Summary
As the population of the 13 colonies grew and the economy developed, the desire to expand into new land increased. Nineteenth-century Americans believed it was their divine right to expand their territory from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. "Manifest destiny," a phrase first used in 1839 by journalist John O'Sullivan, embodied the belief that God had given the people of the United States a mission to spread a republican democracy across the continent. Advocates of manifest destiny were determined to carry out their mission and instigated several wars, including the war with Mexico to win much of what is now the southwestern United States.
In Manifest Destiny, Updated Edition, learn how this philosophy to spread out across the land shaped our nation. Bolstered by extensive photographs, this curriculum-based eBook is ideal for students writing reports.
About the Author(s)
Shane Mountjoy lives in York, Nebraska, where he is associate professor of history at York College. He holds an A.A. from York College, a B.A. from Lubbock Christian University, an M.A. from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Missouri–Columbia. Mountjoy has written and edited more than 10 books, including Philadelphia and St. Augustine in the Chelsea House series Colonial Settlements in America.