Manifest Destiny Research Paper

Today, the United States is very active outside the borders of North America, but this hasn’t always been the case. It was the result of many years and various events that slowly eased the U.S. out of its borders and into foreign affairs. It all started in 1845, with the idea of manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was the idea that it was the United States’ right and destiny to expand. This is what started the U.S. on its journey of expansion that has so far lasted over 150 years. Within that time, the creation of the Monroe Doctrine, the annexation of Hawaii, and the Spanish-American war are three events that will give a great illustration as to how the U.S. has gone from an isolationist country to an imperialist nation. The Monroe doctrine was created by President James Monroe in 1823. The doctrine warned European countries not get involved with any matters in the Western Hemisphere. This document was created in order to prevent any European expansion in the Americas. It also gave the U.S. a considerable amount of authority regarding any …show more content…
According to Digital History, the business men were “aided by the American minister to Hawaii, and backed by heavily armed U.S. soldiers and marines…” (Chamberlain 1). On January 17,1893, the business men and the minister overthrew the Hawaiian government. The Queen asked for the U.S. to revert the actions of the representative, but nothing was done. The Hawaiian islands were very appealing to many countries due to the great position of it’s harbor. In 1900, Japan was looking to annex the island so the U.S. quickly passed a resolution that made the islands U.S. territory. Ever since, Pearl Harbor has proven to be very efficient naval base for the United States. This is one of the earliest examples of the U.S. expanding strictly for the the purpose of enhancing naval strength and opening up new trade