Why had the USA become a continental power by 1890?

The Belief of "Manifest Destiny"

"Our national birth (and the Declaration of Independence) was the beginning of a new history, which separates us from the past and connects us only with the future. We are the nation of progress, of individual freedom, of universal enfranchisement. Our future history will be to establish on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man -- the undeniable truth and goodness of God. America has been chosen for this mission among all the nations of the world, which are shut out from the life-giving light of truth. Her high example shall put an end to the tyranny of kings, and carry the happy news of peace and good will to millions who now endure an existence hardly better than that of beasts of the field. Who, then, can doubt that our country is destined to be the great nation of the future?"

From the essay "The Great Nation of Futurity” by John O’Sullivan, 1839.

Americans believed that:

• The US was destined and had divine right to take control of land in the West up to the Pacific Ocean

• The USA had a duty to spread Christianity and it's culture (goodness of God…America has been chosen for this mission)

• The USA would bring education and freedom to the oppressed and create democracies for countries under totalitarian rulers/regimes/monarchies.

• Aggressive nationalism was desirable so the US could remove other powers from the continent, enabling it to achieve Western expansion.

The age of Manifest Destiny

The age of manifest destiny is most commonly known as the period of territorial expansion of the United States. 

The era begins with the War of 1812 and ends with the acquisition of Alaska in 1867.

Continental Territorial Acquisitions of the USA (1803-1867)

How did the USA acquire their territories?

Military Power

• California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah

  • In 1848, after Mexico refused to sell California to the US, they provoked a war by sending soldiers into a disputed area on the border. 

  • The US won the Mexican-American War and Mexico was forced to cede the territories of the Mexican Cession under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

• Florida (1819)

  • Through a treaty, Florida was ceded to the USA by Spain in 1819 after US forces invaded the territory.

  • Spain was unwilling to defend its Florida colonies as it was struggling to maintain its empire elsewhere, so it was unwilling to defend it.

Threats & Negotiation

• Oregon (1846)

  • Britain and the USA were facing territorial disputes over Oregon until the USA threatened War with Britain, and they signed a treaty with the United Kingdom which divided the territory at the 49th parallel.

• Florida (1819)

  • Through a treaty, Florida was ceded to the USA by Spain in 1819 after US forces invaded the territory.

  • Spain was unwilling to defend its Florida colonies as it was struggling to maintain its empire elsewhere, so it was unwilling to defend it.

How did the US government settle the Western regions of America?

• They funded the construction of an intercontinental railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, which enabled economic development through transportation of industrial products and materials, and made the West more accessible for further settlement.

• They provided settlers with cheap land through the Homestead Act (1862) and subsequent acts to persuade them to settle in the West.

• They employed the US army to either kill or forcibly remove Native Americans from their land and onto reservations. This land was then available for mining gold, building railways or for settlement.

• They established territorial governments and brought law and order to the West.