Manifest destiny

Manifest Destiny
is the American belief that it should expand its culture west to the Pacific

Facts

• Happened mostly in the 1840's
• Even though we only got 3/8 territories
• in the 1840s, it was the largest expansion
• in the smallest amount of time.
• 1.08M sq mi total! 

Years

• 13 colonies 1776 (430k sq mi)  
• Treaty of Paris 1783 (397k sq mi) 
• Louisiana Purchase 1803 (828k sq mi)
• Florida 1819 (66k sq mi)
• Texas! 1845 (269k sq mi)

...more years

• Oregon Territory 1846 (286k sq mi)
• Mexican Session 1848 (525 sq mi)
• Gadsden Purchase 1853 (30k sq mi)
• Alaska 1867 (663k sq mi)  
• Hawaii 1959 (4k sq mi)

motivations

• Wanted more land
• Trade (Fur)
• Spread American way of life
• Various types of metal (Gold) 
• Spread Slavery

effects

• Wars were fought
• Gold rush (Immigration)
•  Colonization in the WEST
• Wiping out of the Indian Tribes! :(
• Creation of groups (Mountian Men)

why do we learn about this?

• Manifest Destiny made the US the size it is
• Created lots of wars and other branches of
• history to learn about.

how can we connect today?

• Countries fighting for something that
• they want, whether it be land, 
• independence, etc.

Would history have been different if we didnt do this?

• Yes, our county would 
• Other countries would have been
• occupying the space that we own.