The Rise Of Manifest Destiny: The Louisiana Purchase

Manifest Destiny was a term coined by John O’Sullivan in 1845 to describe the overwhelming notion that America wanted to expand exponentially. Most Americans during this time period felt it was a divine right to expand and settle the entire continent. This idea of expansion was not new, but an old view, that many great explorers and nations followed while establishing themselves. America was now no different, and looked to gain greater dominance over their own land. To do this, America took advantage of some world events to secure one piece, but an important piece of their expansion. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson knowing what was going on the global scale, was able to purchase the single greatest chunk of North America in a single swoop. This purchase was the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase has often been described as the greatest bargain in American history. The price for the 828,000 square miles, which more than doubled the previous size of the United States, was $15 million dollars, and taking into account the debt relief given to France whom the land was purchased from, the grand total rang up to $27,267,622 - or thirty-three dollars a square mile. This sale was a blessing not only for America, but also for France who was embroiled in …show more content…
The dispute had been taking place for years, since the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819. The establishment of the Monroe Doctrine also increased some of the tensions involved in the formation of the Oregon Territory as well. With the increased tensions in the Southwest, members of Congress and British Leadership formulated a plan to take care of the issue with Oregon. This was completed in June of 1846 with the Treaty of Oregon, which established the 49th parallel as the boundary of America and British