territory. The belief that Manifest Destiny was justifiable made the United States seem all-powerful to their people, who were proud of their nation’s territorial gain. Not only to its own nation, but the United States began to gain international respect for American sovereignty and power. While the United States gained power, wealth, and territory from the war, the Native Americans were harmed, lost land, and