ipl-logo

The Expansion Of Manifest Destiny By James K. Polk

746 Words3 Pages

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was the cultural belief in 19th-century America that American settlers were destined to expand throughout North America. Manifest Destiny justified expansion with a sense of mission and purpose, viewing America's expansion as inevitable and predetermined by God. US President James K. Polk was the chief who was most associated to Manifest Destiny. The ideology of Manifest Destiny influenced a variety of policies to aim at or destroy indigenous people. Manifest Destiny ignited partisan tensions over slavery that ultimately led to the Civil War. One of the main concepts of the Manifest dynasty were the gold rush and …show more content…

It influenced Western migration by making a strong claim that white Americans belonged to the West, and that God has reserved land specifically for the use of members of this superior Christian democratic society. Lastly, the availability of supplies multiplied because of the railroad. “Rail travel transformed the American economy in the 1840s and 1850s, linking port cities to the interior. Before the advent of rail, the main route of commerce was along canal lines, which remained rail’s biggest competitor for quite some time.” (14). The railroad was America's first technological corridor. Just as it fostered the growth of the American economy, it also fostered the development of the nation's public discourse and intellectual …show more content…

First, it has caused wars and conflicts. Second, The Destiny was during a time of slavery. Native American slavery reached its peak during this period, with many being killed and displaced in the process of expansion. Next, resulted in the death and suffering of many people, especially Native Americans. The Americans were convinced they could easily conquer and possess any land they wanted, to the point of nearly wiping out the Native Americans. Also, it used God's name and God's providence to manipulate other people. Opponents said that land was forcibly taken from the people while the inhabitants suffered and were mistreated to achieve the aims of this movement or belief. Lastly, it was unconstitutional. Opponents of Manifest Destiny said that the expansion of slavery practiced by Americans in the American South was unconstitutional and that they were taking other lands they didn't

Show More
Related
447 Words | 2 Pages

Manifest Destiny is the belief of the nineteenth century that America was destined by God to expand westward. The author of Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis believed that God established Anglo-Saxons as the superior people whose purpose was to spread Christianity. (Doc B) This idea of spreading a superior culture or religion has been a motive for expansion for decades before this. Despite this support for expansionism, there were those who were against it.

Read More
1622 Words | 7 Pages

Manifest Destiny is a unique, yet mysterious fundamental series of events in American history. No other country’s history contains such an eventful history as the United States. Amy Greenberg’s book, Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, provides documented evidence that settlers believed they were destined for expansion throughout the continent. In other words, many religious settlers believed that it was a call from God for the United States to expand west. On the other hand, people believed that Manifest Destiny vindicated the war against Mexico.

Read More
520 Words | 3 Pages

Manifest Destiny: the early American settlers believed in moving, the American settlers believed it was their birthright, their god given right to move to The West. Many wanted to go to The West, to start new lives, to get rich or just to start over. President Polk the President of the United States at the time of the dispute with Mexico. Polk wanted the land that is now Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Read More
342 Words | 2 Pages

The Manifest Destiny is a movement that justified American expansion with a sense of mission and purpose. The American expansion led to the adding of Texas and Oregon to the union, but also created wars with Mexico. As Americans moved west, many of the Indians did not appreciate the expansion and were either forced to leave or fight for their area leading to many massacres and wars. More specifically, Americans wanted to grow from "shining sea to shining sea" and take control of the entirety of North America. They would also fight any force that would attempt to stop them.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

They pointed out that the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of their cultures. Additionally, they argued that the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War were driven by the desire for new slave states rather than a desire to spread American values and institutions. Another argument was that Manifest Destiny would lead to the extinction of the Native American culture and the displacement of the native population. The belief in manifest destiny was racist and promoted the idea that white Americans were superior to other races. The opponents also argued that the acquisition of new territories would lead to more conflicts and wars with other countries, as well as increased tensions between the North and the South over the issue of slavery.

Read More
587 Words | 3 Pages

The idea of Manifest Destiny was a powerful belief that changed American history. Manifest Destiny was the idea of destiny and duty of the United States to expand westward across the North American continent. The expansion was used to spread democracy, capitalism, and Protestantism, and assert American dominance over the land. Manifest Destiny fueled westward expansion, territorial races, and conflicts with indigenous peoples and other nations, leaving a lasting impact on the United States and the nations around it. The Manifest Destiny's idea stated that the United States was destined to expand its territory from coast to coast.

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

Did you know that Manifest Destiny fueled sectarian tensions over slavery, leading to the Civil War? Manifest Destiny occurred during 1812-1867. The concept of Manifest Destiny held that white Americans were naturally destined to colonize the entire region of North America. President James K. Polk of the United States was a staunch advocate of Manifest Destiny. He felt that expanding America's borders all the way to the Pacific Ocean was God's plan.

Read More
577 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
760 Words | 4 Pages

Manifest Destiny was a controversial movement from the 1820’s to the 1850s. Manifest Destiny is the belief that Americans have a god given right to pursue liberty and happiness. The movement included pushing Mexicans and Native Americans out of their homes and their land to make way for American settlers. Manifest Destiny’s influence on Westward Expansion fostered change due to the expansion of slavery, the Gold Rush, and populating the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Read More
495 Words | 2 Pages

Manifest Destiny was the belief in the 19th-century American expansion westward, which stated that it was the nation's divine right to expand its borders and spread its democratic values. This belief emerged in the 1840s and was fueled by religious and economic factors. Americans believed they were required to expand westward to fulfill their destiny and increase their wealth and prosperity. The result of the westward expansion was the acquisition of vast territories that led to significant economic growth, but it also had negative impacts and consequences for the Native Americans, Mexicans, and Chinese immigrants directly affected. Body Paragraph 1: Manifest Destiny and the American Desire to Move West

Read More
1108 Words | 5 Pages

In the 19th Century, there were strong supporters of the ideology of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was basically the belief of expansion by settlers expanding all over America because god supposedly destined the Americans for expansions by their resources. This resulted for the Americans to find a modern mode of transportation that would make traveling from the east to the west coast easier. This resulted in a mega construction known as the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad not only helps with transportation but with trading.

Read More
476 Words | 2 Pages

They argued that it was unjust and that it violated the rights of the native people who already inhabited the territories that the U.S. saw to expand into. Critics of manifest destiny argued that the U.S. had no right to take land from other nations and peoples and that such actions were a violation of international law. Another point of contrast between the views of manifest destiny was the question of whether it was a legitimate foreign policy objective or pretext for aggression. Supporters of manifest destiny argue that it was a legitimate foreign policy objective that was necessary for the U.S. to fulfill its destiny as a great nation. They argued that the U.S. was expanding to new territories peacefully and that it was only when provoked by other nations that it was forced to defend itself through War.

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

Manifest Destiny was the term used by John O’Sullivan to describe America’s desire to expand West due to reasons including both the vast amount of unclaimed land and the opportunities Americans wanted to explore. During this time, Americans believed that it was their God-given right to expand West, and therefore they were entitled to push away any groups that were in their way. Due to the mindset that the Americans could do as they pleased with the groups of people who got in their way, Manifest Destiny affected many groups of people, including the American Indians and Slaves, and continued to build up the preexisting tension between the North and South. One of the groups of people affected greatly by Manifest Destiny were the Native Americans. Manifest Destiny affected the American Indians by spreading foreign diseases to them as they moved Westward, through the Native American territory.

Read More
821 Words | 4 Pages

With the advent of the railroad, many of these issues disappeared. Railroads had a major impact on advancing the American economy, transforming America into a modern society, and improving an antiquated transportation system. The building of railroads created rapid economic growth in America. Railroad companies employed more than one million workers to build and maintain railroads. At the same time, coal, timber, and steel industries employed thousands of workers to provide the supplies necessary to build railroads (Chapter 12 Industrialization).

Read More
2016 Words | 9 Pages

The time of Manifest Destiny was a time of true American brotherhood and comradeship. With Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk being the leading presidents of the cause during this time, it not only led to continental expansion but homicide as well. While the Americans believed they were expanding into free land, Native Americans had already settled the land centuries earlier. This led to the dark side of Manifest Destiny. Native Americans were forced to pick up their homes and resettle in areas that were less than sufficient to meet their basic needs.

Read More

More about The Expansion Of Manifest Destiny By James K. Polk

Related Topics

Open Document