Download Manifest Destiny - Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy

Manifest Destiny
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Manifest destiny was the belief held by Democrats in the United States in the 19th
century that American settlers were destined to expand across the continent.
This concept, born out of "A sense of mission to redeem the Old World by high
example ... generated by the potentialities of a new earth for building a new
heaven".
The phrase itself meant many different things to many different people. The unity
of the definitions ended at "expansion, prearranged by Heaven".
The United States had just ended the Civil War (1861 – 1865)
There was a need to unify the country
“Manifest Destiny” gave Americans a reason to unify and believe it was the
greatest country in the world….God given
With the use of this ‘old mentality’; private investment; government policies;
increased immigration (source of labour) – the United States would go through its
greatest period of growth in her history
In Summary
• Carnegie and Rockefeller differed in their approach to
business: Carnegie favored competition and charity;
Rockefeller favored monopoly and rugged individualism
• The oil, steel, and railroad industries helped each other
grow and depended on each other for success
• In less than 30 years, the U.S. became the leading
manufacturer, transporter, and richest country in the
“civilized” world