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Essay On Manifest Destiny

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The Manifest Destiny was the attitude prevalent during the 19th century period of American expansion that the United States not only could, but was destined to, stretch from coast to coast. Manifest Destiny was mainly accomplished by the Monroe Doctrine, the annexation of Texas, and the Mexican-American War, but we were not a true continental power yet. After 1850, the Civil War, westward expansion, and the rise of big business made the United States a true continental power. By the time James Polk became president in 1845, an idea called Manifest Destiny had taken root among the American people. The belief that the U.S. had a God-given right to occupy and expand gained favor as more Americans settled to the west. Manifest Destiny was …show more content…

The Civil War united the nation and expanded America mainly through slavery. Since slavery was a very partisan issue between the North and the South, ending the issue through the Civil War made the United States more of a united whole. During the Civil War, there was a call for many war materials. This led to a rise of factories and large companies to meet this demand, and after the war, these companies turned the munition into civilian business, allowing for economic growth in the United States. Also, there were lots of changes to the United States. The rise of large industrial corporations made lots of consumer goods, and railroads became huge with companies created for the sole purpose of building railroads. New legislation occurred as well, such as the Homestead Act of 1862. Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this act would eventually result in the transfer of 270 million acres of public lands to private individuals. The Civil War gave rise to not only contributed to our fundamental goal of Manifest Destiny, but to the rise of Westward Expansion. Westward Expansion was the main factor that made the United States a true continental power. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the nation and opened up a little known region to exploration and eventual settlement. The initial westward expansion brought increasing mobility throughout the nation.

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