Question

Examine and explain the forces that created the concept of "Manifest Destiny." How did Manifest Destiny shape the growth of the United States in the nineteenth century? What were some of the arguments by those who did not embrace the idea of Manifest Destiny?

Answer 1

Manifest Destiny was a result of a meeting of American evangelical Christianity, Anglo ethno-nationalism, and societal pressures for more land. Arguments against Manifest Destiny included anti-nationalist transcendentalists such as Henry David Thoreau as well as anti-imperialists such as William Jennings Bryan.