Braiden Wills

Mr. W
Honors US History
23 May 2018

a. Manifest Destiny is the idea that American expansion from the east coast all the way to
the Pacific Ocean was inevitable and justified. Manifest Destiny was prevalent in the
1800s. The belief lies in the idea that the land extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific
was given to the Americans by God and that it was their duty to colonize it and spread
their form of government throughout it.
b. The actions of the government were aligned with the idea of expansionism. For example,
the Louisiana Purchase, which was made by President Thomas Jefferson nearly doubled
the size of the US. The Louisiana Purchase was a prime example of expansionism by the
US.
c. Manifest Destiny had a dramatic effect on the American indians. Through US expansion,
Natives were forcefully removed from their land and were continually pushed westward
to make room for American expansion. For example, in the “Trail of Tears” 18,000
Cherokees were forcibly removed from their homes and were forced to march 1,000
miles to an area called Indian Territory in Oklahoma. About 4,000 natives died during
this event.