Manifest Destiny and Foreign Policy Essay

The term take the stand Destiny, which American writer John L. OSullivan inaugural use in the New York democratic Review in 1845. , describes what to the highest degree 19th-Century Americans believed was their God-given armorial bearing to expand west fightd, occupy a continental nation, and gestate U. S. innate government to unenlightened deals. The idea was the driving force behind the rapid involution of America into the West from the East, and it was heavily promoted in newspapers, posters, and finished separate mediums.While the perspicuous Destiny was not itself an official government policy, it had a critical impact on the unconnected policy of the U. S. and encouraged double-u colonization, territorial acquisition, and American thought during the 19th century. Westward expansion A. K. A. Manifest destiny led to Americas rapid acquisition of the anile Mexican Southwest and the Oregon Territory that marked the fulfillment of death chair pile K. Polks expansio nistic campaign promises.Polk ran on only one curriculum westward expansion. He wanted to officially claim the southern department of Oregon Territory annex the American Southwest from Mexico and annex Texas. Thus, Polks desire for kill would blushtually cause a great apportion of suffering for many Mexicans, Native Americans and United States citizens. Following the earlier Texas war of Independence from Mexico, tensions mingled with the two largest independent nations on the North American continent grew as Texas eventually became a U. S. state.Disputes over the border lines sparked force confrontation, helped by the fact that hot seat Polk eagerly sought a war in order to seize large tracts of consume from Mexico. The war took graze mainly on Mexican soil. Partially because of disorganization and instability in the Mexican government, the war resulted in and American victory. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war, do the southern boundary of Texas the Rio Grande, gave California and New Mexico to the United States, and gave $15 million to Mexico in compensation.Furthermore, the Manifest Destiny affected the foreign policy of the U. S. finished Polk appointing John Slidell of Louisiana as minister to Mexico, and instructing him to offer up 30 million dollars to settle the disputed claims and purchase California and New Mexicothe grease between Texas and California. Like Polk many Americans during the 1840s-1850s were motivated by the expression of the Manifest Destiny. Specifically, Oregon Fever seized thousands of western Americans hit hard by the scotch depression (kn confess as the Panic of 1837)triggered largely by an over-speculation in federal official lands.Missouri was the starting point of the 2,000 mile Overland Trail, traveled by Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, and other mountain men. Commonly referred to as the Oregon Trail, the route ran on the Missouri and Platte Rivers, across the Great Plains, and through the South Pass of the jittery Mountains. By, Americans moving that far west in Oregon only farther supports that the Manifest Destiny impacted American thought and Westward colonization.Lastly, President James Polk used the cry of Manifest Destiny during his 1844 election, calling for the annexation of All of Oregon, and Fifty Four Forty or trash, both popular rallying cries supporting annexation. James K. Polks used the Presidential bully pulpit and the cry of Manifest Destiny at different beats, first with the British in attempts to gain Oregon and a couple years later to force Mexico to settle in 1848 and compromise, sell California and New Mexico to the United States to help end the war between the US and Mexico.Through the Manifest Destiny, Americans were motivated to seek economic and land opportunities especially in California. For example, the capital Rush attracted an abundance of Americans to strike it rich. James Marshall found capital while working for John Sutter at his ran ch in northern California on January 24, 1848. He had been chartered to build a mill for Sutter. This place would enter American experience as Sutters Mill. Word quickly spread through California, the rest of America and eventually the world and people flocked to California to sack up their fortune.In fact, according to some estimates, the population increased by 86,000 people in two years. Most of these treasure seekers left for California in 1849, hence our name for them 49ers. Next, the first lucky arrivals were able to find nug chances of gold in the streambeds. These people make quick fortunes. It was a unique time in history where individuals with literally nothing to their name could become super wealthy. The gold was drop out for whoever was lucky enough to find it. It is no perplexity that gold fever hit so heavily.Yet the majority of those who made the journey out West were not so lucky. The individuals who became the richest were in fact not these early miners but we re instead entrepreneurs who created businesses to support all of the prospectors. However, the Gold Rush reinforced the idea of Manifest Destiny. America was destined to pas de deux from Atlantic to Pacific, and the accidental discovery of Gold made California an even more essential part of the picture. Furthermore, the U. S. started an act called the Homestead turning.The Homestead Act stated that any White American that is over the age of 21 could move to the West side of the U. S. and own 160 acres of un-owned land if they wanted to. It also stated that a White American could get 160 acres of un-owned land and build a house on it then after 5-years it could be your land. The Homestead Act helped the western expansion in which was fueled by Manifest Destiny through the fantasy of how its the peoples God Given Right to own land. The Manifest Destiny also brought a strong printing of nationalism amongst the peoples.Nationalism was the key point in the west ward expansionism. Without this feeling of unity in our country we never would have made it. The spirit of Manifest Destiny pervaded the United States during the Age of Reformthe decades prior to the polished War. John L. OSullivan, editor of the influential United States Magazine and Democratic Review, gave the expansionist movement its name in 1845, when he wrote that it is the fulfillment of our perspicuous destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.Manifest Destiny was stimulated by nationalism and an idealistic vision of human perfectibility. It was Americas duty to extend liberty and democratic institutions across the continent. Underlying this divine American mission was a feeling of cultural and even racial superiority. All in all the overall concept of the Manifest Destiny, impacted the United States foreign policy through territorial acquisition and influenced American thought in which led to an abundance of Americ ans to move west because of economic, agricultural, and nationalistic beliefs.