Manifest Destiny Part 2

Last week, we ventured to the nearby Botanic Gardens for class. Sitting atop a blanket I had brought from my car, I observed the scene around me in the moments before our discussion began. The grass was a vibrant green that radiated health. There were trees scattered all around with sturdy tree trunks and arching branches. While the location strived to create the feeling of being immersed in nature, I could hear the traffic of South University just beyond the wall of trees to my left, hindering the desired illusion. However, it was my first time visiting the gardens so I was happy to take it all in.

Our first discussion focused on the works of Meriwether Lewis as well as the concept of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was what motivated the early Americans to explore and settle America. They believed that God had ordained the land to be discovered and claimed as their own. They were the rightful owners of all the land the previously mysterious West had to offer.

A fan of American history, Manifest Destiny was always an interesting topic to me throughout my earlier education. After our discussion, I found myself wondering what it might be like for new land to be discovered in today’s world. Which country would beat out the others to lay their claim on the new territory? I’d like to think that new territory would not lead to war in the same way it did back then, but while times have changed, powerful countries are still willing to go to great lengths to get what they want. This is made evident by the ongoing development of nuclear weapons and modern warfare.

Would the modern settlers have the same desire for separation as revolutionary Americans did? I think this is more unlikely in current society than it was all those years ago because our world has become so interconnected. We are able to communicate at a rapid pace. It no longer takes weeks for messages to be relayed. We also have advanced means of transportation. Today, England would not have the issue of being unable to control the activities of its abroad citizens. Additionally, thanks to modern medicine, settlers would likely not face conditions that cause them to almost die out.

My final point of curiosity concerns the rationale that modern countries would use to justify their exploring and conquering of a new land. Because church is no longer so closely tied to state, I strongly doubt that the motivation to claim a new territory would come from the belief that God has ordained such an event. Instead, modern countries would be motivated by ideas of power and money.

We have always sought to exploit nature’s resources for our gain. We just call it something different each time.