Manifest Destiny

Research papers on manifest destiny can focus on colonialism or any aspect of this elitist notion that has been witnessed across the globe. Paper Masters has a few excellent topic suggestions if you need to write a research paper on manifest destiny:

• How did the American West figure into the idea of manifest destiny?
• Give at least one example of manifest destiny in other nations.
• Explain manifest destiny in terms of imperialism.

How do you start a Manifest Destiny research paper? Our expert writers suggest like this:

The idea of Manifest Destiny was becoming more common and popular through out the United States. The idea was debated and encouraged by the people, which would be the beginning of an increase of expansionism looking to claim some of their own destiny, no matter how far away or with no regard for who or what was in their way.

Americans perceived the idea of Manifest Destiny as giving the United States the right to expansion. This thinking would fuel several wars in American history. One example would be the Mexican War. The United States declared war on Mexico in 1846. President James Polk had offered Mexico twenty million dollars in exchange for California and New Mexico but Mexico refused this offer. Because of this President James Polk would send military forces into Mexico, to the Rio Grande. Mexico saw this move as aggression towards them, thus the start of war. After two years of fighting and thousands of dead soldiers, Mexico was devastated.

The drive to move west to California, and to gain territories to the south at the expense of Mexico, was part and parcel of the same drive that led people to back and applaud filibustering descents on the Cuban coastline. I submit that, for all practical purposes, the drive to annex Cuba fits under the notion of Manifest Destiny.

In 1847 Narciso Lopez, a Venezuelan who had been an officer in the Spanish army, fomented a conspiracy to take Cuba out from under the Spanish. His plans were discovered and, in 1848, he went to the United States where he had contact with men in power including politicians from the slave states who felt that acquisition of Cuba would be highly desirable. It is noteworthy that, while, as mentioned above, there had always been elements in the US that favored annexation, this was a particular time of opportunity. Expansion was in the wind, the Mexican War was in progress, and the time was ripe, in the opinion of many, to acquire Cuba. In the words of Bemis, "The aura of Manifest Destiny was forever drifting over the island of Cuba".