Question

To what extent did Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion unite or divide the United States from 1830-1860?

Answer 1

The concept of Manifest Destiny divided the United States between 1830-1860. The idea of manifest destiny revolves around the concept that it is America's god given right to expand and control all of North America. With this in mind, the United States expanded through buying, fighting wars, and taking land from others.

This idea of Manifest Destiny did cause America to grow in size. However, it caused significant problems in Congress. For example in 1848, after the Mexican-American War, the United States had gained control of modern day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. The question was now whether or not these territories would have slavery. This caused heated debates in Congress, as Northern and Southern states fought constantly as to whether or not slavery will exist in these territories.

This same issue of slavery and its existence also came up when the US was adding Kansas and Nebraska in 1854. Overall, Manifest Destiny is going to cause significant problems between Northerners and Southerners during this Antebellum period.