"Manifest Destiny"

It was in 1803 then the Louisiana Purchase took place. The Louisiana Purchase would

turn out to be the largest acquirement of land in American history. By purchasing 827,000 square miles from the French Thomas Jefferson would nearly double the size of the United States. Immediately he sent two explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to scout the land and bring back valuable information back to the Americans that still lived near the east coast. What they found was astonishing. They would come across mountains, rivers, new species, and extensive plains that were inhabited by Native Americans and hundreds of thousands of buffaloes. What they saw was truly unlike anything they had seen before, and their expedition only piqued the interest of other Americans. Over time and more and more Americans would move further and further into the West. They wanted to know what lied on the other side of the Appalachian mountains, and many did so in hopes of starting a new life in a completely different place. In 1845 a journalist named John Louis O’Sullivan wrote an article where he encouraged Americans to travel to the West, and in the article he used the phrase “Manifest Destiny.” This term would then be used to refer to the attitude Americans had in the 19th century. Their attitude was one of expansion . Most Americans at the time firmly believed it was their “destiny” to expand to the West and enjoy the natural resources it had to offer. It was an interesting period in American history. It was a period full of hope and excitement. This attitude was the kind of attitude that would not only help Americans expand into the West, but it was also the attitude that would cause Americans to expand into foreign nations in the early 20th century and the attitude that would make Americans believe that nothing could get in their war of achieving their dreams.

The ideology behind the concept of “Manifest Destiny” is arguably the ideology that

has helped shape the United States as a nation. America’s determination to reach something and overcome everything that gets in its way is one of the major reasons why the United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world. However, one would also have to analyze the negative side of this ideology. By looking back at the Westward Expansion one can begin reading about multiple cases in which American settlers would violate the rights and opinions of the Native American tribes that had already inhabited the lands for thousands of years. Decades later one would also begin to see the unwanted intervention of America in different parts of the world, especially in Latin America. Even today we can see the resentment many in Latin America have against the United States for its international policies. Therefore, one would have to wonder if the concept of “Manifest Destiny” has done more good to our country or if it has instead stained our reputation among foreign nations. Before answering this question one would have to gain deeper knowledge on America’s Westward Expansion and imperialism.

Westward Expansion was not very aggressive up until the 1840’s, which was at

about the time that John Louis O’Sullivan would write his article in which he encouraged Americans to expand. He wrote, “Our manifest destiny (is) to overspread the continent allotted

by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” Soon after his article was published the rate of expansion would increase dramatically. Thousands of American families would leave their homes and travel across the Appalachian Mountains, into the Great Plains, and even across the Rocky Mountains and into the Pacific Coast. However, aggressive expansion would stir inevitable conflict between the white settlers and the Native Americans. Tensions would rise as the Native Americans began to realize that white settlers did not want only a piece of their land, but all of it instead. To make matters worse, government would be quick to implement extreme measures in order to make sure that the Native American tribes would not interfere with expansion. In 1836 the government established the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an organization whose main purpose was to relocate Native American tribes. Later the bureau would also focus on the concentration of Native Americans. Soon many tribes would be viciously uprooted from their homes and driven into small reservations. The most infamous case was probably the Trail of Tears. Here the Cherokee nations was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi river. Afterwards they would have to migrate into an area of present-day Oklahoma. In the journey from Mississippi to Oklahoma many Cherokees would die of hunger and exhaustion.

Aggressive measures of expansion would not only be limited to the relocation

and concentration of Native Americans. Soon there would also be full-scale warfare between both sides. There were many occasions in which Native Americans would actually get the best of these encounters. The best example and perhaps the greatest victory the Native Americans had against the United States was in the Battle of Little Bighorn. General Custer and his seven-hundred soldiers would launch a careless attack on a huge encampment of Lakota warriors. Within hours every single soldier under Custer’s command would perish. Unfortunately, Native Americans would not be able to enjoy their victory for too long. Soon after the American government would pursue the remains of the Lakota army until one day they finally gave up due to hunger and exhaustion. The worst defeat that the Native Americans ever suffered and perhaps the battle that truly obliterated native resistance was the Battle of Wounded Knee. Here an American army under the command of James W. Forsyth would kill hundred of Lakota warriors. The dream that the Native Americans had of preserving their lands was dead. It is very clear that the concept of “Manifest Destiny” encouraged Americans to chase their dreams and restart their lives in a new place. However, it also led them to end the dream of another civilization. What the Native Americans once called “home” was no longer theirs. One could definitely argue that what the United States did to this civilization was absolutely ruthless and despicable.

By the early 1900’s the United States already controlled the Great Plain. On top

of that, the United States had defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American War, and as a result the American government would force Mexico to concede vast amounts of territory. The United States was now one of the largest countries in the world by territory. However, it would soon

begin to take note of the imperialistic activities of many European countries. Many Americans felt that just like many European nations had built colonies in other parts of the world they too could expand into other countries. Within a short span of time the United States would annex Hawaii, it would intervene in Cuba, defeat the Spanish in the Spanish-American war, and later seize control of both Cuba and Spain. However, their interventions were not always welcome. The United States would soon have to put down a full-scale rebellion in the Philippine’s led by Emilio Aguinaldo, as well as smaller rebellions in Cuba. It seemed as if once again American presence had caused indignation among other nations, and historically it has been that way most of the time.

After studying the effect that the concept of “Manifest Destiny” has had on American

history and the reputation of the United States all over the world it would be reasonable to say that it has had both positive and negative effects. In different instances the concept of “Manifest Destiny” has helped America to stay determined and attain its goals. However, it has also given America a sense of self-righteousness, and as a result its actions against other nations have been questioned by many others.

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/manifest-destiny

https://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/confrontations-with-native-americans/

http://www.biography.com/people/emilio-aguinaldo-9177563

http://www.history.com/topics/spanish-american-war

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567.html

http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/wounded-knee

http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn