Manifest Destiny: America's Epic Quest for More Land (and Trouble)
So, you wanna know how America went from being a bunch of thirteen colonies on the East Coast to stretching all the way to the Pacific Ocean? Well, buckle up, buttercup, because we're about to dive into a wild ride called Manifest Destiny.
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| How Did Manifest Destiny Influence Texas Annexation |
What's the Deal with Manifest Destiny?
In essence, Manifest Destiny was America's 19th-century version of "gotta catch 'em all." It was this grand idea that the United States was destined, destined, I tell you, to expand its territory from coast to coast. It was like a real estate agent on steroids, but instead of selling houses, they were selling...well, entire countries.
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Texas: The Lone Star State and the Spark of Expansion
Texas was kinda like America's rebellious teenage kid. It started as part of Mexico, but then was like, "Nah, I'm out," and declared independence. For a while, Texas was its own little country, but it was really eyeing its big brother to the north.
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Enter Manifest Destiny. America was all, "Hey Texas, wanna join the family?" And Texas was like, "Um, yeah, sure, why not?" This was a match made in, well, not exactly heaven, but definitely in a politician's wet dream.
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The Domino Effect: Texas and Beyond
Annexing Texas wasn't just about adding another star to the flag. It was like opening Pandora's Box. Mexico was not happy about losing Texas. At all. This led to the Mexican-American War, which America won, and boom, suddenly, America owned California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
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It was like winning the lottery, except instead of money, you won a whole bunch of land. But, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility (and a whole lot of Native American issues we're still trying to sort out).
Manifest Destiny: The TL;DR Version
America wanted more land. Texas wanted to be part of America. America got Texas, fought a war with Mexico, and won a bunch of land. Everyone was happy...except Mexico and Native Americans.
How to Understand Manifest Destiny Better
- How to explain Manifest Destiny to a five-year-old: Imagine you really want that last piece of pizza. That's Manifest Destiny, but with land instead of pizza.
- How to connect Manifest Destiny to modern politics: While we don't have literal Manifest Destiny policies today, the idea of expanding influence and territory still shapes foreign policy.
- How to discuss the ethical implications of Manifest Destiny: It's important to acknowledge the negative consequences of Manifest Destiny, like the displacement of Native Americans and the Mexican-American War.
- How to compare Manifest Destiny to other historical expansionist movements: Look at the Roman Empire, the British Empire, or even modern-day globalization to see similar patterns of territorial expansion.
- How to analyze primary sources related to Manifest Destiny: Dig into speeches, newspaper articles, and political cartoons from the time period to get a firsthand look at how people thought and felt about it.
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