QN4. Manifest Destiny

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“Manifest Destiny’’ and Economic Development

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“Manifest Destiny’’ and Economic Development

Monroe introduced a political and philosophical belief that Americans were divinely allocated

the mission to expand towards the west in 1823; he introduced the term Manifest Destiny to

worn other European countries not to interfere with America’s westwards expansion which

facilitated America to expands its republic and private enterprise across the entire North America

continent and other regions in the 19thc. Therefore, the Americans used this philosophy to justify

their expansion to other countries, which later Facilitated slavery whereby people were used in

the production of trade commodities. (Pratt, pp. 795–798)

The American economy was able to develop rapidly during the 19 th century, facilitated by their

expansion. Understanding the manifest Destiny is so essential for it helps us understand

America's economic development and know what led to the American economy's decline at the

end 19th century. The expansion of America to other regions greatly facilitated its economic

development; Firstly, the expansion enabled American to transform from a local market

economy into a national market economy which was a massive contribution to American

economic development. The colonies and the united states were tied to a free market economy
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that helped expand their market for their goods. Before, the American market economy depended

on international trade whereby goods were produced in America but most sold to the global

market, which was a disadvantage to their economy. From 1920, the American economy began

to depend on domestic trade where they not only produced their own goods but sold them within

their domestic market, therefore, facilitating economic development.

Manifest destiny facilitated the creation of national transport and communication network. In the

19th century, western settlers relied on roads and waters for their movement. National roads were

created together with canals and steamboats to facilitate transportation in waters, leading to the

creation of international markets. Therefore, goods were quickly transported from one place to

another, leading to trade between nations that benefited American development hugely. In 1850,

railroad means of transportation was introduced.

As manifest destiny was put into practice, there was a significant change from manufacturing by

hands to industrial manufacturing whereby various machines were used in manufacturing. This

change was facilitated by technological advancement, which was mainly due to the need of the

Americans to travel overseas as they searched for new soils. Technological advancement

especially stated with the introduction of maps and ships, unlike before whereby goods were

produced at slower rates and in small artisan shops, America was now able to make massive

goods which were even traded to other countries, which facilitated economic development and

international market transportation of goods was also encouraged by canoes, boats, and roads.

(Chittenden, 2020)

The invention of the cotton gin allowed cotton production to be dominant in the US

economy, which led to the improvement of the economies of the south and north. Cotton was

produced vastly, which led to slaves being able to clean fifty pounds per day. Manufacturing of
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clothes from raw cotton was now possible; plantation owners benefited hugely in cotton

production while the factories benefited from converting cotton to cloths. Cotton made two-

thirds of America's exports; this facilitated economic development.

In conclusion, Understanding of the Manifest Destiny is so important to understanding

the economic development in the United States because it was this philosophy that led to

increased urge among Americans to expand and attain new territories, which facilitated heavily

to economic development in the 19thc. However, in the late 19th century, there was an economic

decrease led by increased resistance against slavery and overpopulation, which later led to civil

war.
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Works Cited

Chittenden, H. M. “Manifest Destiny in America.” The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 1916,

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1916/01/manifest-destiny-in-america/528369/.

Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.

Heidler, Jeanne T, and David S Heidler. “Manifest Destiny | History, Examples, & Significance.”

Encyclopædia Britannica, 13 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Manifest-Destiny.

“Manifest Destiny.” Khan Academy, 2008, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-

early-republic/age-of-jackson/a/manifest-destiny. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.

Pratt, Julius W. “The Origin of ‘Manifest Destiny.’” The American Historical Review, vol. 32,

no. 4, 1927, pp. 795–798, www.jstor.org/stable/1837859, 10.2307/1837859. Accessed 15

Nov. 2019.

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