Manifest Destiny

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Manifest Destiny
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• What is destiny?

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• The term "manifest destiny" was first used by
  journalist John O'Sullivan in an article
  supporting the annexation(adding) of Texas in the
  New York Democratic Review in 1845. 

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OSullivan wrote

• The time has come for everyone to stop treating
  Texas as an alien, and to stop thwarting our
  policy and hampering our power, limiting our
  greatness and checking the fulfillment of our
  manifest destiny to overspread the continent
  allotted by Providence for the free development
  of our yearly multiplying millions.
• Vocabulary
• Thwarting opposing
• Hampering slowing down
• Checking interfering in
• Allotted given
• Providence God

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• What is Manifest Destiny?
• In simple terms, Manifest Destiny was the idea
  that Americans were destined, by God, to govern
  the North American continent.

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• The next image was painted in 1872 by American
  artist John Gast after the Mexican War, Texas
  Annexation, the discovery of gold in California
  and the Civil War.

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American Progress John Gast, 1872
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• In what ways does the painting reflect
  OSullivans vision of Manifest Destiny?

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• The next map was painted by John Melish in 1816
  BEFORE the annexation (adding) of Texas and the
  Mexican/American War and gold being discovered in
  California.

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Map of the United States, 1816
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• How does this map reflect the idea of Manifest
  Destiny, an idea that will not even be given a
  name for 30 more years?

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• This map combined the works of explorers like
  Lewis Clark, Pike, and others.
• Melish's map, first issued in 1816, was the first
  large scale map to show the area of the present
  United States from coast to coast.

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• Melish's map provided most Americans with their
  first clear-sighted view of the continental
  landmass of which the United States was a part.

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• Thomas Jefferson, said of Melishs map that it
  provides a
• "luminous view of the comparative possessions of
  different powers in our America."
• What ONE WORD in this comment implies Manifest
  Destiny?

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• The Melish map became the official map used in
  many important treaties between the United States
  and Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas.
• Specifically, the United States-Mexico boundary
  was laid out on a copy of the map according to
  the Adams-Onis Treaty signed in February 22, 1819.