Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny is a phase associated with American expansion in 1845 It was coined by John O 'Sullivan , a New York magazine editor (Divine Breen , Fredrickson and Williams , 1991 ,

. 409 . Sullivan believed that the country was destined for expansion from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean (p . 409

The cause listed three reasons : 1 . God favored the US to expand its territory 2 . Americans could not be stopped in expanding their territory as well as their government and 3 . Expansion was needed to accommodate

growing population . The first reason , which suggested that God set aside America for expansion harks back to the time of Puritan New England singled out the growth of the country as a result of a divine proclamation (p . 409 . This made the Manifest Destiny a divine mission , had the blessing of God , and as term destiny ' suggest , was certain and meant to be . Not only was American expansion definite , it was also obvious , hence the term Manifest Destiny . The second reason which pertained to expansion not just of territory but also of the government , could have very well been the result of the Louisiana Purchase . The purchase doubled the size of America and it set the stage for internal development in the country . Americans had started to settle westward , in search for new economic opportunities . Their families had started to grow , so more fertile lands were needed to farm and feed their families . Americans settled on lands , even though...