Westward Expansion In America

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Isaiah King Was it Destiny to Move West? Hon. U.S History Destiny is neither justified, nor inevitable, but rather a phrase created by man, to defend the perception of what is “meant to be” in their own lives. This is especially true during the time of Westward Expansion in the United States, in the 1800’s. As Westward Expansion continued to grow and expand, the phrase, “Manifest Destiny” became widely popular among all immigrants. John L. O’Sullivan first employed the term in a newspaper article in 1845, phrasing that the westward expansion of the United States, was both justified and inevitable when in reality it is an excuse to justify wrongdoing and self-greed. Of course, this sparked a newfound motivation in Americans, that…show more content…
With America serving as the land of opportunity, this, of course, attracts immigrants from other countries. It is common knowledge that when population rises, land availability decreases. In simpler terms, the piece of America already inhabited by European colonists was becoming increasingly difficult to grow a nation. With technology advancing, innovative ideas springing up everywhere, and an economy advancing rapidly, the United States was desperate for an area of expansion. To give an example of how crowded it really was, The “United States Population Density Map of 1820”, states that most of the East coast consisted of at least 18 up to 89 people per square mile. As painful as it is to say, this does give the Americans some justification for Westward Expansion. Though the reason may be ideal, the actions carried out were everything but ideal. According to “United States Congress, a law providing free land for citizens of the United States in western territories, Homestead Act”, the government set forth a small amount of restrictions, and basically bribed people over the age of 21 with free land, in order to get them to move West. Each man was “entitled” to his own 160 acres. This more than anything set the Native Americans off. In the Natives defense, after the Revolutionary War, a treaty was signed between the United States and Native Americans, stating that land West of our border was rightfully theirs, and a divine inheritance from their “Great Spirit”. The Americans simply chose to ignore that document, and expand anyway. Do you call that
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