Excerpt from Encyclopedia
Manifest Destiny, jingoistic tenet holding that territorial expansion of the United States is not only inevitable but divinely ordained. The phrase was first used by the American journalist and diplomat John Louis O'Sullivan, in an editorial supporting annexation of Texas, in the July-August 1845 edition of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review, a magazine that featured literature and nationalist opinion. The phrase was later used by expansionists in all political parties to justify the acquisition of California, the Oregon Territory, and Alaska. By the end of the 19th century the doctrine was being applied to the proposed annexation of various islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
During the 19th century, a variety of motives and ideological beliefs fueled a relentless westward expansion in the United States. Economic opportunity served as a powerful magnet, beckoning individuals and families with the promise of fertile land, mineral resources, and a chance to forge their own destinies on the frontier. This entrepreneurial spirit intertwined with the concept of Manifest Destiny, a prevailing belief that the United States possessed a God-given right to expand across the North American continent.
Manifest Destiny drew upon themes of national exceptionalism and democratic ideals. Proponents believed the nation had a moral obligation to spread its superior way of life and republican government westward. This sense of entitlement, coupled with the perceived vastness and abundance of the frontier, fostered a disregard for the existing inhabitants and the delicate ecological balance of the land. The relentless pursuit of westward expansion, while demonstrably driven by economic aspirations, was ultimately fueled by a potent combination of opportunity, ideology, and a belief in national destiny.