The Legacy of Manifest Destiny
In the age of reform, America became engulfed in the spirit of Manifest destiny. Manifest Destiny was the belief that the people of the United States were destined with the mission of expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was a common believe that America was chosen by God as a superior nation to expand “from sea to shining sea.” A journalist for the United States Magazine and Democratic Review, John L. O'Sullivan, wrote about the movement in 1839. “The expansive future is our arena, and for our history. We are entering on its untrodden space, with the truths of God in our minds, beneficent objects in our hearts, and with a clear conscience unsullied by the past. We are the nation of human progress, …show more content…
The “Oregon Fever” soon became an epidemic. Know as the "Oregon Trail," the route ran along the Missouri and Platte Rivers, across the Great Plains, and through the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains. The starting point for the 2,000 mile Overland Trail was Independence, Missouri where nearly 300,000 Americans met and traveled west; typically in a covered wagon carrying all of their belongings, inspired by words of O’Sullivan. The phrase manifest destiny was widely used and there were many different interpretations however, it always seemed to outline three basic themes, virtue, mission and destiny; these themes are what made such a significant impact on the people of …show more content…
The virtue of America, later known as American Exceptionalism, was the view that America was above average and for all intensive purposes “good” in nature. Exceptionalism gave fuel for the idea that American was a role model and an ideal for the rest of the world, especially still-developing areas. Exceptionalism origins are traced to Puritan heritage. John Winthrop explains this idea in his famous sermon written 1630, he titled “City on The Hill”. This Sermon called for “the establishment of a virtuous community that would be a shining example to the Old World”. Thomas Paine echoed this notion in his influential pamphlet Common Sense, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand….”. This started a revolution, many Americans agreed with Paine, and realized that the United States had embarked upon a
In the age of reform, America became engulfed in the spirit of Manifest destiny. Manifest Destiny was the belief that the people of the United States were destined with the mission of expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was a common believe that America was chosen by God as a superior nation to expand “from sea to shining sea.” A journalist for the United States Magazine and Democratic Review, John L. O'Sullivan, wrote about the movement in 1839. “The expansive future is our arena, and for our history. We are entering on its untrodden space, with the truths of God in our minds, beneficent objects in our hearts, and with a clear conscience unsullied by the past. We are the nation of human progress, …show more content…
The “Oregon Fever” soon became an epidemic. Know as the "Oregon Trail," the route ran along the Missouri and Platte Rivers, across the Great Plains, and through the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains. The starting point for the 2,000 mile Overland Trail was Independence, Missouri where nearly 300,000 Americans met and traveled west; typically in a covered wagon carrying all of their belongings, inspired by words of O’Sullivan. The phrase manifest destiny was widely used and there were many different interpretations however, it always seemed to outline three basic themes, virtue, mission and destiny; these themes are what made such a significant impact on the people of …show more content…
The virtue of America, later known as American Exceptionalism, was the view that America was above average and for all intensive purposes “good” in nature. Exceptionalism gave fuel for the idea that American was a role model and an ideal for the rest of the world, especially still-developing areas. Exceptionalism origins are traced to Puritan heritage. John Winthrop explains this idea in his famous sermon written 1630, he titled “City on The Hill”. This Sermon called for “the establishment of a virtuous community that would be a shining example to the Old World”. Thomas Paine echoed this notion in his influential pamphlet Common Sense, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand….”. This started a revolution, many Americans agreed with Paine, and realized that the United States had embarked upon a