What conditions underlay the concept of Manifest Destiny, and what were its implications up to 1854?

What conditions underlay the concept of Manifest Destiny, and what were its implications up to 1854?

            The concept of Manifest Destiny had conditions that served people in a variety of ways. The Manifest Destiny reflected both the idealistic vision of social perfection through the church and the pride that characterized American Nationalism in the nineteenth century. Either of the showcased the reform energy of that time. However, the conditions on their own created different reasons to acquire new land. All the conditions together depicted the American ideology to dominate and in both poles.

To begin with, the religious influence made some people believe that The Manifest Destiny was based on the fact that America consisted of divine providence.   It meant that the country was destined by God to have more significant borders, which was not limited to any region. Therefore, traveling and expansion was from The Manifest Destiny’s spirit. The spirit was a belief that stated, ‘it was God’s will that Americans would spread around the continent to control and populate the country they would find fit.’ Therefore, most people believed that God had the power to guide and control human destiny. According to DEMKIN, ‘The burden to conquer and Christianize the land was a white man’s burden.’ For instance, the Puritan notion of developing a city on a hill was incorporated into The Manifest Destiny. It made it a religious, worldly, and utopian destiny.

Secondly, the Manifest Destiny did provide a sense of mission to people. Some people saw the concept as the unavoidable domination of the American population from sea to sea. The selfless approach intended to extend American liberty to newer empires. Therefore, the North West expansion consisted of the fur trappers who were in search of further beaver reserves. They looked for new passages and trails through the mountains, therefore, going through the Far West fertile valleys. Later on, the stories of their journeys publicized the newly discovered region of the West. Many people were interested as they saw a chance at agricultural opportunities. Additionally, the new land gave people a reason to seek for adventure.

In the early 1840s, expansion was quite high. For instance, some people headed to the Pacific Northwest from the Oregon Trail while others went to California via the Oxbow Route from Missouri. The Santa Fe Trail went to the Old Spanish Trail from independence. Therefore, around 1845, an estimate of 5100 people had traveled to the Oregon Willamette Valley using the Oregon Trail. The trail was the longest of the first trails that were going west. It is because it passed through at least two thousand miles through the desert, harsh prairie, and rough mountain terrain from independence, Missouri, up to the North-Eastern region. During its short life span, at least 400, 000 settlers had used the trail and marked it. When Clark and Lewis discovered the path, around thirty thousand grave marks marked it.

Even after the hardships and frequent deaths of people, The Manifest Destiny continued to appeal to expansionist interests. First, the first wagon was established in 1831, and it led to the formation of the territorial government in 1848. Therefore, the Manifest Destiny led to the growth of America.

The Manifest Destiny was responsible for the new interest in regional growth. Therefore, by giving people a sense of mission, they became tempted by the unlimited lands and tracts that were far beyond their country. Additionally, the desire to establish trade with people from the Far East made expansion a priority. Thus through going west, a new trade route would be opened. Moreover, people feared for the security of America as they thought it would be impaired by foreign intervention, especially along its borders. Therefore, the only way to deal with the fears was to conquer the lands that were beyond the American territories.

Regardless, there was also a dark side that underlaid the Manifest Destiny. It included the fact that the white people could destroy anything and more since he had a right to so. This referred to the Indians who got in the Americans way. If the Indians were to trace the path of The Manifest Destiny from the West, it would call for mass destruction of tribal organizations, genocide, and confinement of the Indians to reserves. Additionally, the dark side of The Manifest Destiny depicted the beliefs of the white man concerning his settlement of the land, and the civilization of the native people was doomed.

Therefore, settlements that were beyond the Western territories made a promise to fulfill the American dream. The dream consisted of a pledge to get freedom and independence of vast land. Thus, the agrarian spirit provided an attitude that nothing would stand in the way of the progress of the Manifest destiny. The American was able to take all the land they wanted with the belief that the Manifest Destiny had given them the power and right to do so. Most of the people settled for farming the Indian land.

Towards the late 19^th century, the Native American Movement onto Indian reservations ended. The government wanted to get rid of tribal governments by breaking up Indian reservations under the progressive Manifest Destiny Doctrine. Therefore, in the early 1850s, America had conquered most of the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific. According to historians, the Manifest Destiny Doctrine had ended. After all, the land has a definite and definable limit. Therefore, there was a specific amount of land that needed to be conquered to conclude America’s, Manifest Destiny. Thus, having achieved this, the concept ended.

In as much as some people believed the Manifest Destiny was based on the concept that Americans had divine providence that was proclaimed by God to expand its borders, some thought that the Americans had a mission to highlight their liberty to newer empires. Regardless, both reasons helped to promote the Manifest Destiny. The people, who believed in the concept, were not in short demand and variety.

In conclusion, Americans used The Manifest Destiny as their proclamation of superiority. The Americans insisted that their conquests fulfilled their mission, which emphasized that forces that are beyond human control drive humankind. Regardless, The Manifest Destiny was responsible for creating history in America. If it were not for it, the American territory would be the size of its first settlement. Therefore, it was responsible for American expansion. Thus, the conditions underlying the Manifest Destiny, made America drive to explore and conquer new lands never to die.