Question

What did expansionists mean by the term Manifest Destiny?

Answer 1

Hint: The term "expansionist" refers to someone who supports or advocates a territorial or economic expansion strategy. We can say that an individual or organisation that advocates for expanding a country's control over its land.

Complete answer:
Manifest destiny was a common theory in nineteenth-century America that American settlers were doomed to spread throughout North America.

Manifest destiny has three main themes as follows:
- The citizens and structures of the United States of America have unique qualities.
- The United States' mission is to redeem and remake the western world in the picture of the agrarian East.
- An overwhelming call to fulfill this vital mission

The philosophy of Manifest Destiny motivated a slew of policies aimed at displacing or destroying the native inhabitants. The most popular man connected with Manifest Destiny is US President James K. Polk (1845-1849). The Civil War exploded as a result of Manifest Destiny inflaming sectional conflicts over slavery.

John O'Sullivan coined the word "manifest destiny" in 1845 to describe the belief that America has a divine mandate to spread democracy and equality around the world. This rhetoric was used to justify both the war against Mexico (1845-1849) and the invasion of the West.

So, according to expansionists, the term Manifest Destiny suggests that America has a unique destiny.

Note: Many people in today's society have denounced manifest destiny as an idea that was used to justify the genocide of Native Americans. Historians also pointed out that "manifest destiny" was a contentious term, with Democrats supporting it and influential Americans opposing it.