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Article: Westward Expansion
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
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WESTWARD EXPANSION
The United States inherited, in essence, the British empire's imperialistic tradition and it eventually became a global power that surpassed Great Britain. In 1790, however, the United States held less than 900,000 square miles of territory. Much of the land was still claimed by indigenous societies, and the borders were contested by various European nations. Yet, the notion of national expansion was ingrained in the minds of the young nation's citizens.
The general unifying philosophy of manifest destiny propelled desires for national expansion. Use of the term first appeared in 1845 in the context of the impending Texas Annexation. Coming from a quasi-religious ...