Reference no: EM13184985

Explain what the idea of Manifest Destiny was, and how it provided justification for American expansion. In explaining how it provided justification, explain what that implies about how white Americans who emigrated from the East to the frontier viewed themselves and how they viewed the groups who already lived on or beyond the frontier. As part of that discussion, consider how among white emigrants "cultural beliefs about the inferiority of the Native Americans and the necessity of American settlement were widely shared. Shared too was the conviction that American values and way of life were superior to those of the Native Americans and Mexicans who occupied the land" (375). Also, consider how "confident of their values and rights, emigrants had little regard for those who had lived in the West for centuries and no compunction in seizing their lands" (398). Finally, as the textbook states, "looking at westward expansion through the eyes of white emigrants provides only one view of the frontier experience. In such a diverse region, many other views existed" (397). Describe how Native Americans and Mexicans who lived on these lands viewed American expansion. In describing this, explain what is learned from these perspectives that white versions of American expansion do not reveal.