Understanding Manifest Destiny

We started this week talking about the idea of Manifest Destiny. We learned that Manifest means clear and obvious, Destiny means something that is sure to happen. The idea of Manifest Destiny is that the American settlers believed they were destined to expand across the continent, from sea to shining sea (just like the song "America the Beautiful"). The American settles may have started out with 13 small states but it was only a matter of time before they gained more territory with under the Northwest Ordinance, with the purchase of the Louisiana Purchase, the annexation of Texas, eventually reaching California. 

 In class we talked about how this was a bold move. The American settlers were so determined they didn't let anyone, not the Native Americans or the Mexicans stand in their way, which caused conflicts between groups of people. We have mixed feelings about the idea of Manifest Destiny because the American settlers disregarded the fact that other people were there first. On the other hand we are grateful to have the all of the land we have today, we think of the explorers as brave pioneers, and how exciting it is to think about how the United States grew. 

 We then turned our feelings about Manifest Destiny into a poem. We used precise words to convey imagery, and illustrations to show our understanding of the concept of Manifest Destiny. We know our ELA teachers would be proud :) 

Below is an example from Ms. Howell, we will share some student examples when we turn them in!