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Manifest Destiny, A Term Coined By John O ' Sullivan Essay

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Manifest Destiny, a term coined by John O’Sullivan in 1845, was the belief that settlers to the New World were predestined to spread westward from one coast to another. The impact of Manifest Destiny and western expansion can be seen today simply by looking at a map. It is why the United States has its shape. One group of people that were greatly affected by westward expansion was the Native Americans. From contagious diseases to being forced to move from their homes the moment the first settler reached the New World the Native Americans’ lives were forever changed. Prior to European invasion, Native Americans were generally healthy people. But, when European settlers arrived to the New World they brought with them diseases to which the Native Americans had no immunity. Native Americans typically treated illnesses with spiritual rituals which proved to be no match for European diseases. Disease spread quickly among the tribes. Whole populations could be decimated before they were discovered by the European settlers.1 The most common deadly diseases were smallpox and measles both of which can be spread through the air making them highly contagious. In an article about smallpox and Native Americans Kristine Patterson said, “Among the new infectious diseases brought by the Europeans, smallpox was one of the most feared because of the high mortality rates in infected Native Americans. This fear may have been well-founded, because the Native Americans were victims

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