Manifest Destiny

Karmen Geter
Mr. Joried
Block 3 (B)
Unit 4 Essay
Manifest Destiny
From the time the United States declared their independence from England in 1776 to the early 1800s, overpopulation began and places were becoming crowded. England recognized
America’s claims that included most of the land south of the Great Lakes and east of the
Mississippi River in the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary war. President Thomas
Jefferson’s purchase of the territory of Louisiana from the French in 1803 doubled the size of the
United States. These are just tiny bits of the westward expansion that took place over the 1800s.
Manifest Destiny, a term created by John Sullivan, was an expression popular in the 1840s. This ideal, that was influenced by geographic …show more content…
The colonists were in so much debt they were desperate for money.
Expansion to the west introduced gold (California Gold Rush), logging, farming, and freedom

for runaway slaves. More factors include cheaper and faster transportation, knowledge of overland trails, and lastly, the most important factor that affected westward expansion was the belief in the right of Manifest Destiny. Many people believed that the U.S. was destined to secure territory from "sea to sea," from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the right of the country set the plans for conquering land in the west in motion.
Westward expansion was heavily influenced by the introduction of new technology. A lot of colonists who moved to the west risked their lives to open trade and settlement during the harsh climatic and geologic conditions that crossed the country. Technology helped ease some of the strain and, in some cases, ensured success. Canals, stagecoaches, and railroads are some of the new technology that helped the colonists reach their goal of expanding to the west. Traveling across America used to be extremely difficult. As early as 1790, there were thirty …show more content…
As a result, America gave Texas its independence and gained another state.
‘Bleeding Kansas’, or ‘Bloody Kansas’ was also caused by the expansion after the Missouri

Compromise was settled. A major conflict that has impacted modern society is the relocation of the Native Americans, which caused The Trail of Tears.
It was destined for the colonists to move to the west. If they didn’t go, they wouldn’t have been able to make more money, have more space for their families, and come up with ideas for the future. Technological advancements such as the canals and the stagecoach were inspirations for bigger boats and the cars of this day and age. Some of the conflicts that the colonists had, such as the ones that unfairly pushed Native Americans from their land (which
Europeans had been doing since Christopher Columbus) created bad blood between some cultures and stirred up some stereotypes that are still used today. This is probably whv there are so many racial issues today because of how people were treated in the past. With this in mind, a lot of things wouldn’t be the way it is now, if it didn’t happen the way it was

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