Manifest Destiny: A Strong Sense Of American Imperialism

Manifest Destiny, a strong sense of American nationalism and vision of social perfection, was an aggressive expansion movement that diminished the presence of other civilizations throughout the country. The introduction of Europeans in early America was the foundation of Manifest Destiny, as it was when the major seizing of the native civilizations’ land occurred. Forwarding in time to 1800, there were many acts of imperialism that contributed to the development of the expanding ideology of Manifest Destiny. A sense of American nationalism is a motivator for expansion. There were many additions to early America after the first permanent settlement of Jamestown. The Louisiana Purchase was the addition of approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River from the French. With the complete disregard of the native tribes, Thomas …show more content…
Even though the foundation of the United States was for religious freedom, many groups try to establish a standard religion amongst many or try to create their own society based on their beliefs. During the beginning of the nineteenth century, whites believed that the Indians were “noble savages” and that civilization was possible among them, however the Native Americans had their own beliefs that were just unfamiliar to the whites which led them to forcefully coerce the Native Americans to adjust to their culture. Even earlier in time, settlers tried to convert Native Americans to Christianity when they already had their own culture and beliefs. Manifest Destiny may be viewed as a progressive and compassionate movement for Americans, but if viewed at the expense of others, it is an aggressive movement that has ruined the societies and cultures of other civilizations that weren’t made up of the settlers from Europe. It has affected not only the Native Americans, but the French, British, Spanish, Mexicans, and even in a few occasions the lower class of