Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny Definition History Pictures Maps Essay Facts Summary United States Destiny Monroe Doctrine Civil War Westward Expansion Territory Maps Pictures Homestead Act Missouri Compromise

Southerners viewed the Union Army's invasion of the South as the implementation of "Manifest Destiny"

The term "manifest destiny" first appeared in print in July 1845 in the "Democratic Review." Journalist John L. O'Sullivan supported the United States' claim to Texas and declared that the United States had a manifest destiny to spread across the continent.

Manifest Destiny was the pretext to the Mexican-American War and preamble to the destruction of the American Indian

Manifest Destiny – a phrase used by leaders and politicians in the 1840s to explain continental expansion by the United States – revitalized a sense of "mission" or national destiny for Americans. Manifest Destiny was also discussed during the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

The United States believed its mission was to extend the "boundaries of freedom" to others by imparting its idealism and belief in democratic institutions to those who were capable of self-government. It "excluded those people who were perceived as being incapable of self-government," such as Native American people and those of non-European origin.

But there were additional forces and political agendas at work. As the population of the original 13 Colonies grew and the U.S. economy developed, the desire and attempts to expand into new land increased. For many colonists, land represented potential income, wealth, self-sufficiency and freedom. Expansion into the western frontiers offered opportunities for self-advancement.

To understand Manifest Destiny, it's important to understand the United States' need, desire and justification to expand. The following points illustrate some of the economic, social and political pressures promoting U.S. expansion:

The United States was experiencing a periodic high birth rate and increases in population due to immigration. And because agriculture provided the primary economic structure, large families to work the farms were considered an asset. The U.S. population grew from more than five million in 1800 to more than 23 million by mid-century. Thus, there was a need to expand into new territories to accommodate this rapid growth. It's estimated that nearly 4,000,000 Americans moved to western territories between 1820 and 1850.
The United States suffered two economic depressions — one in 1818 and a second in 1839. These crises drove some people to seek their living in frontier areas.
Frontier land was inexpensive or, in some cases, free.
Expansion into frontier areas opened opportunities for new commerce and individual self-advancement.
Land ownership was associated with wealth and tied to self-sufficiency, political power and independent "self-rule."
Maritime merchants saw an opportunity to expand and promote new commerce by building West Coast ports leading to increased trade with countries in the Pacific.