Idea that it was the “destiny” of the u.s. to expand its boundaries to the pacific

On the floor of the house in 1822-23 on Floyd's bill to occupy the mouth of the Columbia brought out from rather unexpected sources the full idea of Manifest Destiny, even if the actual words were not used. Although George Tucker of Virginia opposed the bill, he was bound to admit that

"we cannot arrest the progress of our population to the West. In vain may the Government attempt to se limits to its course. It marches on, with the increasing rapidity of a fire, and nothing will stop it until it reaches the shores of the Pacific." 

But it was Francis Baylies of Massachusetts who preached the doctrine most fully and eloquently.-

"Gentlemen are talking about natural boundaries. Sir, our natural boundary is the Pacific ocean. The swelling tide of our population must and will roll on until that mighty ocean interposes its waters, and limits our territorial empire."

-"to diffuse the arts of life, the light of science, and the blessings of teh gospel over a wilderness, is no violation of the laws of God; it is no invasion of the rights of man to occupy a territory over which the savage roams, but which he never cultivates...The stream of bounty which perpetually flows from the throne of the Almighty ought not to be obstructed in its course, nor is it right that his benevolent designs should be defeated by the perversity of man."

-MANIFEST DESTINY AND THE PACIFIC.

Clark, Dan Elbert.Pacific Historical Review; Berkeley, Calif., etc. Vol. 1,  (Jan 1, 1932): 1.

This dialogue summarizes the conflicting ideologies of Manifest Destiny dating all the way back to 1822. The purpose of displaying these is to show that even the individuals who werent openly for the expansion of the US, realized it was inevitable. One of them even calls the US a "territorial empire." Compare that to the "God has given us this quest" narrative, and you can see that even in reluctance or even despair, the expansion of the United States was an intevitable outcome. The best hope for these pessimists or optimists, depending on your viewpoint, was to attempt to naturally limit expansion by utilizing the Pacific as a natural land border. If its a natural border is must be attributed to God right? All various methods of thinking were used and as one can see, it wasn't even a clear/easy discussion as far back as the early 19th century.

Now, even with this information, we can clearly see that they were accurate in regards to American expansion. The US would eventually unify the coasts and go on to push into the pacific. Colonization and occupation became centerpieces to progress because the domination of markets is what truly lead to growth. In this game, many of the pacifc powers were unable to play and this lead to reality that we would come to witness and would lead to the birth of many anti-imperialist movements down the road.

This dialogue shows the depths and origins of the trans-pacific national agenda that the United States would adapt by the late 1840's. The inevitablity of American societal growth and the belief in a "righteous cause" helped develop the concepts of American expansion and even made such dialogue quite cloudy and hush hush. We don't really hear about the concepts of American Imperialism or Expansion in common society. The topic has been associated to Amercican Exceptionalism which dictates that our methods and situations are inherrently different from the rest of the world so the standards at which we describe the United States are inherrently different from traditionalist viewpoints.

Manifest Destiny: A trans-pacific agenda or righteous cause?

29. Manifest Destiny

Library of Congress

In the 1850s trains were leaving Washington for the West twice daily.

Expansion westward seemed perfectly natural to many Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. Like the Massachusetts Puritans who hoped to build a "city upon a hill, "courageous pioneers believed that America had a divine obligation to stretch the boundaries of their noble republic to the Pacific Ocean. Independence had been won in the Revolution and reaffirmed in the War of 1812. The spirit of nationalism that swept the nation in the next two decades demanded more territory. The "every man is equal" mentality of the Jacksonian Era fueled this optimism. Now, with territory up to the Mississippi River claimed and settled and the Louisiana Purchase explored, Americans headed west in droves. Newspaper editor John O'Sullivan coined the term "manifest destiny" in 1845 to describe the essence of this mindset.

The religious fervor spawned by the Second Great Awakening created another incentive for the drive west. Indeed, many settlers believed that God himself blessed the growth of the American nation. The Native Americans were considered heathens. By Christianizing the tribes, American missionaries believed they could save souls and they became among the first to cross the Mississippi River.

Economic motives were paramount for others. The fur trade had been dominated by European trading companies since colonial times. German immigrant John Jacob Astor was one of the first American entrepreneurs to challenge the Europeans. He became a millionaire in the process. The desire for more land brought aspiring homesteaders to the frontier. When gold was discovered in California in 1848, the number of migrants increased even more.

At the heart of manifest destiny was the pervasive belief in American cultural and racial superiority. Native Americans had long been perceived as inferior, and efforts to "civilize" them had been widespread since the days of John Smith and Miles Standish. The Hispanics who ruled Texas and the lucrative ports of California were also seen as "backward."

Expanding the boundaries of the United States was in many ways a cultural war as well. The desire of southerners to find more lands suitable for cotton cultivation would eventually spread slavery to these regions. North of the Mason-Dixon line, many citizens were deeply concerned about adding any more slave states. Manifest destiny touched on issues of religion, money, race, patriotism, and morality. These clashed in the 1840s as a truly great drama of regional conflict began to unfold.

What was the idea that the United States should expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean called?

Why did the US want to expand to the Pacific?

What was the idea of Manifest Destiny?

What was the idea that the US was destined to extend its territory across the entire continent called?