Manifest Destiny, the Frontier and the Expansion of the United States
The Belief in Manifest Destiny
Americans believed they were guardians of something special – “the land of the and the home of the brave.”
Journalist John O’Sullivan coined the term ‘’ during the dispute with Britain over Oregon in 1845.
O’Sullivan argued that, as a republican democracy, it was America’s obvious “to overspread and possess the whole of the continent... for liberty and federated self-government.”
This gave Americans the perceived and to populate the Plains and displace Indigenous Nations.
The Frontier
The US Census defined the as land with fewer than 2 people per square mile.
‘Frontiersmen’ included trappers, Mountain Men, gold miners, cowboys, and homesteaders who ventured into the West.
Historian Frederick Jackson , in 1893, described the frontier as “the meeting point between civilization and .”
Turner said the frontier spirit the American spirit of individualism, inventiveness, and energy.
This view was once widely accepted, but historians today see the frontier as a “crossroads of ,” where various groups fought for control of land and resources.
The Growth of the United States
In the mid-19th century, the United States expanded rapidly westwards and established territories and states in the new territories.
This was a form of . The land was not a wilderness; Indigenous peoples already lived there.
The Belief in Manifest Destiny
Americans believed they were guardians of something special – “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Journalist John O’Sullivan coined the term ‘Manifest Destiny’ during the dispute with Britain over Oregon in 1845.
O’Sullivan argued that, as a republican democracy, it was America’s obvious Mission “to overspread and possess the whole of the continent... for liberty and federated self-government.”
This gave Americans the perceived Right and Duty to populate the Plains and displace Indigenous Nations.
The Frontier
The US Census defined the Frontier as land with fewer than 2 people per square mile.
‘Frontiersmen’ included trappers, Mountain Men, gold miners, cowboys, and homesteaders who ventured into the untamed West.
Historian Frederick Jackson Turner, in 1893, described the frontier as “the meeting point between civilization and savagery.”
Turner said the frontier spirit created the American spirit of individualism, inventiveness, and energy.
This view was once widely accepted, but historians today see the frontier as a “crossroads of cultures,” where various groups fought for control of land and resources.
The Growth of the United States
In the mid-19th century, the United States expanded rapidly westwards and established territories and states in the new territories.
This was a form of colonisation. The land was not a wilderness; Indigenous peoples already lived there.
