The Philosophy of Manifest Destiny - Essay Example

The Philosophy of Manifest Destiny Manifest Destiny is an ideology and movement which was aimed at expanding the American territory. Particularly, it is a systematic body of ideas and values which powered American life and culture in the 1800s. The term was originally used by an American news paper editor, John O’Sullivan in 1845 when writing about anticipated annexation of Texas. He stated that it was America’s “manifest destiny to overspread the continent “according to Wisegeek. (1).The idea of manifest destiny heavily influenced the American policy in the 17th century. It was the driving force behind the fast growth of America from west to east. The idea of Manifest Destiny was promoted in newspapers and other media. In political circles, the Manifest Destiny meant that the American government was destined to launch uninterrupted political influence traversing the entire North American continent. The American people used it to extend political control over frontier lands hence taking control of European powers and Native Americans. The idea of manifest destiny also involved a component of religion. The first puritans inhabited New England and had a feeling that God had “destined” them to establish a religious, political and moral country. Although the philosophy of manifest destiny has become history, the sense of purpose associated with it has persisted in the American society. Similarly a strong secular element of its vestiges has a principle of American foreign policy. Though manifest destiny marks a past era in the history of America it is perceived as the main cause of imperialism in America today. How the Ideas of Manifest Destiny Reflect Certain Racial attitudes Prevalent in the Country in the Mid 19th Century Racism is considered to be a modern idea. The first traces of racism began in America with the establishment of the race-based slave system. The ideas of manifest destiny and the white man’s burden, both capture the notion of racial differences and civilization. In respect of Manifest Destiny, the notion of racial inferiority has been institutionalized in the laws and government policies. As a result, racial definitions have also changed with time (University Microfilms International 34). The idea of Manifest Destiny, which initially had seemed holy, came to be proved as more of a bomb wrapped in Idealism. This is because it later sparked a lot of concern among the Americans. For instance the manifest destiny had stern results for the American Indians as continental expansion targeted the Native Americans who were to occupy the land. The Indians were encouraged to sell their land to the Native Americans and become civilized. This meant pushing away Indians who were not supposed to live like the whites. During the Manifest Destiny period, the idea of Indians selling their land, referred to as Indian removal, became more prominent. Hence, the racial rhetoric went high during the manifest destiny era and it was explained by Francis Parkman. Parkman acknowledged that the Indians’destiny was to melt and dissapeear before the expanding waves of Anglo-American power which went unchanged and unopposed. Why Tension Increased Between the American Settlers in Texas and the Mexican Government Texas was originally Spanish land which borders the United States. It had few Spanish settlers despite it being colonized by the Spanish. Tejanos were the most popular in that land and they were the first people to live in Texas. Stephen Austin, who was a bankrupt miner, was granted permission by the Spanish to establish a colony in Texas. Soon after Austin reached Texas, Mexico became independent leading to Austin’s initial colony becoming worthless. He later asked for land from the Mexicans and was given it on condition that its settlers were to become Mexican citizens and Catholics as well. This led to the population of Americans living in Mexico increasing more than that of Tejanos causing tension and conflict between the two groups. In 1813, some Tejanos who were Texas colonizers during the Spanish colonial time established a government in Texas according to Stacy (124). The Texas government aimed at gaining independence from the Mexicans. Most of the Mexicans were more obedient to the state as opposed to the whole country. As noted in the writings of Antonio Menchaca, who was a Tejano, the revolution of Texas was originally caused by the colonial Tejano. At around 1831, Anglo settlers became more than Tejanos in Texas. As a result, the Mexican Government barred slavery, an action which infuriated the slave owners. The American settlers as well as the Tejanos revolted against the centralized power of Mexico City and the regime of Santa Anna. However, others remained obedient to the Mexican government while others were neutral. Why the Policy of Manifest Destiny Was Closely Associated With the Democratic Party The term Manifest Destiny raised the notion of divine permission for the territorial expansion of America. However, different arguments against the expansion of the western territory were raised specifically by those on the eastern side. This is because they feared a dilution of authority over the national affairs. Manifest Destiny implied that the democratic government had no right to extend itself towards such a huge territory. The philosophical perspective of Manifest Destiny was founded on the notion that the United States was destined to expand democratic institutions found in North America. This is due to the fact that these institutions gave the country greater moral permission to govern territories while others would did not believe this issue. This was specifically clear in the case of Texas, and a better replacement of Mexican dictatorship. Democracy was also applied in the Oregon territory as suggested by Goldfield (67). Manifest Destiny was a popular and well understood term which was highly adopted by successful political parties in America, the Democratic Party in particular. The phrase manifest destiny came to fallout of use with the introduction the United States policy initiated in last century. However some commentators believed that its aspects to promote democracy have continued to influence American political ideas. The Manifest Destiny was a general idea rather than a particular policy whose perspective was reflected more on the ideas of democratic parties. The idea of Manifest Destiny in as far as democracy is concerned, has been discussed differently by different writers. For instance the term was used by democrats to aid the expansion objective of the Polk administration. Other Interests apart from Land that Americans had for Migrating to the Oregon Territory The Oregon territory was of great importance to both the Americans and the British hence the Oregon boundary dispute. Both countries had territorial and commercial interests in the Oregon territory. The Americans had various interests in the country and they referred to it as the Oregon country. The Americans aimed at controlling and benefiting from lucrative fur trading activities which took place along River Columbia. The United States was also interested in possessing the deep areas of the river which were good for building ports according to Rodriguez (167). The American government aimed at getting the waters from river Columbia and also from the ocean which surrounded Oregon for agricultural purposes. The river was considered of commercial interest as it would attract tourists to the area hence more finances. The country also possessed good harbors along the Pacific Ocean and these were of great interest to the United States. The presence of ethnographic collections was also of great importance to the Americans. Americans were attracted by the agrarian products of the Oregon country, especially wool which was used in manufacturing military uniform. The presence of gold mines was also of interest to the Americans. There was successful wheat farming in the Oregon area which would provide good supplements when the mines went down. Thus, due to the presence of minerals, water and trade routes along the ocean, the country was of more interest to the United States. Works Cited Rodriguez, Junius. The Louisiana Purchase: a historical and geographical encyclopedia. London: ABC-CLIO. 2002. Print. Goldfield, David. American Journey. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2004. Print. Stacy, Lee. Mexico and the United States. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. 2002. Print. University Microfilms International. Dissertation abstracts international: The humanities and social sciences. New York: University Microfilms International. 2006. Wisegeek. (n.d). What is Manifest Destiny? 2012. 4 March, 2012. Web. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-manifest-destiny.htm Read More