The United States during the period 1837 to 1860 was a nation that was expanding, this increasing divides between the North and the South. At the heart of this expansion was the Manifest Destiny. This was known as the attitude of the Americans in this period of the expansion the westward from the coast, it was seen that this move was not just a coincidence, but destiny that the United States would expand coast to coast, the term was first used by John O’Sullivan in 1845 in the United States Magazine and Democratic Review . Historians have looked at the results of the Manifest Destiny and the expansion of the United States, and what factors made it so appealing to Americans. William Earl Weeks described the Manifest Destiny as a philosophy to which the people of the United States would be able to justify their expansion to Europeans and also other Americans . This essay will look at a variety of different elements that were able to show the Manifest Destiny as a positive step into shaping America, but also look at other factors that made expansion ad move westward ideal. Examples of these being the new life that was on offer with a move westward into the unknown where you could create new opportunities, the new economic opportunities that were available by moving westward, which seemed especially tempting given the current economic situation that was present in North America in this period. Another element that was key was the divine right Americans thought they had to this land, and that it was their job to inhabit these and civilise them, even if they were already inhabited. This factor could have proved key to numbers of Americans wanting to make the move, but also a desire to shape America into a World Power.
The expansion of the United States began with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, this opened up new territory which had not been explored by Americans in the colonies previously. With this new opening of land came new opportunity, a chance for a new life somewhere far away from the cramped town that were present in states on the east coast. Julius Pratt examines the meaning of the Manifest Destiny in her article, and the author states that although used by John O’Sullivan in 1845, it uniquely was able to sum up the confidence of nationalist expansionist attitude that it was passed into the vocabulary of the nation Here lies one major factor of the Manifest Destiny that proves so appealing to Americans at this time, a chance for a completely different life in a different territory, it may have sounded so tempting to people who were struggling in the colonies and wanted a new chance.
A factor that would prove appealing to Americans is that Manifest Destiny was a part of this expansion, and it was detailed that around this time, as Albert Weinberg mentions in his novel, that these Americans or the white race believed it was their destiny to open up this new land, they had greater rights toward it than any other, so therefore they could have the use of the soil on this land. This type of thought seemed to have been used by Americans to justify their actions when forcing natives off the land they were on in the west . William Earl Weeks also argues that Americans saw the opening of the west to them as sacred duty to expand across the continent of North America, this to show as example to people for the future . Weinberg also counter-argues that expansion throughout the United States sometimes happened through opportunity rather than a move to grasp land, there was also a natural growth in expanding the United States, it was not just a mind-set geared toward the Manifest Destiny that spurred Americans to find and conquer land .
The economic prosperity of the United States at this time was not fully realised, there was hardships in overcrowded areas such as Boston and Philadelphia, poverty was at large among the working class. Whereas nationally the United States were making waves with their rapid growth as mentioned in William Earl Weeks’ novel, he argues that this growth equalled massive confidence for the future of America , This being said, the unknown nature of the west and surprise economic fortune it could bring, made this factor especially appealing to Americans at this time, but this element shows that the Manifest Destiny was not the only factor that made a move westward a major factor, as these opportunities were not common in Europe for example, North America was mostly unexplored, let alone inhabited by the Americans. Therefore, this new economic hope of the west presented to these people would have been too good for some to turn down.
The growing confidence of the United States was seen by this expansion that occurred all over North America, and it was being noticed in places such as Europe for example. From this American expansion took another turn, it looked to take territory from other nations, and the first was Mexico. As Weinberg states, the war that the United States had with Mexico gave them a new lease of life when it came to territory and expansion. This gave them belief that they were a force, and this was shown as they had gained New Mexico and Upper California . Weinberg also argues that this American Expansionist growth of stature can be seen with their moves to acquire Texas and Oregon . William Barney also looks at American expansion through power, in this part of his novel, he shows how the United States used the threat of its military power to warn off the threats of other nations. The example he uses is the problems the United States had with England over the Canadian Rebellion and the Maine boundary in 1837 , although very little military action occurs, it shows the change in Americans attitude toward territory and the expansion of its territory. Thus this factor can be deemed as key as the attitudes of Americans changed during this period, this could have been due to the Manifest Destiny and the philosophical effects it had in gaining the patriotism of these people, making them feel as though this was their land to conquer, and this added with the growing stature of the United States only served to feed American pride as they became a more powerful force in the World.
In conclusion, this essay has looked at the Manifest Destiny and different factors that made it appealing to Americans in the time period 1837-1860. The Manifest Destiny was appealing to Americans in short because it gave them confidence, it gave the allure that they were creating the future nation that would be a dominant power, which it is now in the World. The Manifest Destiny also gave the Americans a philosophical idea about how they could expand and justify their actions in taking land, as well the religious idea that the ground was theirs by a greater right. While also looking at how appealing the Manifest Destiny, it must be said other factors played a big part in appealing to Americans to expand westward during this time period. The growing strength of the United States in the World is something that gave Americans a confidence boost that moving westward and expanding the nation from coast to coast was a massive breakthrough, this would have created optimism across the United States and would have appealed to them. Also the new life that moving to a completely new part of the United States would bring would have been greatly tempting for Americans, especially the poorer ones that were situated in the overcrowded towns, where economic prosperity would have been larger in the West where an unknown economy lay rather the east coast where the boundaries of rich and poor were evident. Historians have looked at these factors and the Manifest Destiny to see why there was such a big expansion of the United States during this period and although the Manifest Destiny was an appealing element, it was a collection of different factors that ultimately led to this nationwide expansion, which would in turn open up the United States to the rest of the World as a force economically, militarily and politically.