How Successful Was The American Population In The 19th Century

In the nineteenth century, the American population had an unending sense of hubris, believing not only that they were capable, but that they were destined to expand their dominion of democracy across the entire North American continent. The enormous sense of pride the American people expressed was not surprising, it had been seen since the original pilgrims colonized the continent. Travelers had come half way across the world to express their independence and fought for their rights against the largest force in the world; their confidence was unlimited. Since the birth of the nation, the American people have seen their democracy as the pinnacle of freedom and have spent countless years spreading it throughout the world. Before Americans spread their focus to the world, they first sought to expand their reaches to the edges of the continent they inhabited. The confidence and sense of superiority the nineteenth century population felt came to be known …show more content…
Due to high birth rates and relatively open immigration, the population of the United States grew by over four hundred percent. On top of the population growth, the acquisition of land from France (Louisiana Purchase), Spain (Adams-Onis Treaty), and England (Oregon Treaty) more than doubled the size of the country. Though the phrase “Manifest Destiny” was not used for any political gain, the idea it entailed led to significant political success for presidential candidates in the early 1800s who led the push for the growth of the country. (“Era of U.S. Continental Expansion”) This initial growth of the country however did not come at any large expense of lives or oppression. The Louisiana Purchase is still one of the largest land deals in history, and the acquisition of Florida and the Oregon territory both came through treaties. It wasn’t until some time after the original annexation that the Americans fully expanded into their new