“Manifest destiny” was a term heard often 200 years ago. Most of the time it referred to the right to explore and conquer the North American West. Americans felt that they had the God-given right and duty to settle in the West, even if that meant pushing the Native Americans out. For some natives, this meant having to leave the land that their ancestors had lived on for generations. Obviously, the natives did not like this, but when they attempted to fight back, they always ended up losing. In a kind of compromise, several reservations where the Indians could live in peace were established. Often though, as more Americans started moving west, these the Native Americans would have to move again, usually onto swampy or other undesirable parts
