Paper Topic:

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

Theory and practice in the expansion of America

Elements of the idea of Manifest Destiny were present from the first moment colonists sailed from Europe . In the 1800s , that idea was put into words as a political slogan . Since then , it has become a central element of United States policy toward the rest of the world

Americans could not be blamed for feeling as if they had a destiny . It seemed that America was a gift from God to early settlers . Even in hardship , they reveled in the freedom from

tyranny it offered . They felt a responsibility to mold the new nation in God 's image . Meanwhile , the massive economic potential of the land was being discovered . A merging of economic and religious destinies ultimately gave rise to the term Manifest Destiny

As is the case with many politically-created catch phrases , the meaning changes over time . The meaning of the term today comes partly from a national identity , but also from the words of its critics and the personal meanings each person attaches to it . Whether it is religious or economically based the term implies a deep faith in the rightness of America

Background and origins

Manifest Destiny ' has never been a stated policy of the United States . It has no specific provisions . It is not written into law . It is a politically-generated term . The term is used to justify or criticize government policies . It is an expression of a vague collective consciousness

Writer Gavin Finley , M .D , describes the collective national identity this way : Manifest Destiny is a phrase that expressed the belief that the United States had a mission to expand , spreading its form of democracy and freedom ' 1 This idea was not a dictated government policy . Instead , it is an idea that evolved as a new , diverse culture struggled to establish itself itself

The phrase Manifest Destiny ' became popular in the mid-1840s . While put forward by politicians at times as a concrete policy the phrase is actually more of an abstract idea . It is an expression of a collective belief . At the same time , it is used as a justification for actions that could otherwise be viewed with skepticism . The popularity of the term at various times coincides with the major expansions in U .S . territory in the 18th , 19th and 20th centuries

Manifest Destiny ' should be separated from destiny ' or divine favor ' While many Americans felt that there was an inherent presence of divinity driving their success , they did not necessarily favor territorial expansion . The fact that expansionists were using America 's destiny ' as a justification was initially the source of criticism in political circles . Ironically , it is this criticism that drove the term into popularity as America moved westward

Journalist John O 'Sullivan is given credit for actually coining the phrase Manifest Destiny ' in the mid-1850s . A Jacksonian Democrat O 'Sullivan used the phrase as part of his support for the acquisition of Texas . Later , he used the concept again in reference to...

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