The Impact of American’s Manifest Destiny Upon the Westward Movement

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1. Introduction Westward Movement sparkles in the history of United States of America. Through westward expansion, America occupied a dominant position in the Western Hemisphere with vast territory stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, being rich in natural resources, and enjoying a broad market. From start to finish of the Westward Movement, Manifest Destiny played an important role theoretically and mentally. It served as a justification for expansionists who utilized the religious, racial and political ideas to grab a vast tract of land, and as a conviction cherished by the removers to explore the west area. Even though, the Westward Movement came to a close in the history of America, the influence of Manifest Destiny as the ideology of Westward Movement will never be withered away, shaping the national spirit and as a justification for US to establish global hegemony. 2. The brief description of the doctrine of Manifest Destiny 2.1 Historical background The emergence and development of the doctrine of Manifest Destiny was deeply related to its historical background. The situation in the mid-19th century, though very complicated, may be summed up as coming under three categories. Economically, between 1837 and 1845, the country was in economic crisis with high unemployment rates and hugh surpluses. It was necessary to divert people’s attention from domestic difficulty and to develop new market. Besides, the lure of trade with Asia and the harbors along the Pacific Ocean was another element stimulating people to expand westward. Politically, the slavery issue caused conflicts between the industrialized North and the agricultural South. Politicians thought they had found in the issue of expansionism a means to defuse the slavery issue that threatened to divide both the country and the party (Bai 35). Last but not the least, a great number

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