The Manifest Destiny Essay

1054 words - 4 pages

The Manifest Destiny is the idea of continental expansion by the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, which naturally occurred out of a deep want and need to explore and conquer new lands and establish new borders. This idea contributed to several wars, including the US-Mexican War.

Mexico and the United States had its share of territorial issues. With only four more days of his presidency, on March 1, 1845, President John Tyler signed the Texas annexation bill. When the United States formally offered annexation to Texas in 1845, Mexico, protested. On December 29, 1845, Texas was formally admitted to the Union. Mexico refused to accept the loss of Texas, as written in the Treaty of Velasco that was created after the Battle of San Jacinto, in April 21, 1836, and still considered Texas to be Mexican territory, which obtained independence from Spain in 1821, that was under temporary rule of a rebel government. Mexico declared that the annexation of Texas was the same as an act of war. Around the same time, American President, James K. Polk (who took office on March 4, 1845) sent diplomat John Slidell to Mexico with an offer to buy Texas, New Mexico and California for about $30 million. Mexico rejected the offer.

President Polk wanted to define the “borderline” of America. He sent orders to US Army General Zachary Taylor to set up a defense system on the north bank of the Rio Grande River. In addition, Polk also wanted to influence the people who lived in the region to pressure the Mexicans to sell off the territory that was not actually under any established form of government at that time since Mexico’s frontiers had no formal king or leader. Polk ordered US Colonel Stephen Kearney to the New Mexico territory, and He also ordered the US navy to block off Mexican ports in the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 25, 1846, Mexican troops crossed north of the Rio Grand River and the first shots were fired. President Polk received word that Mexican forces had ambushed two of General Taylor's companies along the Rio Grande. On May 11, 1846, President Polk asked Congress to declare war on Mexico, stating the following: "After reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American Soil. She has proclaimed that hostilities have commenced, and that the two nations are at war." (1) Two days later, the US Congress overwhelmingly votes in favor of President James K. Polk's request to declare war on Mexico.

American military forces took up several major campaigns in the course of the war resulting in significant battles that occurred throughout the region. American Brigadier General Stephen Kearney led a small force to seize Santa Fe and the New Mexico territory, and then marched west to California. There he met up with an American force and eventually secured the completion of the Bear Flag Revolt; American settlers declared their independence from Mexico....

American Manifest Destiny and the Genocide of the American Indian

2741 words - 11 pages United States Manifest Destiny and the Genocide of the American Indian Manifest Destiny is a phrase used to express the belief that the United States had a mission to expand its borders, thereby spreading its form of democracy and freedom. Originally a political catchphrase of the nineteenth-century, Manifest Destiny eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the territorial expansion of the United States

Manifest Destiny+ The American Pageant. The AP history book

1649 words - 7 pages MANIFEST DESTINY AND ITS LEGACY*President Harrison: elected in 1840 Webster and Clay planned on governing thru Harrison however Harrison contracted pneumonia and died after 4 weeks of being in office(shortest administration in the US history)*John Tyler: Virginia gentleman he had left Jacksonian Democracy due to J's dictatorial tactics.1.The Whig party was a catch all party& Tyler attracted Jacksonian states' righters2.Tyler the democrat at

Where Are They Now: Manifest Destiny and the American Dream

972 words - 4 pages Manifest Destiny is defined as “ the belief held by many American in the 1840s that the United States was designed to expand westward” (Columbia University). John O’Sullivan originally coined the phrase manifest destiny and provided three reasons behind the westward movement. One reason he stated was that God wanted Americans expanding their territory. The second reason suggested that expanding America meant expanding and spreading democracy

Manifest Destiny: Supporting Territorial Enlarment in the 1840s and 1850s

1699 words - 7 pages Manifest Destiny was a doctrine used to support U.S. territorial enlargement in the 1840s and 1850s. It emphasized that expansion of the United States throughout the American continents was both justified and unavoidable. The phrase was created by the U.S. journalist John L. O'Sullivan, and was originally used to regard the Mexican and Indian land in Texas and the Southwest. He said, "The fulfillment of our Manifest Destiny to overspread the

The expansionist spirit of America in the 1840's, "The Manifest Destiny"

809 words - 3 pages The people of 19th century approvingly observed the expansionist spirit of America in the 1840's, and called it 'Manifest Destiny.' This phrase has been adopted by historians to characterize both the mood and the process of expansion. The people believed that it was the obvious fate of the American people to advance into and take possession of neighboring lands, in essence they said that the United States was preordained to control all of North

American expansion in the 19th century was an act of aggressive imperialism, not manifest destiny

773 words - 3 pages In the years between 1830 and 1860, the United States grew economically, socially, and most noticeably, geographically. In this time period, Texas, Oregon, California, New Mexico, and Arizona were gained, completing the continental United States. Many Americans in the 19th century believed this acquisition of territory was a manifest destiny, or event accepted as inevitable. They thought it was the destiny of the U.S. to control all land from

"Manifest Destiny" enabled American Indians to experience the fruits of a civilized life for the first time

911 words - 4 pages The American Indians were generally peaceful and organized people. They have lived in the continent of what the white Americans know as 'North America' for thousands of years. This developed civilization established unique beliefs, customs and way of life and therefore led a civilised life long before the white American's "manifest destiny", an American dream of a new life. In 1845, democratic leader and influential editor named John L

Compare and contrast America’s “Manifest Destiny” of the mid-19th century with its “Imperialism” of the late 19th century

1301 words - 6 pages , the Manifest Destiny became a popular idea to follow; it was God’s will for America to expand their land to the West Coast. However, after this was accomplished, Imperialism came about a short time period later. Imperialism is much like the Manifest Destiny, but in a more greedy way. Imperialism is most definitely glorified to seem like a favor America is doing—by becoming an empire—and taking these smaller nations and countries ‘under their

Manifest Destiny and how the United States gained land through purchase, warfare, and negotiation. - 10th grade - Essay

622 words - 3 pages Chris Comeau Period 2 Mr. Farrar 5/4/17 Manifest destiny is the belief that God wanted the United States to own all of America. The United States achieved this through many ways. The United States acquired land to complete their manifest destiny through purchase, warfare, and negotiation. The United States had money from the Industrial Revolution and from the cotton gin. They used this money to expand western. They started western expansion by

'expansion' this essay looks at the expansion of the united states during the presedency of james k polk, and his belief in manifest destiny

567 words - 2 pages ExpansionDuring the 1840's the United States expanded a great deal. The U.S. gained land in Texas,California, and Oregon. Some of the land was gained diplomatically, and some of the land was gained usingforce. No matter how we got it, we got it, and the land that we got was crucial to the success of thedevelopment of our country. Many people were caught up in the idea of "Manifest Destiny," which wasthe belief that the U.S. was destined to

Assess British-American relations during the 1840's Included manifest destiny, creole affair, fifty four or fight, the caroline,The Webster-Asburton treaty

1286 words - 5 pages British-American relations during the 1840?s had a couple of disputes that could have cause war with Britain. The main things the British and Americans disagreed over in the 18 40?s were borders and ownership of territory. Because of the Manifest Destiny mentality of the Americans they thought that all territory to the west belonged to or would belong to the US. The main territory in dispute was the Oregon territory, which could have went a lot

The Idea Of Manifest Destiny Essay

618 words - 2 pages Manifest destiny is belief held by many Americans in the 1840s that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, by force, as used against Native Americans, if necessary. The controversy over slavery further fueled expansionism, as the North and South each wanted the nation to admit new states that supported its section's economic, political, and slave policies. By the end of the 19th century, this belief was used to support

The Evolution Of Manifest Destiny Essay

992 words - 4 pages During the nineteenth century, manifest destiny became a particularly common concept. This idea stated that Americans were destined to expand across the western frontier and the world because the “superior” Anglo-Saxon race had received God’s divine blessing to do so. The idea first came about during the American Revolution in the 1700s and continued through such events as the Civil War and other nineteenth century conflicts. Americans became

The Main Points Of The Manifest Destiny

704 words - 3 pages Manifest Destiny was a concept developed by Polk; it was a plan for the Anglo-Saxon Americans to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean. In 1845, John L. O'Sullivan, described the annexation of Texas by extension, and the right to occupy the rest of the territory as a right of the American people. Manifest Destiny was a term used to justify the Oregon, New Mexico, and California Annexation. Manifest Destiny would become responsible for the

Manifest Destiny And The Genocide Of The Native American Indian

1406 words - 6 pages A. Plan of the Investigation I. Subject of the Investigation How did the Manifest Destiny ideal affect the Native Americans in the 1830’s? II. Methods a. Research about the origins of Manifest Destiny and the history of the Native Americans from 1830 to 1839. There were two websites that we particularly helpful to me. Reliability, how recently it was updated and how easily it could be edited by Internet users were the main criteria used when