Manifest Destiny

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the US concept of manifest destiny and relates that the general perception of the concept is rather hard to determine. The paper points out that, at times, throughout the decades, the presidents of the United States have made use of this concept with little consideration of the initial meaning. The paper also points out that, in the beginning, the political environment in the U.S. was that the mission of the country was to promote the values of the American Revolution, freedom and liberty in the region. Today, however, the banner of manifest destiny is used to justify the supremacy of the U.S. as it wages the war on terror throughout the world with the declared aim of making the world a safer place.

From the Paper:

"An interesting point related to the issue of manifest destiny is the actual use of the notion and its meaning for the collective mentality of a people. The idea that the United States has a mission above the worldly considerations of politics and foreign and internal affairs tends to motivate people for a cause. This could have been one of the reasons for which the notion was used throughout the conduct of foreign policy. In this sense, the Civil War represents an eloquent example."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allard, Phil. "Manifest Destiny Noble Ideal or Excuse for Imperialist Expansion?" Issues and controversies of the American History. April 10, 2006. 23 April 2008 http://www.philwrites.com/H_manifest_destiny.htm#h2
• Calvocoressi, Peter. World politics since 1945. Budapest: Open Society Institute, 1996.
• Gort, Thomas. "Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points. January 8, 1918". American History Page. N.d. 23 April 2008 http://www.hbci.com/~tgort/14points.htm
• Haynes, Sam W., and Christopher Morris, eds. Manifest Destiny and Empire: American Antebellum Expansionism. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1997.
• Jenkins, P. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.

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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