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Manifest Destiny
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O'Sullivan's original conception of Manifest Destiny was not a call for territorial expansion by force. He believed that the expansion of the United States would happen without the direction of the U.S. government or the involvement of the military. After "Anglo-Saxons" emigrated to new regions, they would set up new democratic governments, and then seek admission to the United States, as Texas had done. In 1845, O'Sullivan predicted that California would follow this pattern next, and that Canada would eventually request annexation as well. He disapproved of the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846, although he came to believe that the outcome would be beneficial to both countries.[6]
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Note: Manifest Destiny is the term used to describe the belief in the 1840's of a geographical predestination, the inevitable territorial expansion of the United States all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It was believed that because of economic and political superiority, and growing population, the U. S. should rule all of North America. The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was first used in 1845 by John L. O'Sullivan, editor of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review, in an article on the annexation of Texas.
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Manifest Destiny had serious consequences for American Indians since continental expansion usually meant the occupation of Native American land. The United States continued the European practice of recognizing only limited land rights of indigenous peoples. In a policy formulated largely by Henry Knox, Secretary of War in the Washington Administration, the U.S. government sought to expand into the west through the legal purchase of Native American land in treaties. Indians were encouraged to sell their vast tribal lands and become "civilized", which meant (among other things) for Native American men to abandon hunting and become farmers, and for their society to reorganize around the family unit rather than the clan or tribe. The United States therefore acquired lands by treaty from Indian nations, often under circumstances which suggest a lack of voluntary and knowing consent by the native signers. Advocates of civilization programs believed that the process of settling native tribes would greatly reduce the amount of land needed by the Indians, making more land available for homesteading by white Americans.
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Much of the talk about Manifest Destiny had many people suggesting that America should assume the role as a world power. James Monroe in 1822 echoed this idea in his famous Monroe Doctrine when he warned Europe and the rest of the world to "Stay out of the Western Hemisphere" (Demkin Chapter 8).
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Manifest Destiny ideology shaped both public attitudes and government policy, and was constantly updated to suit whatever economic opportunities were available on Native land. For example, the discovery of gold in Georgia led to a barrage of Manifest Destiny propaganda calling for removal of Native peoples from the area. So in 1830 the U.S. Congress passed the "Indian Removal Act", and ... began the dispossession of the Cherokee people. This was legitimised under the Treaty of New Echota, which was signed by President Andrew. The result of this act was the Trail of Tears where Native Americans walked from Georgia to Oklahoma under very harsh conditions. Over 4,000 lives were lost on that forced march.
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Manifest Destiny opens with an overview that traces the causes and consequences of American expansionism. Six subsequent chapters cover topics varying from Andrew Jackson's invasion of Spanish Florida and Indian removal to the settlement of Texas and the Oregon Question. Biographical portraits of Stephen Austin, James K. Polk, Osceola, Santa Ana, John O'Sullivan--the coiner of the phrase Manifest Destiny--and others provide personal glimpses of some of the era's major players. Primary documents such as the Oregon Treaty of 1846, the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and the Polk's declaration of war against Mexico enable students to see actual historical evidence from the time period. A chronology, a glossary, and an index make this the most well-rounded and recent reference source on the topic.
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Manifest Destiny