Download Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny
Enduring Image and Causes
American Progress
Political Roots
• The US expanded greatly after the American Revolution. New
territories were acquired either through purchases, annexation,
treaties, or war.
• The idea of “Manifest Destiny” became popular in the mid-1800s
and led Americans to believe that they needed territorial buffers
to protect the nation from outside invaders.
• While the Northwest Ordinance outlined how a new state would
gain admission, adding new states would cause conflict due to the
issue of the expansion of slavery
• The Mexican-American War was caused by boundary disputes
between Mexico and the United States. The end result was the
annexation of Mexican territory into the United States.
• “… our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by
Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying
millions.” John O’Sullivan, 1845
Economic Roots
• The idea of “Manifest Destiny” led many
Americans to believe they needed new territories
for economic opportunities.
• Newly developed areas in the US that were not
part of the “Original 13” became known as the
frontier and/or the West.
• Many people began to move west as the nation
expanded to find new opportunities. Many of
these pioneers took trails such as the California
Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Mormon Trail
Social Roots
• The idea of “Manifest Destiny” became
popular in the mid-1800s and put forth the
idea that America was destined to stretch
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was
believed this expansion was ordained by God.
• Immigrants from other countries, such as
Germany and Ireland, began to migrate in
larger numbers to the US to take advantage of
cheap land and new opportunities.
Exit Ticket
• Compete the sentence stem to identify what YOU
think was a greater motivator for America’s
expansion west.
• I think political/economic/social reasons were the
greatest motivator for America’s expansion west
because…