In the year 1845, John O’Sullivan coined Manifest Destiny in an attempt to describe the ethical, moral, patriotic, religious, and financial reasoning behind the USA’s intentions of territorial expansions from the Pacific oceans to the Atlantic1. Some individuals believed that the growth might have been just a coincidence, yet others believed it was their faith superiority above that of the heathens, which allowed them to get to this expansion. This paper, therefore, alliterates the reasons behind Manifest destiny based on the critiques of its occurrence.
The manifest destiny spirit was a primary reason for the American movement to the west. For instance, Clark and Lewis traveled to the pacific and back from 1803 to 1806, which was done with an exploration motive. However, their exploration provided maps for the western natural resources and the continent’s navigation2. Later, the country made a purchase that was estimated at 15 million dollars, which was negotiated at three cents for every acre. This deal gave the USA control over the great Mississippi River. The deal doubled the size of the USA, and it also acted as the first move that affirmed that the USA could dominate the North and become a superpower. This move to dominate Louisiana alliterated that the primary motives for manifest destiny were to gain natural resources control and political superiority.
In 1843, Jackson Andres, one of the firm supports of the manifest destiny idea, described this move as the USA extending the area of freedom. Looking at the manifest destiny idea, many reasons may have been many incentives for its start. However, researchers have built that the main intention may have been political3. During this time, Britain had shown interest in becoming the world superpower. However, the country managed to extricate itself from the British influence effectively. This even pushed the country’s urge to ascertain that they also had a massive impact in many areas. The only way that the country would have been able to meet this was through gaining the political and economic privileges that could have only been realized through manifest destiny goals.
The Manifest destiny resulted in the movements of different Americans to the lands that the country had acquired. The motive of the manifest destiny was to uphold opportunities for the Americans, and this is depicted by the fact that the Americans who migrated were generated free land.
It also made compensations for the Americans, especially the native Americans, and provided immigrants with jobs. When the homestead act was passed, the native American farmers got huge benefits from the manifest destiny. The act allocated approximately 160 acres to ex-soldiers, and the poor, a move that was mentored at enabling them to attain a new lease of life4. Insinuating that the country made this move to help it sustain its poor population, pay its civil servants, and increase its crop production, as the arable lands were fit for crop production.
The expansion of land presents different opportunities in the United States. For instance, there is more room for settling populations, and when there is more land or added land, there is availed more wealth. This is what was offered by the manifest destiny and what the initial intention had been. In introducing the manifest destiny, the USA was in a critical economic condition, unable to provide for its population, forcing a good number to move towards California following the gold fever5.
This assertion may work well in supporting the fact that a significant aim of the expansion was to look for wealth, like natural resources, and this was to help cater for the USA verse population. Moreover, the USA had begun giving immigrants settlements, and this overly exhausted its containment ability. The period also asserts that the natives of the land for expansions were not effectively utilizing their land, which was an opportunity. In this case, it has been alliterated that the development may have been a literal example of survival for the fittest. Where the USA saw an opportunity to increase its financial ability by expanding and effectively utilized it.
The world views the manifest destiny idea by the USA differently today, and this is because it depicted some racist aspects and numerous objectionable assertions towards the inferior. However, the primary goals of the move never characterized these assertions. The manifest dynasty coiled the action to attain the USA’s moral, religious, ethical, political, and economic intent. The move was supported by the explorers, the politicians, and even the native Americans because they saw the ability to increase their potentials. Also, the results, such ex-soldiers and poor population getting settlement, increase in general production, and the financial ability of the country, act mainly in pointing out the real intentions of this move.
Bibliography
Dragos, Manea. “Western Nightmares: Manifest Destiny and the Representation of Genocide in Weird Fiction.” Interlect (2017): 157-170.
Emillio, G. “Frontier Feudalism: Agrarian Populism Meets Future Interest Arcana in the Land of Manifest Destiny.” (2017): 123-165.
John, D. “Our Country is Destined to be the Great Nation of Futurity”: John L. O’Sullivan’s Manifest Destiny and Christian Nationalism, 1837–1846.” (2017): 243-275.
Monaco, C. “Reviews: The Threshold of Manifest Destiny: Gender and National Expansion in Florida.” Journal of American Studies (2016): 87-105.
Footnotes
- John, D. ““Our Country Is Destined to be the Great Nation of Futurity”: John L. O’Sullivan’s Manifest Destiny and Christian Nationalism, 1837–1846.” (2017): 243-275.
- Dragos, Manea. “Western nightmares: Manifest Destiny and the representation of genocide in weird fiction.” Interlect (2017): 157-170.
- Dragos.
- Emillio, G. “Frontier Feudalism: Agrarian Populism Meets Future Interest Arcana in the Land of Manifest Destiny.” (2017): 123-165.
- Monaco, C. “Reviews: The Threshold of Manifest Destiny: Gender and National Expansion in Florida.” Journal of American Studies (2016): 87-105.