Manifest Destiny

Paper Summary:

This paper examines and reviews Merk Frederick's 1963 work, "Manifest Destiny and Mission in American History: A Reinterpretation." The paper describes Merk's explanation of expansionism throughout history and the examples that he gives as he informs readers that the U.S. expansionism was not some unique strategy that was only pursued by Americans. The paper also discusses the style of the book.

From the Paper:

"On pages 36-37 Merk lists the multitude of newspapers in 1845 that "were highly expansionist" and supported, indeed promoted, MD. Some elected officials were militantly aggressive; to wit, House member John S. Chipman from Michigan had his eye on conquering Canada. "Michigan alone would take Canada in ninety days," he bellowed. Even respected members of the intellectual community like Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Cullen Bryant got into the act, albeit Emerson's essay ("The Young American") was more along the lines of supporting expansion with an eye to protecting the natural world. On page 40 Merk notes that there were a variety of interpretations of MD that "differed widely" in how the nation should grow and what the strategy should be as to acquiring territory."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Merk, Frederick. (1963). Manifest Destiny and Mission in American History: A Reinterpretation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

More papers on Manifest Destiny:

• Narrative Essay # 5030 : "The Manifest Destiny"
• Analytical Essay # 103154 : "Manifest Destiny: the Backbone of America"
• Essay # 53135 : "Factors Influencing Manifest Destiny"
• Essay # 50932 : "Manifest Destiny" and Industrialization"

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