In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas from Illinois proposed a bill to organize the vast Nebraska territory west of Iowa and Missouri. Hoping to rally the Democratic party and unite the nation by reviving the idea of Manifest Destiny, Douglas proposed what would become known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Douglas unknowingly renewed a decades old debate over slavery and caused the nation to fall more deeply into a sectional divide that would split the Union in the years to come.
The origins of the Kansas-Nebraska Act lie in the uncontroversial issue of the advancement of Midwestern settlement. Farm families in Iowa and Missouri had longed to expand into the great frontier to the west, but this region had yet to be organized into a territory. Plus, many advocates of national expansion wanted to build a railroad from the East coast to the West coast and wished to have it pass through the Midwest so that these states could realize the economic benefits that a railroad would bring. A railroad linking the Midwest to the coasts would also enhance the importance of the Midwest and boost the region's political influence in national politics. Stephen Douglas, a senator from Illinois, embraced the ideas of a railroad to the Pacific and the organization of the Nebraska territory as ways to unite the rival factions of the Democratic party behind the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. He wished to heal the wounds of sectionalism between the North and the South with the Kansas-Nebraska Act by focusing the country's attention on the railroad and movement westward. .
Political pressures greatly shaped the Kansas-Nebraska Act and caused Douglas to make great modifications to his bill. While Southern congressmen wanted a railroad to link the East and West coasts, they opposed the idea of building it in the North. Instead, they advocated that the railroad pass through a southern city such as Memphis. Additionally, since Nebraska is within the area of the Louisiana Purchase and above the 36-30 line, the territory would be closed to slavery.
The Manifest Destiny was the name given by the aggressive Anglo-American expansion of the west. ... The Manifest Destiny was religiously inspired but had racist overtones. ... One of the outcomes of the Manifest Destiny was the Mexican war. ... Opponents of the Manifest Destiny viewed their expansionism as Imperialism. ... The principals of the Manifest Destiny were false and not of God's providence. ...
Manifest Destiny, before becoming nationally known, started very meagerly. The term "Manifest Destiny" was first used by Congressman Robert Winthrop before being made popular by John L. O"Sullivan in 1845 (Manifest Destiny). ... Another reason was "in 1818 and 1839 the United States suffered an economic depression" (Manifest Destiny). ... Manifest Destiny affected the United States greatly. ...
Manifest Destiny was a phrase first coined by John L. ... This is not to say that Manifest Destiny was only a great social plan. ... Manifest destiny has indeed affected our country (and the rest of the world) in many ways. ... This, however, is not to say that the concept of Manifest Destiny was a completely glorious one. ... This negative side of manifest destiny has also survived today. ...
Coining the Phrase The idea of Manifest Destiny became the guide to American expansion. ... A Disputed Philosophy This section is about opposing attitudes and views about Manifest Destiny. ... To This End I believe that Manifest Destiny has no beginning or end. ... A Metamorphosis I believe we will not see the end of Manifest Destiny in our lifetime. I think that Manifest Destiny did indeed take on a whole new perspective. ...
The movement, letter tagged as "Manifest Destiny" was what drove American settlers to actively seek control of territories within the American continent and the Monroe Doctrine is what they later used to keep European nations from interfering with it. The Federal Government used manifest destiny to support expansion and believed the expansion was necessary to enforce the Monroe Doctrine. Manifest destiny was a phenomenon, a mindset, and a movement. ... The Manifest Destiny ideology was put in place yet again when the U.S. set eyes on Mexican territory around 1845. ... Countless li...
"Manifest Destiny", Adequate or Not As I look back at time I sit and ponder, " Was Manifest Destiny an adequate reason for the conquest of the lands that contain the United States. "In 1845, John O'Sullivan, editor of the influential Democratic Review, coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny" to describe this vision of a United States stretching from Atlantic to Pacific." ... The idea of Manifest Destiny was based on the idea that America had a divine providence. ... As a strong believer in God I do believe that Manifest Destiny was an adequate reason for the conquest of the lands that c...
This thirst to expand was outlined in an ideology that became known as Manifest Destiny. ... As with all political issues, there were different opinions as to what Manifest Destiny truly meant. ... O"Sullivan reflected this attitude in a portion of an editorial piece titled "Manifest Destiny" . ... Manifest Destiny can be considered in today's historical context as a sort of two-faced ideology. ... The only Destiny that the Americans were concerned with manifesting was their own. ...
What Is Manifest Destiny? ... Manifest destiny declared America as this land. The Roots of Manifest Destiny. ... Manifest Destiny in Practice. ... The Ever-Changing Manifest Destiny By the end of the 19th century, the belief in, and drive of manifest destiny was grinding to a halt. ...
The Manifest Destiny bettered the nation by first expanding its territory further to create a stronger nation. ... The Manifest Destiny could be viewed in various perspectives such as one of a progressive movement. ... The Manifest Destiny could also be seen as a progressive movement for the nation according to John L. ... The Manifest Destiny has also been viewed as a movement of aggressive imperialism and harmful to many people. ... The Manifest Destiny showed many attempts in aggressive imperialism which caused many individuals to hurt in the end. ...
