t strongly that their nation was
ordained for great things by their Christian God. They believed that
the U.S. was destined to grow and prosper and that its expansion would
serve to benefit mankind. The goal of territorial expansion became the
expressed goal of many politicians, including Polk.
Motivated in part by this overarching belief, the U.S. built a
transcontinental railroad, peopled much of a continent and built a
prosperous nation. However, the principle also had its critics, who
pointed out that in the process the U.S. went to war with Mexico,
risked a war with Great Britain, and displaced tens of thousands of
Despite lack of agreement on the value of Manifest Destiny,
the U.S. would eventually expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Ocean, and from the 49th parallel in the North to the Rio Grande River
in the South. The U.S. would become a world power with seemingly
boundless resources, particularly since the end of World War II
1) What factors were responsible for fueling U.S. expansion across the
continent? Do you think it was inevitable that the U.S. would take
possession of the continent from ocean to ocean? Why or why not?
2) What did John O'Sullivan mean when he described the U.S. as the "great nation of futurity"?
3) Many critics of Manifest Destiny
claimed that it resulted in barbaric treatment of the Indians, who were
often forced off their lands to make room for white settlers. Could the
U.S. have expanded westward without displacing the Indians?
4) Describe what the U.S. would be like today if it had not followed an
expansionist agenda, and Spain, France and Russia still possessed
territory on the continent.
5) Imagine that you are a settler traveling to the territory of Oregon:
Write a letter to a friend back home describing your journey.
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O'Sullivan, John L. "Annexation." The United States Democratic Review, July-August 1845, 5.
O'Sullivan, John L. "The Great Nation of Futurity," The United States Democratic Review, November 1939, 426.
Schurz, Carl. "Manifest Destiny." Harper's magazine. October 1893.
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