Manifest Destiny Research Paper

In 1845 John L Sullivan coined the term “Manifest Destiny” to justify the westward expansion of the United States. A few years later in 1882 the French linguist and historian of religion Ernest Renan composed “What is a Nation”, where he wrote with the aim of successfully defining what aspects caused a physical location to become a nation. Although “What is a Nation” was written almost 40 years after “Manifest Destiny” it addressed many of the questions early American settlers found themselves asking while they were creating a nation of their own. Although the Mainfest Destiny movement was named in 1845, the philosophy behind Manifest Destiny had existed throughout early American History. In 1818 President Monroe gave Andrew Jackson instructions

In 1846, America declared war on Mexico and fought to win much of what currently makes up the Southwestern portion of the United States. The war with Mexico was just one example of the many militant acts that undoubtably paralleled Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny emerged instinctively and inevitability out of fundamental want and need for people to explore, conquer new lands and establish new borders with other nations. With this growth came moral, cultural, social, ideological, and economic differences between people, states and countries. The term Manifest Destiny was often used by those who wanted secure territory in places like California, and Mexico. In the article Sullivan discusses the the fact that California was not going to be successfully governed by Mexico, because the California territory was much closer to the borders of North America. The Second Great Awakening is often thought to have inspired Manifest Destiny, because it created a monumental religious movement, during which many settlers believed that God himself had blessed the growth of the American nation. With this belief also

Much of this thinking was inspired by the French Revolution, and supported the liberal and nationalist factions who wanted independence from old monarchies as demonstrated in the revolutions of 1848. While many nations, such as France, began with a approach such as a monarchy, others, such as the United States and Switzerland, were formed by acts of community assemblage . France and many others, however, survived their feudal roots while maintaining their identity. This intrigued Renan because there was a central bond holding the United States, ams Switzerland together. It couldn’t be race, because France is "Celt, Iberian, German… The most noble countries, England, France and Italy, are the ones where the blood is most mixed." Language could be part of the equation, but he says language “invites us but does not force us, to unite”. The United States is a prime example of this, because there are many languages spoken here and while you can choose to learn another language to connect with others, it is by no means required for everyday life. Modern nationhood cannot be based on religion either. In regards to this Renan says “You can be French, English, German, yet Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or practicing no religion.” Similarly to language religion can unite groups of people but