Manifest Destiny was the slogan behind the philosophy that Anglo-Saxon Caucasian Americans had the innate liberty and right to possess uncultured lands and spread the message of liberty and democracy. The Anglo-Saxon Caucasians believed they were a superior race and as a result, had the authority to inflict their views and beliefs on the culturally inferior races. These were namely the Mexicans, and Native American Indians. The slogan, Manifest Destiny, gave them a sense of arrogance and inconsideration to peoples of other ethnicity. This philosophy along with other factors accounted for the massive westward exodus of Americans. .
Anglo-Saxon Americans" decision to expand their territory westward, they believed, was a part of their future and was inherently bestowed upon them as a result of their superior birthright. Their move westward, they believed, was a part of their call to this new country and a means of establishing themselves as the supreme race in this new, evolving, and democratic society.
Another factor influencing this massive westward exodus was the dream of social and economic stability and independence. The young, poor and societal leeches were enticed by the envisioned prosperity awaiting them in the west. Furthermore, the land in the west was "fertile, abundant, accessible, and at $2 to $3 per acre, was far cheaper than in the east" (Goldfield, page 393).
The north and southwestern states, inclusive of Native American and Mexican territory, were not only seen as productive property ideal for superior Anglo-Saxon Caucasian settlement but was also seen as a necessary tool for ethnic domination. As a result, there was a blatant disregard for previously enacted treaties regarding land boundaries. These treaties between the so-called inferior ethnic groups, named above, and white settlers were undermined and eventually new treaties established, much to the disapproval and chagrin of these other races.
