Manifest Destiny: the Backbone of America

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the term Manifest Destiny, coined by John O'Sullivan in 1837 in his "The Great Nation of Futurity", which attempted to explain and justify American expansion and westward movement. The paper holds that Manifest Destiny was sown into the fabric of American history even before O'Sullivan came up with the term. It traces the idea back to similar views held by Samuel Danforth's election sermon of 1670, as well as to Andrew Jackson's Second Annual Message to Congress. The paper explains that men used a collection of rhetorical tools such as paternalism, veiled benevolence, analogous conditions, the God argument, metaphors and exceptionalism to appeal to white Anglo- Christians to push and fulfill America's Manifest Destiny. Lastly, the paper asserts that the meaning of the term has changed today. The paper concludes that the United States no longer uses Manifest Destiny to seek land, but rather to spread American influence around the world as an uninterrupted political authority.

From the Paper:

"The Monroe Doctrine established the idea that the western hemisphere is hands off from European nations. The Monroe Doctrine and manifest destiny go hand to hand. The Monroe Doctrine came into being because of the threat to our security by Russian imperialist. It is believed that manifest destiny was to not only spread out to the West but also include modern day Canada, Mexico, Cuba and surrounding islands. The Monroe Doctrine sought to curb other nations, especially European powers desire to expand in the United States backyard. The purchase of Alaska was to stop Russian expansion in North America. Also, the United States wanted to provoke fear in Spain and France from expanding to Cuba and Latin America. The United States did not want any other country other than themselves to lay claim on this side of the globe. Beyond the Pacific Ocean shoreline with the U.S., manifest destiny set its eye on Hawaii. There was enormous "economic, political, and military power" of the United States that heavily influenced Hawaiian politics (Kagan 325). In 1893, the United States with the help of "light-skinned property owners" over threw the monarchy and Queen Liliuokalani (325-326)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Danforth, Samuel. "A Brief Recognition of New-Englands Errand into the Wilderness." An Online Electronic Text Edition. Ed. Paul Royster. May 2006. 27 April 2007 < http://works.bepress.com/paul_royster/5>.
• Farrell, John. James K. Polk. Ed. Howard F. Bremer. New York: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1970. 12-13.
• Indian Removal Act. United States Statutes at Large, 21st Congress, Session 1,Chapter 148.
• Jackson, Andrew. "Second Annual Message". Ed. James D. Richardson. A compilation of the messages and papers of the presidents 1789-1908, volume 2. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Literature and Art.
• Kagan, Robert. Dangerous Nation. New York: Alfred A, Knopf, 2006. 325-326.

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