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Manifest Destiny Research Paper

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The nineteenth century brought on a doctrine of belief based on American Exceptionalism that Americans were destined by God to settle in the land to the west. The westward movement of the American people meant occupation of all land regardless of who was already present on it. This “destiny” of the American people manifested itself by causing horrible depredations to the native populations and stripped them of the land they had lived on for millennia.
The idea of manifest destiny originated with Jane Cazneau but was stolen by a man named John O’sullivan who coined the term when he published an essay that put to words the existing American belief that it was their God given mission to travel west and spread democracy throughout the country. …show more content…

At the time when Texas still belonged to Mexico, Mexico looked up to America’s republic and established one of their own. They began offering land grants to anyone wanting to move into the territory and farm the area as it proved good for agriculture, especially cotton. A huge influx of settlers immigrated to the area and quickly outnumbered the Mexicans and the Comanche Indians that lived there bringing with them slaves that were not allowed under Mexico’s republic. Settlers not adhering to the law of the land made the Mexican government threaten to rescind the land grants they provided, which in turn angered settlers and the conflict began. Mexico sent and army led by Santa Anna to the Texas area to face off with the Texans who were making their stand at the Alamo. Santa Anna wiped out all of the Texans present at the Alamo, but went on to be defeated by Sam Houston and his army of Texans. This loss for Mexico resulted in them signing a treating granting Texas to America, which eventually was admitted into the union as a slave state. The American’s annexation of Texas from Mexico is an example of how Manifest Destiny manifested itself to the west and stripped native populations of the land they lived

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