American Manifest Destiny and the Genocide of the...

United States Manifest Destiny and the Genocide of the American Indian Manifest Destiny is a phrase used to express the belief that the United States had a mission to expand its borders, thereby spreading its form of democracy and freedom. Originally a political catchphrase of the nineteenth-century, Manifest Destiny eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the territorial expansion of the United States across North America towards the Pacific Ocean. The United States government believed that the Native Americans were a problem that was hindering Manifest Destiny from being fulfilled (or at the very least, used the idea of Manifest Destiny to gain land and resources the Indians possessed), and would do†¦show more content†¦government to acquire Indian Territory. The Seminole nation in Florida, one of the tribes being targeted for removal to areas west of the Mississippi, violently resisted the acquisition. The ensuing war cost the U.S. upwards of twenty million dollars, and ended in the death of fifteen hund red American soldiers. In the end, almost three thousand Seminole had been relocated forcibly across the Mississippi, and countless others killed. This relocation was an idea that had already been proposed by previous U.S. presidents, as George H. Phillips points out in his book, Indians and Indian Agents (1997): â€Å"With the end of Seminole resistance, the goal of relocating eastern Indians to the west, suggested by Thomas Jefferson, proposed by James Monroe, and implemented by Andrew Jackson, largely had been achieved.† This goal of relocation, and the annihilation of Indians that would come along with it for years to come, was largely achieved as a direct result of U.S. President Andrew Jackson. In his first inaugural address, Andrew Jackson claims that under his administration the Indians would be treated justly: â€Å"It will be my sincere and constant desire to observe toward the Indian tribes within our limits a just and liberal policy, and to give that humane andShow MoreRelatedManifest Destiny and the Genocide of the Native American Indian1366 Words   |  6 PagesA. Plan of the Investigation I. Subject of the Investigation How did the Manifest Destiny ideal affect the Native Americans in the 1830’s? II. Methods a. Research about the origins of Manifest Destiny and the history of the Native Americans from 1830 to 1839. There were two websites that we particularly helpful to me. Reliability, how recently it was updated and how easily it could be edited by Internet users were the main criteria used when selecting a website. b. 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Much like To understand the Genesis of stereotypes one must first understand what stereotypes are. In Celluloids Indians Jacquelyn Kilpatrick describes stereotypes as such, â€Å"‘ [s] tereotypes are evaluative concepts about status and roles and as such are central to interpreting and evaluating social groups including one’s own.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (xvi) Kilpatrick explores â€Å"the social, ideological and political construction†(xvi) of