Manifest Destiny And American Territorial Expansion Essay

Rapid population growth and overuse of the land east of the Mississippi River, coupled with the knowledge that there was an abundance of land for new settlement west of the river, led to the ideology of expansionism; the ideology became simply known as Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, written by Amy S. Greenburg, deeply explains the motivation of the individuals looking to expand their settlements westward. Since the time of publication, we have realized that we could have handled the situation, in which we removed the inhabitants of the west from their homeland, in a better way. Americans believed that it was their God-given right to expand westward by destroying anything in their path. â€Å"†¦courageous pioneers believed that America had a divine obligation to stretch the boundaries of their noble republic to the Pacific Ocean.† (â€Å"29. Manifest Destiny.†) Amy Greenburg wrote Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expa nsion to help others better understand the meaning and ideology of the term Manifest Destiny. In order to understand the historical context in which this term, Manifest Destiny, came about, it is necessary to completely comprehend that overcrowded communities were becoming quite an issue in America. Written upon the need for expansion, Greenburg details how mass migration flushed the inhabitants residing west of the Mississippi River from their territory as Americans took over all the land. The displaced Native Americans andShow MoreRelatedEssay on Manifest Destiny and American Politics658 Words   |  3 Pagesfurther division of American politics. The most divisive issue in American politics during this time frame was the idea of Manifest Destiny, or territorial expansion. 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