TEC DE MONTERREY CAMPUS JUÁREZ

Contemporary Society of the 19th Century

In Class Activity
Instructor: Federico Davila October 2023
Name __________________________________________________________ I.D. ________________
Manifest Destiny Was More Messed-Up Than You Thought

Instructions: Watch the video clip and answer the following questions. Please submit pdf or word
files only.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0o2ndaLtbM
1. What is Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny was a belief in the 19th century United States that it was the destiny or duty of
Americans to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the
Pacific Ocean.
2. What is the idea behind Manifest Destiny?
The idea behind Manifest Destiny was the belief in American exceptionalism and the conviction
that it was the right and duty of Americans to spread their civilization and institutions westward.
3. Who was Andrew Jackson and what did he do?
Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States (1829-1837). He is known for
expanding presidential powers, his role in the Trail of Tears, and for founding the Democratic
Party.
4. What was the Indian Removal Act?
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a U.S. federal law signed by President Andrew Jackson. It
authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the
southeastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River.
5. What was the Trail of Tears?
The Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of approximately 60,000 Native Americans,
including the Cherokee Nation, from their homes in the southeastern U.S. to Indian Territory
(now Oklahoma) in the 1830s. Thousands died during the journey due to harsh conditions.
6. Who coined the term Manifest Destiny?
The term “Manifest Destiny” is often attributed to journalist John L. O’Sullivan, who used it in
an 1845 article to promote the annexation of Texas.

7. In what ways did Americans consider to be above everybody else?

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Americans considered themselves above others in the context of Manifest Destiny due to their
belief in American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States was unique and destined to
spread its way of life and institutions across the continent.
8. What is ¨the white man´s burden?
The white man’s burden” is a phrase associated with the idea that it was the moral duty of
Western European and American nations to bring their civilization and values to other parts of
the world, often through colonialism and imperialism.
9. In what ways were the Native Americans affected by Manifest Destiny?
Native Americans were displaced from their land and destroyed their traditional ways of life.
10. What group of people benefited the most from Manifest Destinty and why?
American businessmen and politicians.
11. Why did Abraham Lincoln not support the US war with Mexico?
He considered it a ploy to expand slavery should the U.S. government acquire new territories as
a result of a Mexican defeat.

12. In what ways was slavery related to Manifest Destiny?

The rapid expansion of the United States intensified the issue of slavery as new states were
added to the Union, leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.
13. What was the Missouri Compromise?
An Act to authorize the people of the Missouri territory to form a constitution and state
government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the
original states, and to prohibit slavery in certain territories.

14. What was the justification behind Manifest Destiny?

A belief in the inherent superiority of white Americans, as well as the conviction that they were
destined by God to conquer the territories of North America, from sea to shining sea.
15. How capitalism was related to Manifest Destiny?
American people and capitalism together joined in attitudes and set forth to essentially colonize.
16. What other territories were annexed by the United States during the era of expansion?
Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, etc.

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17. What is the legacy of manifest destiny in today´s world?
How competing cultures melded to create a singular heritage that was nevertheless broad and
varied.