Manifest Destiny was a 19th-century American belief that the United States was divinely ordained to expand its borders westward across the North American continent to the Pacific Ocean. [1, 2]
Key Origins and Definition
Major Expansion Milestones
- Oregon Territory (1846): Settled by treaty with Great Britain, securing the Pacific Northwest. [1, 2]
- Mexican-American War (1846–1848): Ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, adding over 525,000 square miles of land (including California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado). [1, 2]
- Later Acquisitions: Following the Civil War, the "New Manifest Destiny" extended the ideology to overseas expansion, including the purchase of Alaska (1867) and the annexation of Hawaii (1898). [1]
Consequences and Impact
- Displacement of Indigenous Peoples: The ideology was used to justify the forced removal, military subjection, and decimation of Native American tribes who stood in the path of settlement (such as the Trail of Tears). [1, 2]