Question

Identify two land acquisitions made by the United States between 1800 and 1860 that helped achieve manifest Destiny

Answer 1

Manifest Destiny is the idea that it was America's god-given right to expand/conquer land between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. This policy shaped the Americana federal government for a significant amount of time during the 19th century.

One example of a land acquisition that represents Manifest Destiny is the Louisiana Purchase. This territory was bought from France and almost doubled the size of the US. This acquisition, made by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, was the beginning of the era of Manifest Destiny. Another example would be the Mexican Cession. This was a result of the US winning the Mexican-American War. This gave us states like California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

One positive result of Manifest Destiny was the opportunity for American citizens to move west in order to start a new life. Many Americans moved to the territories acquired during this time and set up successful farms. On the other hand, Manifest Destiny negatively impacted Native Americans, as the US government took large tracts of their land in order to achieve their goals.