Manifest Destiny Thesis

During the mid-nineteenth century, a vision on expansion surfaced in the United States. This new vision or ideology was known as Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the idea that the new colonies in the United States not only had the right to expand west, but that it also was the will of God to do so. This new idea gave Americans the right to expand into Native Territory without any consequences. The purpose of this paper is to show that this new belief caused the annexation and near extermination of the Native Americans in the United States.
The idea of Manifest Destiny first came up in the United States around the 1840s. When this new idea first arose many did not agree with it. “Not everyone believed that the United States had a manifest …show more content…
Andrew Jackson was bound to make the removal of the Natives happen. Jackson wanted to “civilize” the Natives and make them “as much like white Americans as possible.” He wanted them to learn to speak English, act like white Americans and follow their ways. In 1830 after many years of trying to make this change happen he signed the Indian Removal Act. This new act gave Americans the right to move into Native land and force them out and claim the land as their own. The removal is what eventually led to the Trail of Tears. Even thou Andrew Jackson was not president during Manifest destiny, his actions made Manifest Destiny legal. This signed act gave the settlers permission to expand into Native territory. By the 1840s most of the white Americans were willing to move into native territory and claim the land for their country. Their greed for land had taken over and the lives of natives were in bigger danger than they had already been