Manifest Destiny

What is Manifest Destiny?

• The belief that it was America's destiny to conquer and civilize all of North America
• The belief that their destiny was to manifest
• A religious term used to explain Christ's second coming
• A belief that if someone prayed for a certain destiny that they would have it

Who is John O'Sullivan?

• A senator who believed in Manifest Destiny
• An old man who did stuff
• A British political commentator and columnist who coined the phrase Manifest Destiny in 1845
• An evangelist who professed that God wanted Americans to conquer all of North America

True or False: Westward expansion began when the term Manifest Destiny was coined.

• True
• False

How was Manifest Destiny built upon white superiority?

• At that time, only the whites deserved land
• Americans believed that those who were not white and on the continent were not civilized, so it was the job of the Americans to civilize them
• Only white people lived in America
• Americans did not want to share land with those "lesser" than them

How did slavery complicate expansion?

• Moving would give slaves a chance to run away
• It was hard to keep track of your slaves while moving westward
• There would not be enough slaves for everyone in the nation
• By expanding, the balance of slave states and free states is thrown off