Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny is a term that was used in the 19th century to designate the belief that the United States was destined, even divinely ordained,[1] to expandacross the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes Manifest Destiny was interpreted so broadly as to include theeventual absorption of all North America: Canada, Mexico, Cuba and Central America. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believed that expansion was not only ethicalbut that it was readily apparent ("manifest") and inexorable ("destiny"). Although initially used as a catch phrase to inspire the UnitedStates' expansion across the North American continent, the 19th century phrase eventually became a standard historical term.
