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 claim to lands that had to be taken by force, from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 through to the acquisition of Texas and northern Mexico, to the takeover of Hawaii. The consequences of Manifest Destiny continue to reverberate more than two centuries after the initial rise of territorial expansion programs. Manifest Destiny emboldened the American experiment, fueling its economy, bolstering its military and political power, and exacerbating social unrest and disparity.The relative ease with which the United States acquisitioned new territories helped to expand the economy and establish the nation as a global leader in both raw materials and industrial manufacturing. New land meant renewed opportunities to reap the natural resources available from those territories, also enabling rapid population growth. Manifest Destiny also perpetuated the slave trade and the institution of slavery by opening up new territories that would be incorporated as slave states that could continue to produce goods without having to pay for labor: an issue that precipitated the Civil War (“Manifest Destiny,” n.d.). Other economic consequences of Manifest Destiny include the ability to capitalize on new transportation and communication technologies including the railroads, steamboats, and telegraph (Haynes, 2006). These technologies facilitated territorial expansion, but also enabled the growth of new markets. Moreover, the American economy was facing stiff competition with Britain and other European nations due to the rise of globalization, access to Asian markets, and...
Manifest Destiny provided the political propaganda that could be used to bolster the American economy on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.
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
With the discovery of gold and other valuable minerals, a wave of Easterners started to pour into the West. These people believed that it was their right and duty to expand. The idea of Manifest Destiny played a big role in America's political actions overseas. People believed that they were uniquely positioned to spread democracy throughout the world and this idea could clearly be seen as playing a role
Mexican-American War was fought between 1846 and 1848 and marked the first war for the United States that was primary fought on foreign soil. The war was initiated by the United States, with President Polk seeking to expand American territory under the doctrine of manifest destiny. This doctrine argued that the United States should spread across all of North America, and was used as justification military action such as this
Sophocles explores the connection between fate and character in the play Antigone, in which the title character becomes a classic tragic hero due to flaws like hubris. However, it is not just her character traits that destine Antigone for her fateful end. Antigone’s character is inherently virtuous, as she wants to disobey the law for the right reasons. She has strong moral principles, and is guided by universal ethical values
American Way of War The history of the American Way of War is a transitional one, as Weigley shows in his landmark work of the same name. The strategy of war went from, under Washington, a small scale, elude and survive set of tactics practiced by what seem today to be relatively "quaint" militias, to -- in the 20th century -- a full-scale operation known as "total war." True, "total war"
American History Final Exam Stages of the American Empire Starting in the colonial period and continuing up through the Manifest Destiny phase of the American Empire in the 19th Century, the main goal of imperialism was to obtain land for white farmers and slaveholders. This type of expansionism existed long before modern capitalism or the urban, industrial economy, which did not require colonies and territory so much as markets, cheap labor and
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