On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed in the United States of America. The document declared the United States to be independent from Great Britain, who originally established colonies in America. From this moment on, The United States of America continued to add onto its newly formed country through conquests and treaties. The people of the United States believed they had a God given right to expand and control the territory that laid west of them. This idea of Manifest Destiny (Genovese, 2009) was an ideology of most Americans in the 1800’s. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819, Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842, the annexation of Texas in 1845, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, and the Kansas-Nebraska …show more content…
Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont in 1813, and raised in New England (Capers, 1959, pg 5). His family could not afford for him to attend law school in New England, so he went to Illinois, where anyone could practice law, even without prior schooling (Capers, 1959, pg 8). Eventually, he came a Senator of Illinois, on the Senate Committee on Territories (Vanderford, 2009). When his first wife died, he toured Europe to cope with her death. When he returned home to Illinois, he began to speculate the land, and eventually his profits came from Chicago real estate (Capers, 1959, pg 76). In the 1850’s, the states of the Northwest began to demand money from the Federal government for internal improvements. Douglas used his political influence to help campaign for expansion in the west. A transcontinental railroad was planned to be constructed to help connect the United States. Since a central route had not been placed for the railroad yet, Douglas campaigned for the railroad to have a central route stop in Chicago (Capers, 1959, pg 90). This is an example of Douglas’ selfishness because he had stock invested in real estate in Chicago, and if the railroad was built going through Chicago, Illinois, then Douglas would benefit financially. Douglas then pushed to organize the Nebraska territory, so the railroad could reach from Chicago to places out on the Pacific coast. The northerners favored the railroad going through this unorganized Indian territory to link Chicago to the Pacific (Myers, 2010). The people of the south opposed this because they reminded them of the Indians that had been relocated by the Indian Removal Act (Capers, 1959, pg 92). When the Indian Removal Act was passed, Indians who primarily resided in the southeast were relocated onto reservations west of the Mississippi, which happened to be in the Nebraska territory. Douglas saw to resolve this issue by drafting the Kansas
When looking at American History, it is amazing to see how a colony could defeat the mother country, draft a document that explained why the breaking up had to happen, plus, create a new government of its own. Who would have thought that not only an event like this but also its historical document would be remembered for years to come? According to David Armitage, the Declaration of Independence was remembered as an inspiration for other nations coming into existence over the next 200 years. What is most remarkable is how many nations took the experiences of the American nation and used it to reform and create their own sovereign nations. From an already well established country like France to small colonies like Haiti and Venezuela, these
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most remarkable documents of the United States of America. The elaborate document contains almost fourteen-hundred words including a basic structure divided into two parts and within the two divided parts contains four main ideas within seven components. The declaration is not just any standard written document; it is a work of art painted by colonists who are driven by rage because of King George III of Great Britain injustices’ toward the colonies. This exemplifies that colonists took control and took part in creating the Declaration of Independence by voicing their opinions, hoping to acquire the freedom they deserve, “through time, to come together in one place, in one time, and in one
On July 4th, 1776 our founding father's got together to create, “The Declaration of Independence” One of the quotes that benefit all U.S. citizens is that all people living in the United States are entitled to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Life, meaning every person has the right to live, to literally be alive. Liberty, meaning every person has the right to be whatever they choose, and to live their life however they want. The Pursuit of Happiness, meaning every person has the right to pursue happiness and do whatever makes them happy. These are inalienable rights that can never be taken away. John Locke is the person that created the phrase “The Pursuit of Happiness”, but Thomas Jefferson is the person that thought it was a good idea to put that in The Declaration of Independence. What does this phrase mean for us today? What did it mean for people in the past? What was
The story of the United States has always been one of westward expansion, beginning along the East Coast and continuing, often by leaps and bounds, until it reached the Pacific, what Theodore Roosevelt described as "the great leap westward." The acquisition of Hawaii and Alaska, though not usually included in discussions of Americans expanding their nation westward, continued the practices established under the principle of Manifest Destiny. Even before the American colonies won their independence from Britain in the Revolutionary War, settlers were migrating westward into what are now the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as parts of the Ohio Valley and the Deep South. Westward expansion was greatly aided in the early 19th century in the year of 1803 by the Louisiana Purchase , which was followed by the Corps of Discovery Expedition that is generally called the Lewis and Clark Expedition; the War of 1812, which secured existing U.S. boundaries and defeated native tribes of the Old Northwest, the region of the Ohio and Upper Mississippi valleys, and the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly moved virtually all Indians from the Southeast to the present states of Arkansas and Oklahoma, a journey known as the Trail of Tears. In 1845, a journalist by the name of John O’Sullivan created the term "Manifest Destiny," a belief that Americans and American institutions are morally superior and therefore Americans are morally obligated to spread those institutions in order to free people in the Western Hemisphere from European monarchies and to uplift "less civilized" societies, such as the Native American tribes and the people of Mexico. The Monroe Doctrine, adopted in 1823, was the closest America ever came to making Manifest Destiny official policy; it put European nations on notice that the U.S. would defend other nations of the Western Hemisphere from further colonization. The debate over whether the U.S. would continue slavery and expand the area in which it existed or abolish it altogether became increasingly contentious throughout the first half of the 19th century. When the Dred Scott case prevented Congress from passing laws prohibiting slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska act gave citizens of new
"Independence of happiness" -Susan B. Anthony. The ability to pursuit happiness. The ability to have a dream that your family would do better than you. You can have a dream and make it real. Freedom to choose your own religion, to have your religion, independence is to do what you want to do. All people should have independence, have liberty, to be what they want to be in their life and no one tell you want to do.
Manifest destiny was the belief that God wanted the United States to own all of North America (Hall 301). But John O’Sullivan really only envisioned that white men were the only ones privileged enough to receive liberty (Hal 301). The Manifest Destiny was caused by the American people it gave them a sense of superiority over the other peoples who lived in North America. The declaration of the Manifest destiny wanted to expand the U.S. territory over the whole of North America and to extend and enhance its political, social, and economic influences. Eventually the United States won the war it had ended on February 2, 1848 when Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United
The Manifest Destiny was a popular idea during the 1840s. Many people thought that the U.S. was destined to stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. As a part of the U.S. journey to achieve the Manifest Destiny, many people wanted the annexation of Texas and California. While, Mexico did not want to give Texas or California to the U.S.; over time. These territorial disagreements between the U.S. and Mexico started to become a stimulus for war. When the U.S. started to gain territory from Mexico, the issue of slavery became more frequent because lawmakers argued over whether the adopted territory allowed for slavery or not. Although the idea of the Manifest Destiny sparked a wave of patriotism among Americans, territorial expansion ultimately divided the U.S. between advocates and opponents of slavery. Americans not only wanted the land for economic purposes but they also felt that they needed to teach Mexico a lesson; these ideas were used as the basis of unity during the mid-19th century.
The Annexation of Texas is an example of how manifest destiny played a decisive role in the United States politics and policies in the 1840’s. The Annexation of Texas is where Texas won its independence against Mexico that results from Texas becoming admitted to the United States. This shows how they wanted the United States to become a global power by American expansion. It was President’s Polk’s idea to expand their territory. This relates to the slogan President Polk made “Fifty-four forty or fight!” this represents the victory of claiming the Oregon territory.
called the manifest destiny. It allowed Americans to spread their beliefs all across the continent. Three examples of manifest destiny are Louisiana Purchase in 1803, expansion plans of Polk (annexation of Texas in 1845), and dispute with Great Britain over Oregon
John Hancock was the primary individual to sign the Declaration of Independence the main agents marked weeks after the fact. He was 39 When he marked it. He was conceived in Braintree Massachusetts January 23 1737. His dad was the Reverend John Hancock of braintree 1702 - 1744 a Congregationalist clergyman. His mom was Mary Hawke Thaxter who was conceived August 15 1667 passed on May 8 1752. His dad was a brilliant man who went to Harvard He turned into the minister of the congregation. Hancock was referred to as Johnny as a child. At the point when his dad kicked the bucket his mom who was to poor to bring up her children she sent him to live with his affluent close relative and uncle. When he was only 27 years of age his uncle passed away
The idea of Manifest Destiny that the United States was destined to occupy. The complete North American Hemisphere started to support this idea in the 1840s. This idea began with the annexation of Texas. The Texas annexation was the 1845 incorporation of the Republic of Texas
Manifest Destiny is the term used by early Americans to describe the belief of the God given opportunity to spread and expand westward towards the pacific ocean. Many settlers believed that God himself blessed the expansion of the American nation. Beginning with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Manifest Destiny brought with it not only territorial acquisitions, but also conflicts over the spread of slavery. Southerners wanting to find more land for cultivation, were led to the desire of acquiring new territories. Many citizens (Especially in the North) were deeply concerned about adding any more slave states. Manifest Destiny introduced a heated issue of the addition of slave or free states which provoked war with Mexico in
Manifest Destiny was more than just a phrase, and the ideology behind it helped justify the pivotal actions by the citizens of the United States in the development of America. Manifest Destiny was the belief that it was the mission of the Americans to expand and civilize in new parts from the Atlantic all the way to the Pacific. Manifest Destiny was introduced in 1845 in a news article written by John O’Sullivan about the annexation of Texas. To the Americans, Manifest Destiny brought over a new chapter to the United States, and was used to justify many of the annexations and wars the country would later undergo. Places such as Texas, New Mexico, Oregon Country and California were all acquired partially due to the influence of the ideology. The justification for
On April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was born. He was the author of the U.S. Declaration of Independence; the country 's first secretary of state (1789-94); second VP (1797-1801); and, as the third president (1801-09), the statesman in charge of the Louisiana Purchase. As open authority, history specialist, savant, and ranch proprietor, he served his nation for more than five decades.
The degree to which the Declaration of Independence recognizes and responds to the trepidations of moderates of that time is rather obvious, for the actuality is that their apprehensions must have been appeased, due to the fact that only John Dickinson refused to sign, when all others had seen the justification of separation from Britain, in spite of the threat of war.