The expansion and settlement of the U.S - Essay Example

Whereas many of the nations of Europe have easily differentiated borders, oftentimes that are separated by rivers, mountain ranges, or even oceans, the United States was something of a unique exception to this rule. When it was founded, the 13 colonies comprise only a strip of land along the East Coast – with the majority of the interior and Western mainland virtually unoccupied and/or unclaimed by any powerful nation at that time. Through a series of land purchases, violet acquisitions, and perpetual colonization, the continuous United States came into being.

However, this process of incorporation and inclusion of territories that had not previously been part of the United States was not something that came about on its own. Instead, it was encouraged by the government, by the press, and by individuals within the United States as something of a “manifest destiny”. As this confusing phrase implies, the destiny was that the United States was predisposed to conquer and occupy all of the territory between the Atlantic and Pacific, stretching all the way to Mexico in the South and all the way to Canada in the North.

The primary rationale for this manifest destiny was that God had given the United States a unique opportunity and all of the lands that it was to occupy. Naturally, this particular rationale is reminiscent of the way in which the God of the Old Testament had given the land of Canaan to the Israelites as immutable; upon their exodus from Egypt. In terms of defense ability, this particular rationale is of course completely and entirely indefensible. None of the individuals, whether members of the press, members of the government, where members of the individual society, has spoken with God and were able to definitively conclude that this is what you want.

Furthermore, such a behavior trampled upon the rights of indigenous peoples and those that had otherwise laid claim to the regions that the United States slowly incorporated into the nation.