Louisiana Purchase and Manifest Destiny
The United States has a number of defining moments or eras in history, epochs that serve as a milestone for American greatness. Two of these important moments are the Louisiana Purchase and Manifest Destiny. The Louisiana Purchase marks the beginning of America's expansion westward, the origin of the belief that the United States future is linked with its territorial expansion. It is analogous to Manifest Destiny in the belief that the United States needed to expand its borders and with expansion comes national greatness. This paper will examine the historical aspects of both events and compare and contrast them. It will argue that while the basic motivation for the Louisiana Purchase and Manifest Destiny are similar and that the Louisiana Purchase is the precursor to Manifest Destiny. The paper will explore their enduring legacy in the modern era.
Louisiana before its acquisition by the United States was a French controlled territory from 1699 to 1762, when it was briefly given to Spain after France's defeat in the Seven Years War (Nugent, 2008). Napoleon Bonaparte regained control of the territory in 1800, trying to extend his empire into North America. Any aspirations for North American expansion were dashed due to the slave revolt in Haiti and the approaching conflict with Great Britain. The United States maintained an interest in acquiring Louisiana since the early 18th century (Miller, 2008). American migrants were gradually settling in the area and Jefferson believed they could purchase territory piece by piece. The city of New Orleans was of particular interest to Americans because of it controlled the Mississippi River. It was an important trading post, a place where good where shipped to and from west of the Appalachian Mountains. The United States signed Pinckney's Treaty with Spain in 1795 giving American merchants the use of the port to house goods (Nugent, 2008). The treaty also gave Americans the right to navigate the Mississippi River, an important precursor to the growing trade in the region. Louisiana would cease being a Spanish territory when Spain and France signed the Treaty of...
The project of the League of Nations is yet another relevant example for pointing out the impact the "manifest destiny" idea had on the foreign policy of the United States. In this sense the basis for an organization that would prevent another war was the concept which emerged from the idealistic beliefs of the United States and especially of its president Wilson. However, the project failed to reach its actual
We are entering on its untrodden space, with the truths of God in our minds, beneficent objects in our hearts, and with clear conscience unsullied by the past. We are the nation of human progress, and who will, what can, set limits to our onward march? Providence is with us, and no earthly power can. (O'Sullivan 1) Not all Americans believed in the concept of manifest destination. Many settlers from different
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Defined as “an aggressive program of expansion,” Manifest Destiny characterizes American national identity (Haynes, 2006, p. 1). Manifest Destiny refers to both a philosophy and a strategy: a means of crafting the notion of American exceptionalism as well as the methods used to construct American geo-political power. The geographic shape of the United States today owes itself to the principles and widespread embrace of Manifest Destiny, in which Washington laid
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E. The voices who argue that America should and could be an imperial superpower, but lacks sound practical judgment. The thesis of this paper is that the history of the Roman Empire can be matched to that of the United States in terms of economy, political power, as well as aspirations. In this sense, present day America is very similar to fourth of even fifth century Rome; this poses one stringent
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