Impact of Manifest Destiny from 1803 to present day

Defined as “an aggressive program of expansion,” Manifest Destiny characterizes American national identity (Haynes, 2006, p. 1). Manifest Destiny refers to both a philosophy and a strategy: a means of crafting the notion of American exceptionalism as well as the methods used to construct American geo-political power. The geographic shape of the United States today owes itself to the principles and widespread embrace of Manifest Destiny, in which Washington laid claim to lands that had to be taken by force, from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 through to the acquisition of Texas and northern Mexico, to the takeover of Hawaii. The consequences of Manifest Destiny continue to reverberate more than two centuries after the initial rise of territorial expansion programs. Manifest Destiny emboldened the American experiment, fueling its economy, bolstering its military and political power, and exacerbating social unrest and disparity.

The relative ease with which the United States acquisitioned new territories helped to expand the economy and establish the nation as a global leader in both raw materials and industrial manufacturing. New land meant renewed opportunities to reap the natural resources available from those territories, also enabling rapid population growth. Manifest Destiny also perpetuated the slave trade and the institution of slavery by opening up new territories that would be incorporated as slave states that could continue to produce goods without having to pay for labor: an issue that precipitated the Civil War (“Manifest Destiny,” n.d.). Other economic consequences of Manifest Destiny include the ability to capitalize on new transportation and communication technologies including the railroads, steamboats, and telegraph (Haynes, 2006). These technologies facilitated territorial expansion, but also enabled the growth of new markets. Moreover, the American economy was facing stiff competition with Britain and other European nations due to the rise of globalization, access to Asian markets, and the need to woo such foreign markets with a greater supply of American goods (Haynes, 2006). Manifest Destiny provided the political propaganda that could be used to bolster the American economy on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.

Long after the harpy cry of Manifest Destiny had died down in the middle of the twentieth century, the economic consequences of this “militant brand of imperialism” could be felt (Haynes, 2006, p. 1). Armed with the religious fervor of the movement, Americans laid claim to lands that were not even geographically contiguous with the rest of the nation, including Alaska and Hawaii. Acquiring these new territories and incorporating them as states extended the reach of the United States with economic as well as political effects. For example, control of the Pacific Rim meant that the United States had direct access to Asian markets for bilateral trade. The importation of Chinese laborers had a major bearing on the growth of the American economy, too. Participation in the First and Second World Wars further enhanced the capacity of the American manufacturing sector to become a global leader. After Europe’s devastating infrastructure damages suffered after World War Two, the United States rose to the occasion as the world’s creditor only because it had for so long aggressively pursued a policy of territorial expansion and rapid economic growth via Manifest Destiny.

The political implications of Manifest Destiny were just as profound as the economic repercussions. During its heyday in the nineteenth century, Manifest Destiny resulted in the deepening divide between federalists and anti-federalists, between slavery and freedom, urban and rural, and between north and south. In fact, Manifest Destiny was “never a clearly defined movement, or one that enjoyed broad, bipartisan support,” (Haynes, 2006, p. 1). Political schisms in American society led to the Civil War, which did not stop territorial expansion but did put an end to the question of whether new land acquisitions would be part of the slave market economy and all it represented.

In addition to the internal disputes resulting from different views on Manifest Destiny, the political philosophy also highlighted potential points of conflict between the United States and neighboring nations: mainly Great Britain and Mexico. Were it not for the principle of Manifest Destiny, Polk might never have won the presidency and initiated the fight to annex Texas. Manifest Destiny directly resulted in the Mexican-American War, after which the United States successfully acquired all the land from Texas to California. Victory during the Mexican-American War resulted in the annexation of the land that would become the states of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming—territories that would have likely remained part of Mexico were it not for Manifest Destiny (“Manifest Destiny,” n.d.). Manifest Destiny also helped clarify the northern borders between the United States and Canada, which was prompted by “the growing sense of anxiety which Americans felt toward Great Britain, the fear of being “hemmed in,” given that Britain controlled not just Canada and the Pacific Northwest, and had already forged political ties with Mexico (Haynes, 2006). Therefore, Manifest Destiny helped give the United States an edge in global politics, proving its military might and willingness to use force to achieve its goals.

Manifest Destiny also transformed the domestic political landscape. Territorial expansion exacerbated regional differences and threatened to fragment an already fractured nation around the time of the Civil War. As a result, federal politics became more bipartisan, with two strong political parties emerging in order to appeal to the broadest possible swath of people (Olson-Raymer, 2014). The same party divisions, and the same social and political divisions, continue to define the domestic political landscape of America long after Manifest Destiny.

A sense of self-entitlement that underwrote Manifest Destiny resulted in a dichotomous and contradictory American society. On the one hand, territorial expansion meant greater social diversity, as Americans came from all socioeconomic classes as well as from various parts of the world. More land required development via immigrant labor, which impacted social, political, and economic policies. With greater diversity came tremendous opportunities to promote heterogeneity and even fulfill the American Dream. Yet Manifest Destiny also resulted in tremendous disparities that continue to permeate American society. The displacement and disenfranchisement of Native Americans is the most obvious social repercussion of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny also resulted in the construction of an Anglo American identity and the denial of the cultural continuities with Mexico. Because Manifest Destiny fueled economic growth, urbanization, and industrialization, it also created new social hierarchies and widened the gap between rich and poor (Olson-Raymer, 2014). Manifest Destiny had a huge impact on African Americans, as it inevitably led to the Civil War and Emancipation but not after several decades of clinging to the slave labor system in the interests of developing new land as rapidly and cheaply as possible. In other words, Manifest Destiny initially perpetuated slavery but ultimately led to its dissolution.

Manifest Destiny encapsulates the spirit of American identity, particularly during the nineteenth century. However, the results of Manifest Destiny continue to be felt today. The twentieth century reaped many of the rewards of Manifest Destiny including the addition of the 49th and 50th states and the additions of territories like Guam and Puerto Rico. With these new territorial expansions also came the belief in American superiority, leading to foreign policies of interventionism as with the bellicose campaigns in Southeast Asia during the 1960s, Central and South America in the 1980s, and the Middle East and Central Asia until now. Even though the nation has ceased trying to annex new territories, the United States continues to spread its culture, economy, and political ideals throughout the world: a continuation of Manifest Destiny.








References

Haynes, S.W. (2006). Manifest destiny. http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/md_manifest_destiny.html

“Manifest Destiny,” (n.d.). History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/manifest-destiny

Olson-Raymer, G. (2014). Political, economic, and social consequences of Manifest Destiny. http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist110/unit3/political.html