Manifest Destiny

In the 1800s, many Americans believed their country was meant to stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. This belief was called Manifest Destiny. It drove settlers to move west and the country to grow. But expansion came at a great cost to Native Americans.

Moving West

Thousands of settlers traveled west in covered wagons along trails like the Oregon Trail. The United States gained huge amounts of land through purchases, treaties, and wars. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the country. The Mexican-American War added land that became California and the Southwest.

The Cost of Expansion

As settlers moved west, Native Americans were pushed off their homelands. Many tribes were forced to walk long distances to reservations. The Trail of Tears is one of the saddest examples of this forced removal. The idea of Manifest Destiny helped the country grow but caused great harm to Native peoples.

Fun Facts

• The term "Manifest Destiny" was first used by a newspaper writer named John O'Sullivan in 1845.
• The Oregon Trail was about 2,000 miles long and took four to six months to travel.
• The United States grew from 13 states to stretching across the entire continent in less than 100 years.

Did You Know?

The phrase Manifest Destiny means "obvious fate," suggesting that westward expansion was unavoidable and meant to happen.