Manifest Destiny Essays (661 words) - MexicoUnited States Relations

Manifest Destiny MANIFEST DESTINY The idea of Manifest Destiny was based on the idea that America had a divine providence. It had a future that was destined by God to expand its borders, with no limit to area or country. All the traveling and expansion were part of the spirit of Manifest Destiny, a belief that it was God's will that Americans spread over the entire continent, and to control and populate the country as they see fit. Many expansionists conceived God as having the power to sustain and guide human destiny. It was white man's burden to conquer and Christianize the land Though the idea was revolutionary for the US, it was nothing new for the world. The idea of conquering other lands in the name if Christ was easily seen in Europe with the Crusades. Thousands of natives died and many countries captured by people who claimed that this was the divine work of God. Anyone who did not convert or stood in their way was killed, much like the Americans did to Native Americans while conquering the west. Manifest Destiny was the reason for the great interest in territorial expansion. With a sense of a ?holy mission,? people were encouraged to travel because of the great amounts of untouched land lying just beyond the borders of the declared territories. There was also the growing desire to develop trade with Asia. Taking over the western lands would eventually open new trade routes with China and Japan who offered rare items such as silk and unique spices. (Quick note from the student: Spices? Isn't that what started the whole thing in the first place? I guess that there is always a hungry man in the history books!) There was also a fear that the land the United States would seek might be taken by foreign invaders. - Namely Russia who was rumored to be planning to take the area of that would later be California for itself. The easiest way to keep others from encroaching on the American's divinely ?Promised Land? was to conquer the land first. Manifest Destiny also created a brutal consequences from the eagerness of the land hungry Americans. While conquering the new and untouched lands, in the process the Native Americans were either moved to other territories so that they were not in the way, or killed. Their deaths were justified by the reasoning that it was their duty to Christianize the savages. (This was all in favor of the advancement of the white civilization.) With such a divine right from God, anything that stood in the way of their right was a threat that simply had to be ridded from on the earth. The government even put their supposed justification in writing with the Manifest Destiny Doctrine, where they intended to break up all tribal governments. Even in modern times, the idea of manifest destiny still flowed through the veins of American government. The most blatant example is the United States burning urge to have Hawaii as the 50 state and a military out post. This was a prime example of Manifest Destiny when in 1898 the US military went into Hawaii and quickly, and simply, took it. The task was completed in 1959 when Hawaii was still unwillingly made the 50th state of the US. Though the idea of manifest destiny in general had been around since the beginning of religion itself, American took it in whole-heartedly and so quickly went to claim their providence from God. Though many believed that it was the holy thing to do, most of their morals were shot to the ground when their greed for land took over. Whoever started the American Manifest Destiny probably had no idea what they had begun. He probably did not have the slightest intellect of how much land there was to conquer, nor how many there were to see slaughtered in the name of God. May all God's children rest in peace? History Essays

Free Essays on The World Of The Vikings

Vikings The Viking age has long been associated with unbridled piracy, when freebooters swarmed out of the northlands in their longships to burn and pillage their way across civilized Europe. Modern scholarship provides evidence this is a gross simplification, and that during this period much progress was achieved in terms of Scandinavian art and craftsmanship, marine technology, exploration, and the development of commerce. It seems the Vikings did as much trading as they did raiding. The title "Viking" encompasses a wide designation of Nordic people; Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, who lived during a period of brisk Scandinavian expansion in the middle ages, from approximately 800 to 1100 AD. This name may be derived from the old Norse vik(bay or creek). These people came from what is now Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and had a self-sustaining, agricultural society, where farming and cattle breeding were supplemented by hunting, fishing, the extraction of iron and the quarrying of rock to make whetstones and cooking utensils; some goods, however, had to be traded; salt, for instance, which is a necessity for man and cattle alike, is an everyday item and thus would not have been imported from a greater distance than necessary, while luxury items could be brought in from farther south in Europe. Their chief export products were, iron, whetstones, and soapstone cooking pots, these were an essential contribution to a trade growth in the Viking age. The contemporary references we have about the Vikings stem mainly from sources in western Europe who had bitter experiences with the invaders, so we're most likely presented with the worst side of the Vikings. Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of homesteads, farms, and marketplaces, where discarded or lost articles tell of a common everyday life. As the Viking period progressed, society changed; leading Chieftain families accumulated sufficient l... Free Essays on The World Of The Vikings Free Essays on The World Of The Vikings Vikings The Viking age has long been associated with unbridled piracy, when freebooters swarmed out of the northlands in their longships to burn and pillage their way across civilized Europe. Modern scholarship provides evidence this is a gross simplification, and that during this period much progress was achieved in terms of Scandinavian art and craftsmanship, marine technology, exploration, and the development of commerce. It seems the Vikings did as much trading as they did raiding. The title "Viking" encompasses a wide designation of Nordic people; Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, who lived during a period of brisk Scandinavian expansion in the middle ages, from approximately 800 to 1100 AD. This name may be derived from the old Norse vik(bay or creek). These people came from what is now Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and had a self-sustaining, agricultural society, where farming and cattle breeding were supplemented by hunting, fishing, the extraction of iron and the quarrying of rock to make whetstones and cooking utensils; some goods, however, had to be traded; salt, for instance, which is a necessity for man and cattle alike, is an everyday item and thus would not have been imported from a greater distance than necessary, while luxury items could be brought in from farther south in Europe. Their chief export products were, iron, whetstones, and soapstone cooking pots, these were an essential contribution to a trade growth in the Viking age. The contemporary references we have about the Vikings stem mainly from sources in western Europe who had bitter experiences with the invaders, so we're most likely presented with the worst side of the Vikings. Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of homesteads, farms, and marketplaces, where discarded or lost articles tell of a common everyday life. As the Viking period progressed, society changed; leading Chieftain families accumulated sufficient l...

Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Friendship - Essay Example It was not a pleasant experience because we were strangers to one another. Even though my uncle was not happy about our lack of knowledge of each other, he introduced us as first cousins after which we became friends. I was also able to meet other cousins during my stay in the city but my friendship with this particular cousin has grown beyond any other personal relationship that I have had and I, in this paper, look at friendship and the extent to which Akst’s writing applies to friendship and possible deviations. Basis of friendships Akst, in his article, noted Aristotle’s explanation of three forms of friendship: â€Å"those based on usefulness (contacts), on pleasure (drinking buddies), and on a shared pursuit of virtue – the highest form of all† (Akst, 24). Our friendship developed from shared goals and dreams that we aspired to achieve in the future. The only contrasting aspect that existed between my cousin and I was our preferred professions. My co usin preferred a business career. He was a self-proclaimed businessperson and believed that business was the only key that could unlock his fortunes. On the contrary, I had education-oriented goals. I aimed at working hard in school to secure good grades that would qualify me to attend top ranking universities in the country. We however shared common goals despite the different paths that we chose to our respective success. A reflection, ten years later, of our friendship echoes Akst’s point that friendship built on shared pursuit of virtue is the highest form of all existing types of friendship basis. (Akst, 24) Advantages of having friends in the society Wilson in his article addressed the positive implications of friendship. According to Wilson, â€Å"living in a society of friends has many advantages. Friendship can moderate our behavior† and â€Å"friends help us establish and maintain norms and can tell us if we are running off when others do not notice, will no t break the news, or lack the necessary credibility† (in Akst, 26). In any given friendship, there exists a common trait. Personal traits among true friends are always in accord in terms of moral beliefs, ethical standards and political or religious affiliations. The concept of moderation of character in friendship was demonstrated through our relationship. Based on our contrasting success strategies, my cousin opted to venture into business while I pursued my undergraduate studies. Over the years, my cousin equipped himself with versatile entrepreneurial skills while I concentrated on my studies. Within a period of two years while I was in college, my cousin was able to establish and run a successful business firm. In his part, my cousin challenged my strategy of success. He argued that I did not have to finish college in order to own a business. My cousin reckoned that I could continue with my studies while operating a small business venture. He was able to instill in me the art and skills of a young entrepreneur while I was still pursuing my childhood dream of becoming a scholar. After considering his advice, I started supplying the college’s administration with stationeries and later expanded my market to cover the entire college and its environs. It was through our friendship that my cousin moderated my obsession with academic studies and established a renewed perspective of business in my character. Friendship concepts overlooked by the author Misunderstandings in friendships In his argument, Akst failed to mention that friendship is not always perfect. His analysis of the concept of friendship overlooked mistakes and misunderstanding among friends. In my personal opinion, mistakes and misunderstanding serve to strengthen friendship. In my relationship with my cousin, we have had