Guidelines for “Manifest Destiny” In-Class Assignment (30 points):
In your textbook (Give Me Liberty), read pages 457-469 (part of chapter 13), read the documents attached above, and view the image below. Then, write a short essay based on the readings, the image, and your lecture notes. Use the questions below as a guide for your paper. Grades will be based on the content of the answer and must be more than 300 words in length. Direct quotes do not count toward the required word count. (※I have attached a file related to this.)
Guide for Attached Documents:
All four documents are included in the attached file – ManifestDestiny.pdf. (※I have attached a file related to this.)
You will use all four documents to answer the questions below.
● Document 1 – John L. O’Sullivan, Manifest Destiny (1845)
● Document 2 – A Protest Against Anti-Chinese Prejudice (1852)
● Document 3 – José María Tomel y Mendívil Critiques “Manifest Destiny” (1837)
● Document 4 – Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Pledges Resistance to Intimidation and the Seizure of Land (1859)
Assignment Prompts:
● Based on the first document (O’Sullivan), what did many Americans believe was the “Manifest Destiny” of the United States? How does Image 1 reflect those ideas?
● How do documents 2, 3, and 4 offer different perspectives about America’s Manifest Destiny? How did that “destiny” affect the people already living in the West?
● How did Manifest Destiny affect the politics and foreign policy of the United States? How did it contribute to the outbreak of war between the United States and Mexico?
● Do you think the ideas behind America’s manifest destiny continue to shape the society, politics, and foreign policy of the United States?
※Please make sure to elaborate with more explanation and additional details to support your answers.