Manifest Destiny In The 1840s

Around the 1840s, a movement called manifest destiny was introduced to the American people. In simple terms, this concept was Americans wanting to expand the boundaries of their current America outwards and claim new territory. The leaders of the movement hoped to justify expansion throughout North America by calling it “inevitable, just, and divinely foreordained” (Locks, 618). The supporters argued that they needed the land because of the growing population. Although the idea of manifest destiny was accepted and pushed by many Americans, it wasn’t agreed on by everyone. People on the opposing side claimed that it was immoral to push out the native people who had already claimed the land, or simply stated that manifest destiny might not be supported and acted upon by the government. This disagreement throughout the nation caused major conflict between both sides and became a justification for many other arguments.

These states that would be occupied were rich in soil and would allow for great amounts of plants and food, enough to feed the major increase in people. The land they already were in had been overworked and over farmed leading to declining soil fertility. This is why many wanted to expand the boundaries of America in the hope of plentiful land and space for more crops. Some also feared that if America did not claim the land soon enough, the British would get to it first. These reasons do seem valid at first glance, but a lot of them had elements of white supremacy behind them. Inhabitants of the land that was stolen such as Indians and Mexicans were either extinguished or Americanized. This led to some leaders of the movement claiming that it was God’s will for Americans to pursue the expansion, also resulting in Senator Thomas Hart Benton stating that “the white race alone received the divine command, to subdue and replenish the