Manifest Destiny Worksheets
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Fact File
Student Activities
Summary
- Historical context
- Motivations behind Manifest Destiny
- Key Events: Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark Expedition, Texas annexation and Mexican-American War, California Gold Rush
- Impact on Indigenous peoples
- Long-term consequences
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about Manifest Destiny!
Manifest Destiny was a belief in 19th-century America that God called the United States to spread its philosophies and expand its dominion across the continent, which it believed was “less civilised.”
This concept motivated westward expansion, drove the nation into conflicts, and justified the removal of Indigenous communities from their ancestral lands. Despite the narrative describing it as a period of progress and exploration, the legacy of Manifest Destiny negatively impacted Indigenous communities.
Historical Context
- Manifest Destiny is a term that refers to the belief that Americans had a moral obligation to use and spread American philosophies through non-coercive and nonviolent means to the “less civilised” society in the Western hemisphere. Americans believed that they were superior to other cultures and that God gave them a divine mission to establish and expand in the West.
- In the 1845 New York Morning News, John O’Sullivan argued that the United States had the right to claim the whole Oregon Territory because it was America’s God-given duty to spread its ideas across the continent. He used the term “Manifest Destiny” to assert this belief.
- This notion of Manifest Destiny became a motivator for westward expansion. Politicians saw it as a national mission to share their ideas of a democratic institution and self-governance. White settlers believed that they could utilise the land more effectively than the Indigenous inhabitants, whom they regarded as lazy and savage. This view came from the prejudice of Indigenous cultures.
- The Manifest Destiny was not a formal policy but an idea to justify American expansion. People interpreted it in different ways. While some saw it simply as taking land, some believed it was spreading freedom and setting an example. The variety of interpretations led to conflicting actions in the name of manifest destiny.
Motivations Behind Manifest Destiny
- Several factors drove the concept of Manifest Destiny. One primary driver was economic opportunity. In the 19th century, the eastern states’ population density increased which heightened competition for land and resources.
- The west was perceived to be abundant with resources, including gold. This economic opportunity attracted many farmers, labourers, and entrepreneurs.
- In addition, westward expansion promised new markets for American goods and raw materials, enticing industrial growth and commercial ambitions.
- Besides the economic factor, Manifest Destiny was also driven by ideological and religious beliefs. Americans’ belief in American exceptionalism created a national desire to spread their philosophies across the continent. They believed they were superior to other cultures and that it was their God-given duty to spread their ideas to the “less civilised.”
Key Events: Louisiana Purchase
- The concept of Manifest Destiny manifested in a series of events that shaped the course of westward expansion. These events were the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Texas Annexation and Mexican-American War, and the California Gold Rush.
- The Louisiana Purchase, spearheaded by Thomas Jefferson, involved the United States acquiring the western part of the Mississippi River basin from France in 1803. This significant land deal, secured at a meagre cost of less than three cents per acre for 828,000 square miles, is US history’s most remarkable land acquisition.
- This purchase significantly doubled the size of the US, making it stronger with more resources and better strategic positioning. It also encouraged westward expansion and supported the concept of implied powers in the federal Constitution.
- Although it was not explicitly framed as Manifest Destiny at the time because it came before the concept was born, the purchase paved the way for westward expansion.
Key Events: Lewis and Clark Expedition
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition, which took place from 1804 to 1806, was a government-funded endeavour to explore North America’s western region.
- The expedition aimed to survey the Missouri and Columbia rivers and identify pathways connecting the continental interior and the Pacific Ocean. The then US President Thomas Jefferson dedicated his time, effort, and political influence to this project and assumed primary responsibility for its initial planning and organisation. The expedition is named after its commanders, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
- Similar to the Louisiana Purchase, although the Lewis and Clark Expedition came before the concept of Manifest Destiny was born, it laid the groundwork for its ideology.
Key Events: Texas Annexation and Mexican-American War
- The Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846 to 1848, was an armed conflict between the US and Mexico. Manifest Destiny was the main force behind the war.
- The annexation of Texas in 1845, a former Mexican territory with a significant American population, escalated tensions between the two nations. Disagreements over the southern border of Texas, with Mexico claiming the Nueces River and the United States claiming the Rio Grande, further worsened the situation.
- When Mexican troops clashed with US forces near the Rio Grande, President James K. Polk, an advocate for expansion, used the incident to rally support for war. Despite opposition from some who viewed the conflict as unjust, the United States declared war on Mexico in May 1846.
- American forces, led by generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, achieved a series of victories, culminating in the capture of Mexico City in September 1847. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, formally ended the war and forced Mexico to cede vast territory to the United States, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Key Events: California Gold Rush
- In January 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in an American river at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Swiss citizen John Sutter had hired him to build a mill. News of the discovery spread rapidly, and soon thousands of fortune seekers, fueled by the spirit of Manifest Destiny, descended upon the region.
- In San Francisco, Sam Brannan started showing off a vial of gold that he had obtained from Sutter’s Creek, which caused an influx of miners into the region. Later, in his inaugural address, President James Polk announced the abundance of gold in California, causing another influx of prospecting settlers from the East of America.
- The earliest gold seekers were those who had collected large amounts of gold in 1848. However, when the news of gold spread worldwide the following year, many prospective miners flooded California. They were referred to as “forty-niners.”
- Over time, San Francisco’s economy blossomed, becoming the new frontier’s central metropolis. The non-native population grew from an estimated 800 in March 1848 to 20,000 at the end of the year and 100,000 in 1849.
Impact on Indigenous Peoples
- Despite the economic opportunities that it brought, Manifest Destiny had devastating consequences, most especially for Indigenous peoples. The belief that Americans had the divine right to expand their ideas across the continent fueled westward expansion, which, in turn, led to the forced removal of many Indigenous people from their ancestral lands.
- The attitude of the early government towards the Indigenous peoples was expressed through policies developed by the government. Several removal treaties relocated Indigenous people to reservations where they were forced to adapt to unfamiliar environments and unsuitable lands with limited resources and support. Their displacement made it difficult for them to continue their traditional ways of life.
- Policies were also aimed at assimilating with white American culture and society. Efforts were made for the Indigenous people to abandon their traditions, including forcing their children to attend boarding schools, which would separate them from their parents. They were taught how to live as Christians and were not allowed to practise their traditions or to speak their native language. The US government denied provisions of food and other supplies to those who refused to send their children to school.
- In addition, the influx of settlers in the West, due to westward expansion driven by manifest destiny, brought a wave of diseases that Indigenous people had little to no protection against. This led to widespread death, which reduced their population.
Long-Term Consequences
- The legacy of Manifest Destiny primarily affected the nation’s relationship with Indigenous peoples. The forced removal treaties have resulted in many years of poverty and cultural disruption for Indigenous communities.
- The loss of their ancestral lands and traditional ways of living have influenced their health, economies, and social structures. Until now, many Indigenous communities are facing high rates of poverty, health problems, and lack of education and economic opportunities.
- Furthermore, the romanticised narrative of westward expansion as a glorious achievement has largely disregarded what Indigenous communities had gone through and the damages that Manifest Destiny had brought.
- Fortunately, however, recent decades saw progress in recognising these past injustices as indigenous activists worked hard to revive their culture, assert their sovereignty, and seek justice for the wrongs they have suffered.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What was Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined by God to expand its territory across North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It was used to justify the U.S.'s westward expansion.
- Who coined the term Manifest Destiny?
The term "Manifest Destiny" was first coined by journalist John L. O'Sullivan in 1845 in an article advocating for annexing Texas and promoting the idea of American territorial expansion.
- What were the motivations behind Manifest Destiny?
The motivations included a mix of factors such as:
- A belief in the superiority of American culture and institutions.
- Economic opportunities in the form of land and natural resources.
- The desire to spread democracy and Christianity.
- Political interests, such as national security and influence over the continent.