Manifest Destiny refers to the desire of the United States to spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. In the 1800s, the United States began to grow as a country.
Once the Louisiana Purchase was made, the United States controlled most land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. People began to move to these new lands. As we moved westward, we believed we were helping our country grow and our economy grow. We encountered different groups of people, mainly the Native Americans and the Mexicans, who lived very differently than we did. We believed these groups were holding back our country’s progress.
The people of our country believed our way of living was superior to the way of life of the Native Americans and the way of life of the Mexicans. We believed the Native Americans were slowing down the growth of the country. We knew the Mexicans controlled much of the land in the West. We knew we needed to control that land in order to fulfill our goal of controlling the territory between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
As a result, we pursued policies to help us control this land. The Native Americans were moved to lands west of the Mississippi River. Eventually, they were placed on reservations. We supported the people of Texas in their fight against Mexico. We were looking for a conflict with Mexico that would allow us to gain the southwest part of our country. The Mexican-American War allowed this to occur.
By 1854, we had achieved our goal of spreading from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Manifest Destiny was now complete. People who believed that is was our duty to control these areas were happy with that we gained control of these lands.
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