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Westward movement had been an American priority before the 19th century. As soon as the English colonized North America, they hoped to conquer the vast wilderness to the west.
U.S. President Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803 had doubled the size of the country, sparking people’s desire to move west.
Spreading settlements along the country’s borders caused friction with others. The intervention of the U.S. government often resulted in the annexation of more territory.
Mexican-American WarA lithograph, Soldier's Adieu (dated about 1847), depicts public enthusiasm for the Mexican-American War.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.Many Americans felt it was the will of God to expand the country.
Some historians have stressed the role of government and influential corporations, which had the ability to overwhelm indigenous populations during the pursuit of land and resources.
Military strength led to a second wave of Manifest Destiny in the late 19th century.
Effects
By the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the United States had extended sovereignty from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and from the 49th parallel on the Canadian border to the Rio Grande in the south.
Indigenous populations suffered through armed conflict and forced relocation.
The sparsely populated western regions of the continent became folded into a nation with enormous potential for power. The hundreds of thousands of settlers who moved west established new communities.
New territories gave the country access to greater natural resources and the Pacific trade. But the acquisition of new territories also revived the debate over slavery and its expansion, an issue that would lead to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861.
Manifest DestinyAn illustration by Udo J. Keppler from Puck magazine in 1895 depicts Uncle Sam dreaming of conquest.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-USZC4-4908)The second wave of Manifest Destiny led to the American acquisition of territories beyond continental North America.
