American History 101: Manifest Destiny

 Manifest Destiny.

A premise that pushed America forward in the mid-19th century before the Civil War.

No nation ever existed without some sense of national destiny or purpose.

Manifest Destiny was a phrase used by leaders and politicians in the 1840s to explain continental expansion by the United States.  It helped to revitalize an American sense of "mission" or national destiny for individual Americans.

The people of the United States felt it was their mission to extend the "boundaries of freedom" to others by imparting their idealism and belief in democratic institutions to those who were capable of self-government. It excluded those people who were perceived as being incapable of self-government, such as Native American people and those of non-European origin.

But there were other forces and political agendas at work as well. As the population of the original 13 Colonies grew and the U.S. economy developed, the desire and attempts to expand into new land increased. For many colonists, land represented potential income, wealth, self-sufficiency and freedom. Expansion into the western frontiers offered opportunities for self-advancement.

To understand Manifest Destiny, it's important to understand the United States' need and desire to expand. The following points illustrate some of the economic, social and political pressures promoting U.S. expansion:

• The United States was experiencing a periodic high birth rate and increases in population due to immigration. And because agriculture provided the primary economic structure, large families to work the farms were considered an asset. The U.S. population grew from more than five millon in 1800 to more than 23 million by mid-century. Thus, there was a need to expand into new territories to accommodate this rapid growth. It's estimated that nearly 4,000,000 Americans moved to western territories between 1820 and 1850.
• The United States suffered two economic depressions — one in 1818 and a second in 1839. These crises drove some people to seek their living in frontier areas.
• Frontier land was inexpensive or, in some cases, free.
• Expansion into frontier areas opened opportunities for new commerce and individual self-advancement.
• Land ownership was associated with wealth and tied to self-sufficiency, political power and independent "self-rule."
• Maritime merchants saw an opportunity to expand and promote new commerce by building West Coast ports leading to increased trade with countries in the Pacific.

Beginning in the early 19th century with Jefferson'd acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, and the subsequent push of the Native Americans off their land,  the push for the United States to expand westward was something that the country needed during this period in order to accomplish the goals set forth almost forty years earlier.  And, as with earlier pushes west, this period of "Manifest Destiny" would push the United States into conflict -- and soon war -- with Mexico.

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Bruce holds a degree in Computer Science from Temple University, a Graduate Certificate in Biblical History from Liberty University and is working towards a Masters Degree in American History at American Public University.  He has worked in educational and technology for over 18 years, specializes in building infrastructures for schools that work to support the mission of technology in education in the classroom.  He also has served as a classroom teacher in Computer Science, History and English classes.  

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel -- with a new book, Learn the Basics: Digital Forensics, due soon. 

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