In Febuary of 1793, tensions in Europe skyrocketed as France declared war on Great Britian. America, a newly founded country barely on its feet, took immediate action, though not the action one would have assumed. By the end of April the same year, then President George Washington had "...declare[d] the disposition of the United States (U.S.) to observe the conduct aforesaid towards those Powers respectfully..." (George Washington. Proclimation of Neutrality. 1793) in a Proclimation of Neutrality. It was not within America 's interest to war with neither France, who had aided them during the American Revolution, or to war with Great Britian, who at the time was providing a great financial support to many American citizens. …show more content…
This boost in moral would go on to shape a large part of American history well into the 19th century. With a majority of the Native American population decimated during the war, there was very little standing between America and its expansion westward- which would be coined as Manifest Destiny. The philosophy of Manifest Destiny was a phrased used by those who supported this expansion westward. Manifest Destiney was an expression used to spread the idea than it was America 's "destiny" to expand from coast to coast. It was also used in propaganda spread across the states that proclaimed it was "their God given right to move across the country expanding from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific." The U.S. governent 's main focus was the territory of California and Oregon, which held valuable resource. After a while of debates and campaigns, America eventually gained half of the Oregan Territory from Great Britain. Next, America moved to gain Texas and in 1845, congress approved the annexation of The problem with this declaration was that, despite having declared …show more content…
Spurred on by the nationalism that came with the victory of the war, the American government took this time to annex Hawaii. This brought an end to Spain 's overseas empire and helped America to realize its goal of global expansion. As part of American agreement to the independence of Cuba, it was agreed to that America would be given temporary control over the island. During the war, the United States had begun a military occupancy of Cuba. After some years, in 1903 the government implemented the Platt Amendment, which were the official terms under which the United States would end its military occupation and "leave the goverment and control of the island of Cuba to its people." The Amendment, consisting of eight conditions, also set up a list of guidelines for when the people of Cuba established a governement under the islands own constitution. The Cuban goverment was required to agree to these terms before the withdrawal of U.S. forces and for the tranfer of sovereighty would begin. The first term stated that the governement of Cuba could never enter into any sort of treaty with any other power that had intentions in which conflicted with Cuba
Eventually, the expansion to this area became imperialistic. Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, offered one of the most attractive natural bases in the Pacific. Soon other Americans followed to become sugar planters and to establish profitable businesses. Americans were busy building huge plantations, warehouses, railroads, dry-docks, banks, hotels, and stores. They soon dominated the island's economy, and they were able to influence its government as well. Americans created and controlled Hawaii's legislature and cabinet, and they limited the power of the native king. As the century began to come to a close, disputes arose between the Kanaka and those of foreign descent. "Hawaii for Hawaiians" became the slogan of people who sought to restore the traditional ways of the kingdom. Others called for the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Annexation would eliminate the recent trade restrictions on sugar and revive the island's faltering economy. The imperialistic was taking over the islands.
In 1903, the U.S. published the Platt Amendment, which was a set of guidelines for Cuba to follow (Blight 165). The Platt amendment was named after Senator Orville Platt of Connecticut. The U.S. had been occupying Cuba since the Spanish American war in 1898, and Cuba wanted them out, so the U.S. set up eight rules for Cuba to agree to before the U.S. would leave them alone to establish and run their government (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/). The first three articles of the Platt Amendment can be seen after this paper. Americans and Cubans seemed to have a different approach to the Platt Amendment:
In the 1830’s America was highly influenced by the Manifest Destiny Ideal. Manifest Destiny was the motivating force behind the rapid expansion of America into the West. This ideal was highly sponsored by posters, newspapers, and various other methods of communication. Propaganda was and is still an incredibly common way to spread an idea to the masses. Though Manifest Destiny was not an official government policy, it led to the passing of the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act gave applicants freehold titles of undeveloped land outside of the original thirteen colonies. It encouraged Westward colonization and territorial acquisition. The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. To America, Manifest Destiny was the idea that America was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic, to the Pacific Ocean. Throughout this time Native Americans were seen as obstacles because they occupied land that the United States needed to conquer to continue with their Manifest Destiny Ideal. Many wars were fought between the A...
A well known journalist “John O’Sullivan” was the first one to use the term manifest destiny. The phrase manifest destiny was first used in an issue of the democratic review. Manifest Destiny was basically saying that the U.S had the right to take what they want. The U.S wanted the land out west. This is what started the westward expansion.
Clarke, Philip. “Cuba’s Newest Revolution Bloodless but Plenty Bewildering as New President Breaks Army Grip, Aims at Democracy.” The Washington Post. 22 July. 1945: B3. ProQuest. James Madison University library. 16 September 2003
1) Although Cuba wanted its independence and we had promised they could be, we required the Platt Amendment in their constitution, which said that we could intervene in Cuba anytime to protect life, liberty or property.
For years the people of America had used economic gain as a reason to push west into territory that was both uncharted and fought over. (Acuna 255-256). However the religious revival, as well as O'sullivan's term, Manifest destiny breathed new purpose into the march westward. God himself had chosen Americans to hold the great responsibility of controlling all of the land from the west coast of America to the east coast and it was the people's destiny to spread out in conquest. Along with this destiny came the divine mission to spread the democratic ideals of the nation to those who did not have it, to civilize and make free the people who held the land of America long before the pilgrims reached the shores of North America. Though pushed by an increase in technology and the market economy many defended that the ideals of Manifest Destiny had nothing to do with the desire for wealth at all, but that they only expanded westward because God had chosen them to. (Foote 478-479). In John L. O'sullivan's article The Greatest Good of the Greatest Number he defends America's rights, writing "We feel safe under the banner of the democratic principle, which is borne onward by an unseen hand of providence, to lead our race toward the high destinies of which every human soul contains the
Manifest Destiny is a phrase used to express the belief that the United States had a mission to expand its borders, thereby spreading its form of democracy and freedom. Originally a political catchphrase of the nineteenth-century, Manifest Destiny eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the territorial expansion of the United States across North America towards the Pacific Ocean. The United States government believed that the Native Americans were a problem that was hindering Manifest Destiny from being fulfilled (or at the very least, used the idea of Manifest Destiny to gain land and resources the Indians possessed), and would do everything in their power to exterminate the “Indian Problem.” The U.S. government, along with the majority of the U.S. population, eradicated this problem through lies, forced removal, and murder. This eradication nearly wiped out a race of people, whose only crime was mere existence in a land they had lived on, respected, and cherished for hundreds of years. The U.S. government had three main ways of solving the “Indian Problem”. They would remove them, kill them, or segregate them from the “civilized” white man by placing the Indian on reservations. The Indians soon learned that the U.S. government could not be trusted, and fought fiercely against the harsh injustices that were being administered. Tragically, the Indians would eventually have their spirits broken, living out their meager existence in the terrible homes called reservations.
Throughout history, the United States had come off as a stubborn nation that would take what they wanted at any cost. This was prevalent in both cases of expansion as the Americans risked war and national safety for the sake of gaining land, or even merely for proving a point. During the early years of expansion, the Americans had pushed aside the Native Americans and whoever else inhabited the land they wanted. They believed that the land was rightfully theirs and that every one else was merely squatting on their territory. This idea was continued into the early twentieth century as the Americans looked to the oceans for new territories to their kingdom. This idea is greatly exemplified in document 'E', in which Senator Albert J. Beveridge delivers a speech to Congress, saying that, "...and thanksgiving to Almighty God that He has marked us as His chosen people, henceforth to lead in the regeneration of the world..."
The concept of territorial expansion or Manifest Destiny, if you will, came about in the 1840s and was said that the American people deserved to control the entire continent. But as with all ideas, there were some complications. The North and the South were becoming, for lack of a better word, hostile towards each other over disputes on slavery. Because the US was seizing control of new land, the status of slavery was at the top of everyone’s agendas. The US attempted to try and solve this conflict through the implementation of the Missouri Compromise, but to no avail. Even though territorial expansion seemed to be best for the growing country of the United States, or started a controversial debate over slavery.
revolting Americans, for they were deeply humiliated by England in the Seven Years War (1756-1763), and they wanted to help them defeat England in any way. Since France was such a leading and influential country at this time, after the French began to aide America, other countries, such as Spain and Dutch and Russia, followed their lead and came to the Americans side.
One of the largest and most wealthy countries in the world, the United States of America, has gone through many changes in its long history. From winning its independence from Great Britain to present day, America has changed dramatically and continues to change. A term first coined in the 1840s, "Manifest Destiny" helped push America into the next century and make the country part of what it is today. The ideas behind Manifest Destiny played an important role in the development of the United States by allowing the territorial expansion of the 1800s. Without the expansion of the era, America would not have most of the western part of the country it does now.
“We are the nation of human progress, and who will, what can, set limits to our onward march?” (Denial) noted writer John O’Sullivan in 1839, but in fact, there was one limit: territory. Some people believed that in order to spread democracy, it was America’s manifest destiny, or obvious fate, to inhabit the entire North American continent. It had a major impact on American society by it being the cause of social change in the US, it economically revamped America, and lastly, it altered America politically. Manifest destiny caused the change of America socially due to the economic transition from a local market economy to a national market economy. Manifest destiny has also impacted America’s society economically by the large increase in territory gained to profit off of. But, it also altered America politically by causing further division of the North and South which led to a great drama of regional conflict. These social, political, and economical changes in the United States were certainly results of the initiation and usage of manifest destiny.
With the sinking of the USS Maine of the coast of Cuba, the United States people got infuriated with the fact that 260 Americans died and the only culprit at the time was a Spanish ship. The press with its yellow journalism spread the news throughout the states, enraging many Americans with their yellow journalism. The New York Journal at the time went as far as saying that “ ” () President McKinley and the members in Congress at the time were forced to declare war on Spain, fearing the negative effects it would have if they let the matter go. With the declaration of war the United States recruited so many men for the army and navy they didn’t know what to do with them, but inevitably our numbers made us prepared for anything Spain had to through at us. Although most of the battles were fought by the navy like Alfred Thayer said “In order to be a great power like Great Britain the U.S. need to control the seas and dominate international commerce.” (Mahan, A. T.) With a greater naval force then Spain the U.S. was able over whelm them and win almost all the battles they fought in. Alfred also said with in his book “The influence of sea power upon history” that the islands that the United States acquired through the means of imperialism also serve as refueling station for our ships during war or transport. Hawaii especially because of its central location in the
...during the revolutionary war. This helps get a better overall understanding of the entire subject.