Americans Belief In Westward Expansion

In 1803, the United Sates President Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana and started to expand the territory of the United States. During 1803 to 1850, the U.S continued to expand, and the expansion is called “The Westward Expansion of the United States”. The forefathers decided to expand their territory due to their wish to start new lives, their belief in “Manifest Destiny”, and their desire to spread slavery. To begin with, on no account should we ignore the fact that lands are essential to a nation. So the U.S need to expand their territory to start new lives. “To Jefferson, westward expansion was the key to the nation’s health: He believed that a republic depended on an independent, virtuous citizenry for its survival, and that independence and virtue went hand in hand with land ownership, especially the ownership of small farms.” (History.com, 2009) This fact explains the first and the most important reason for the Americans to expand their territories. In order to start new lives, they need lands to support their expanded population. In addition, more lands means more food and more resources, which are beneficial to the United States. The economic resources are very rich in the Rocky Mountains, such as mineral
In 1839, a writer called John O’Sullivan established an idea of “Manifest Destiny” to spread that the American deserves a brighter future. The Manifest Destiny is a belief of settlers in the U.S. “We are the nation of progress, of individual freedom, of universal enfranchisement. Our future history will be to establish on earth on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man—the undeniable truth and goodness of God.”(John, 1839) From John’s words, I know that he is confident about his nation’s future. He and all the Americans are sure that the U.S can be a free, strong, and independent nation in the future. And this belief helps the U.S