Manifest Destiny

            The Manifest Destiny was the name given by the aggressive Anglo-American expansion of the west. The advocates of the manifest destiny believed that white Americans were special people they believed it was God's will for Americans to populate the continent and spread Christianity. Many early settlers in the American West were Protestant Missionaries.
             The Manifest Destiny was religiously inspired but had racist overtones. The believers of the Manifest Destiny believed White-Anglo Americans was the superior race. They regarded the Mexican-Americans and Native Americans as inferior peoples. They took their land and cultural independence under American control. The Anglo-Americans viewed them as barbarians and lazy.
             The Democratic Party in that era was closely associated with the believers of the Manifest Destiny. The Democrats believed expansion to the West would give opportunities for immigrants to escape poverty. The Democrats believed expansion would counterbalance the industrial East and end the depression that the country was currently in. Their theory was that to end the depression more land was needed to export more agricultural goods and create new trading partners with China and India.
             One of the outcomes of the Manifest Destiny was the Mexican war. Supporters of the Destiny wanted to acquire all of Mexico as part of their expansion. This was contrary to the Manifest doctrine of Democratic liberty. The support for the believe of the Destiny soon after ended. .
             The Manifest Destiny mission is a major reason why the United States became the dominant nation in North America. The United States acquired new land in the West providing Americans with more natural resources for the economy. It relieved overcrowded cities in the East and gave the lower class the opportunity to own land. .
             The expansionism also caused the spread of slavery, war, racism, and displaced native people from their land.