The phrase Manifest Destiny was coined in 1845 to characterize the events of the nation’s western expansion, but some politicians still use this as a rational for American global actions. Give an example of an American politician who has asserted the principles of Manifest Destiny as a reason for political action. Do you agree with this politician in this instance and with the principles of Manifest Destiny as a whole? Choose two specific reform movements discussed in this module. Did these movements seek to transform all of society or were they focused on only select segments, either regionally, racially, or ethnically. To what extent were the objectives of these movements part of a Utopian vision compared to simply adjusting social expectations? What can we learn from the patterns of immigration in the mid-1800’s that would make assimilation easier for immigrants?
