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Critical Issue
Manifest Destiny: American Expansion and the Empire of Right
Stephanson explores the origins of Manifest Destiny--the American idea of providential and historical chosenness--and shows how and why it has been invoked over the past three hundred years. He traces the roots of Manifest Destiny from the British settlement of North America and the rise of Puritanism through Woodrow Wilson's efforts to "make the world safe for democracy" and Ronald Reagan's struggle against the "evil empire" of the Soviet Union. The result is a remarkable and necessary book about how faith in divinely ordained expansionism has marked the course of American history.
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1995
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About the author
Anders Stephanson
9 books3 followersAnders Stephanson, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Family Foundation Professor of History, specializes in 20th-century American foreign relations as well as history and theory. He received a B.A. from Gothenburg (1975), an M.Phil from Oxford (1977), and a Ph.D. from Columbia (1986).
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 23, 2016
This is a short book about a large subject: manifest destiny. Manifest destiny refers to the belief that America was chosen by God to spread from coast to coast, with a few field trips into places like Hawaii, the Philippines, Cuba, and Haiti as well. The book is only 129 pages long and incredibly verbose. The author drops words and phrases like "continentalism," "discursive frame," communitarian consolidation," and--my favorite--"destinarian thinking" in a sort of verbal carpet bombing of the text. I found myself distracted, again and again, by how complex that author was making his sentences. It's as though he was purposefully adopting a grand eloquent writing style to sound authoritative, or scholarly. Now, don't get me wrong: I can read, and enjoy, academic writing. This book, though, was too contrived. I'm not sure who the author was writing for: other post-modern academics, maybe, but I found his voice to be irritating instead of informative.
I once had a professor at BU who said (verbatim), "So we perambulated, ever mindful of the perils of dairy and flock." She wrote the way she spoke, with a sort of affected loquaciousness. The dude does the same thing.
With all of that said, the book manages to complete what it sets out to do. Not much new here, but it's useful to have the issue of manifest destiny in American history handily located in one slim text. The Puritans thought they were a chosen people who were building the Kingdom of God in a trackless wilderness, and spreading their faith to the savages. Later, racist ideas about Anglo-Saxon superiority, and pseudo sciences like phrenology led to very unpleasant outcomes for the Native Americans, Africans (as well as African Americans) and anyone else who wasn't white and Christian. Competition with the Europeans to gobble up the world as colonial powers led to the United States, in the words of Pat Buchanan, acting much more like an empire than a republic. None of this is pleasant.
But...here is my thing: groups of human beings have been displacing other groups of human beings going as far back as record keeping. Anthropologists believe that early man completely eradicated neanderthals. It is simply something that our species does. I am not advocating for this kind of conflict in our modern day; I am merely pointing out that all of our hand-wringing about manifest destiny is because we know so much about it. We kept records; it all began, and continued, in a time much closer to now than did, say, the Celts pushing the Romans out of France, or the Chinese pushing some other, smaller group out of the way. If we had writing, and records, five thousand years ago, of the caliber that we have now (and had in the 17th and 18th century), I think we would find that history is replete with some group shoving another group out of its way. It's just what homo sapiens do. So yes, it's interesting to read about the rationalizations and reasoning that led to America's spread from sea to shining sea, but it's foolish to feel guilty about it. It is just something that happened.
It's just a part of what humanity is. "Oh what a piece of work is man..."
I once had a professor at BU who said (verbatim), "So we perambulated, ever mindful of the perils of dairy and flock." She wrote the way she spoke, with a sort of affected loquaciousness. The dude does the same thing.
With all of that said, the book manages to complete what it sets out to do. Not much new here, but it's useful to have the issue of manifest destiny in American history handily located in one slim text. The Puritans thought they were a chosen people who were building the Kingdom of God in a trackless wilderness, and spreading their faith to the savages. Later, racist ideas about Anglo-Saxon superiority, and pseudo sciences like phrenology led to very unpleasant outcomes for the Native Americans, Africans (as well as African Americans) and anyone else who wasn't white and Christian. Competition with the Europeans to gobble up the world as colonial powers led to the United States, in the words of Pat Buchanan, acting much more like an empire than a republic. None of this is pleasant.
But...here is my thing: groups of human beings have been displacing other groups of human beings going as far back as record keeping. Anthropologists believe that early man completely eradicated neanderthals. It is simply something that our species does. I am not advocating for this kind of conflict in our modern day; I am merely pointing out that all of our hand-wringing about manifest destiny is because we know so much about it. We kept records; it all began, and continued, in a time much closer to now than did, say, the Celts pushing the Romans out of France, or the Chinese pushing some other, smaller group out of the way. If we had writing, and records, five thousand years ago, of the caliber that we have now (and had in the 17th and 18th century), I think we would find that history is replete with some group shoving another group out of its way. It's just what homo sapiens do. So yes, it's interesting to read about the rationalizations and reasoning that led to America's spread from sea to shining sea, but it's foolish to feel guilty about it. It is just something that happened.
It's just a part of what humanity is. "Oh what a piece of work is man..."
December 14, 2022
another school book. buckle up.
August 29, 2011
Stephanson illustrates the forceful combination of religious and secular ideologies, which influenced the creation of the principle of manifest destiny. The concept of which is not solely racially motivated, but rather justified through biblical interpretation of the United States as a land of the ‘chosen’, people destined by God to expand and settle into the Promise Land. While there were several ideologies and frameworks to select from during the era, all of them led to the same conclusion- America was exceptional and the Anglo race was to spread that exceptionalism as far as it could to the west. Populations outside of this race were problematic to the carrying out of God’s plan; problems solved, justifiably by racial and biblical hierarchy, through extermination.
Because of American exceptionalism, nationalism emerged. Viewing America as requiring expansion in order to continue glory, society focused on the West. However, with nationalism can sectionalism along religious, political. Religiously the rift in America is between Protestants and Catholics. Protestants saw their religion as the true basis for American ideology, immigration of German and Irish Catholics sought to undermine this foundation with their own. Because of the rapid expansion of settlements, religious ideology diffused within new populations easily creating small sects throughout the American hinterland, thus creating additional religious partitions. Political sectionalism was an equally heated rivalry between free and slave states, where the addition of each new settlement and territory meant the debate over the status of the region. The position of being anti-slave state did not mean the desire of free and equal rights among men, but was more economical in nature. Having to pay workers in free states meant that slave states attained labor for free creating an economic imbalance between the two divisions. However, after the annexation of California, Texas, Oregon and New Mexico the distribution of free and slave states seemed to have come to an agreeable balance. Even when the politics of adding new territory meant heated debates on the status of such territory regarding slavery the desire to develop would quell argument and eventually new regions increased the size of the already great nation. Taking over territory that others already laid claim to was simple once justified through ideology that reinforced Anglo privilege based on superiority. Enlightenment thought of natural law and duty heavily influenced this ideology. The combination of natural laws and the will of God was enough to justify expansion in the minds of most Americans. While this was, also, expansion based on racialization and the establishment of hierarchy, these terms were never questioned as to their accuracy. Stephanson’s overall argument is that while the concept of manifest destiny never solidified as doctrine, it was a tradition followed throughout the history of American expansionism, and later imperialism.
The strength of this argument lies in its obvious historical base. Starting in the 1820s Americans looked west to find new opportunity. Moreover, since the majority of Americans in this era subscribed to Christian religion, what better way to rationalize actions than to say it was the hand of God? Giving divine right to the American people through rhetoric, which established the United States as, in some cases, the new Israel, or very often as the Promise Land for the Chosen, meant that there could be no earthly limitations on the exercise of such right. In other words, all the land that they could travel to continentally to the west already belonged to them and whoever inhabited in currently were undeserving and of lesser importance than the Anglo race. Looking at leaders of the time as men influenced by their religious beliefs when making decisions creates a completely new framework for understanding why some were the authority during great periods of expansion, while others took the reins during relative inaction. This stance of manifest destiny really takes advantage of the religious implications of the term and makes a strong argument for the power of religious ideology in the nineteenth century.
Problems with this work are founded in its format. Because of the brevity, which the author makes continual reference to, there are no footnotes or endnotes, leaving the reader to scour through a short and admittedly incomplete bibliographic list at the end of the book to find sources. While the note prior to the bibliography attempts to inspire readers to begin their own research following the route of this bibliography, it is very difficult to determine where certain ideas and even quotes came from. Because of this the argument overall is weakened. Without the professional assurance of research, much of the book comes off as opinionated and created on shallow connection. As to the source base of the work, it covers an abundance of secondary literature, making this work as Stephanson states, prior to the bibliography, a synthesis rather than an original creation. Among other histories on this subject, this work strives to create an argument that it was not only racial superiority that warranted expansion, but also rather religious principle that created a tradition, which could carry racial, intellectual and settling superiority through the process of founding new regions of the United States. In this way, it stands out from other manifest destiny works.
Because of American exceptionalism, nationalism emerged. Viewing America as requiring expansion in order to continue glory, society focused on the West. However, with nationalism can sectionalism along religious, political. Religiously the rift in America is between Protestants and Catholics. Protestants saw their religion as the true basis for American ideology, immigration of German and Irish Catholics sought to undermine this foundation with their own. Because of the rapid expansion of settlements, religious ideology diffused within new populations easily creating small sects throughout the American hinterland, thus creating additional religious partitions. Political sectionalism was an equally heated rivalry between free and slave states, where the addition of each new settlement and territory meant the debate over the status of the region. The position of being anti-slave state did not mean the desire of free and equal rights among men, but was more economical in nature. Having to pay workers in free states meant that slave states attained labor for free creating an economic imbalance between the two divisions. However, after the annexation of California, Texas, Oregon and New Mexico the distribution of free and slave states seemed to have come to an agreeable balance. Even when the politics of adding new territory meant heated debates on the status of such territory regarding slavery the desire to develop would quell argument and eventually new regions increased the size of the already great nation. Taking over territory that others already laid claim to was simple once justified through ideology that reinforced Anglo privilege based on superiority. Enlightenment thought of natural law and duty heavily influenced this ideology. The combination of natural laws and the will of God was enough to justify expansion in the minds of most Americans. While this was, also, expansion based on racialization and the establishment of hierarchy, these terms were never questioned as to their accuracy. Stephanson’s overall argument is that while the concept of manifest destiny never solidified as doctrine, it was a tradition followed throughout the history of American expansionism, and later imperialism.
The strength of this argument lies in its obvious historical base. Starting in the 1820s Americans looked west to find new opportunity. Moreover, since the majority of Americans in this era subscribed to Christian religion, what better way to rationalize actions than to say it was the hand of God? Giving divine right to the American people through rhetoric, which established the United States as, in some cases, the new Israel, or very often as the Promise Land for the Chosen, meant that there could be no earthly limitations on the exercise of such right. In other words, all the land that they could travel to continentally to the west already belonged to them and whoever inhabited in currently were undeserving and of lesser importance than the Anglo race. Looking at leaders of the time as men influenced by their religious beliefs when making decisions creates a completely new framework for understanding why some were the authority during great periods of expansion, while others took the reins during relative inaction. This stance of manifest destiny really takes advantage of the religious implications of the term and makes a strong argument for the power of religious ideology in the nineteenth century.
Problems with this work are founded in its format. Because of the brevity, which the author makes continual reference to, there are no footnotes or endnotes, leaving the reader to scour through a short and admittedly incomplete bibliographic list at the end of the book to find sources. While the note prior to the bibliography attempts to inspire readers to begin their own research following the route of this bibliography, it is very difficult to determine where certain ideas and even quotes came from. Because of this the argument overall is weakened. Without the professional assurance of research, much of the book comes off as opinionated and created on shallow connection. As to the source base of the work, it covers an abundance of secondary literature, making this work as Stephanson states, prior to the bibliography, a synthesis rather than an original creation. Among other histories on this subject, this work strives to create an argument that it was not only racial superiority that warranted expansion, but also rather religious principle that created a tradition, which could carry racial, intellectual and settling superiority through the process of founding new regions of the United States. In this way, it stands out from other manifest destiny works.
November 13, 2018
Ambitious in its concise summaries of enormous historical and ideological analysis (albeit, admitted by the author himself), this text does what it intends to do. For my purposes, this book is an excellent volume, as it strings together valuable episodes and instances representing the attitudes and beliefs of manifest destiny throughout the defining moments of the cultural and political formation of the U.S. My sole gripe with it is the abject neglect of including footnotes, useful bibliography, or specific references to quotes and theories (apart from simply saying, "this person stated this...").
May 10, 2015
American diplomatic history in 129 pages! A must read for anyone who wants to know about the founding of America and its how it's relations with other countries helped to establish its foreign and trade policy with the world, especially the Caribbean and South America. I was fortunate to reach out to and interview the author, Anders Stephanson, for my college term paper in which I received an A+
July 29, 2017
Fascinating overview of the ideological foundations of American expansionism as encapsulated in the phrase 'manifest destiny.' Very substantial but condensed treatment of the subject at 129 pages although the text dulls towards the end when it talks about the Cold War era.
February 7, 2012
This book was painful when I read it in college. It was again 15 years later.
January 7, 2025
I read this book for my oral exams in American history. It's a good synthetic work that explains a fairly large and complex concept in a pretty condensed way.
Stephanson traces the evolution of the ideological framework that has guided American self-perception throughout its history. Central to his argument is the idea that Americans have long viewed themselves as destined to fulfill a unique and universal mission in the world. This secular and theological conviction has shaped their views on communitarianism, individualism, racism, expansionism, imperialism, and global leadership.
He argues that this sense of prophetic purpose has been a consistent undercurrent in American thought, though it took on different forms depending on the historical context. In the late nineteenth century, as the frontier closed and the nation's internal market reached its limits, this sense of destiny was reshaped to justify the creation of a formal empire. The "new" manifest destiny was not just about territorial expansion but also about extending American influence globally under the guise of "civilizing" the world and promoting American commerce.
I think the strength of Stephanson’s analysis lies in his recognition that ideologies of power, like "manifest destiny," do not exist in isolation but are shaped by other domestic and international forces. As he demonstrates, the late 19th-century shift in American policy—from westward expansion to overseas imperialism—was a direct result of these ideological adaptations. With the closing of the frontier and the emerging need for new markets, the same principles that had justified domestic policies were now reinterpreted to support an aggressive foreign policy.
The book is divided in three parts, with the first two being the most interesting and informative. I found the book was a thought-provoking exploration of how American identity has been intertwined with expansionist ambitions, providing critical insights into the ideological foundations of U.S. imperialism and its lasting influence on global affairs.
Stephanson traces the evolution of the ideological framework that has guided American self-perception throughout its history. Central to his argument is the idea that Americans have long viewed themselves as destined to fulfill a unique and universal mission in the world. This secular and theological conviction has shaped their views on communitarianism, individualism, racism, expansionism, imperialism, and global leadership.
He argues that this sense of prophetic purpose has been a consistent undercurrent in American thought, though it took on different forms depending on the historical context. In the late nineteenth century, as the frontier closed and the nation's internal market reached its limits, this sense of destiny was reshaped to justify the creation of a formal empire. The "new" manifest destiny was not just about territorial expansion but also about extending American influence globally under the guise of "civilizing" the world and promoting American commerce.
I think the strength of Stephanson’s analysis lies in his recognition that ideologies of power, like "manifest destiny," do not exist in isolation but are shaped by other domestic and international forces. As he demonstrates, the late 19th-century shift in American policy—from westward expansion to overseas imperialism—was a direct result of these ideological adaptations. With the closing of the frontier and the emerging need for new markets, the same principles that had justified domestic policies were now reinterpreted to support an aggressive foreign policy.
The book is divided in three parts, with the first two being the most interesting and informative. I found the book was a thought-provoking exploration of how American identity has been intertwined with expansionist ambitions, providing critical insights into the ideological foundations of U.S. imperialism and its lasting influence on global affairs.
July 22, 2023
Fairly brief but informative analysis of the the concept of Manifest Destiny in the history of U.S. foreign policy. This extended essay traces the roots of the concept back to John O'Sullivan's original 1845 formulation of continental expansion, itself drawing on Puritan notions of America as a new sacred land, gifted by God to the faithful elect. He then examines how these ideas evolved after the Revolution and subsequent territorial expansion, through the contradictions of overseas empire, and finally to the Cold War's moralizing crusades. Stephanson notes that there was never a single vision of Manifest Destiny, and that different leaders and thinkers would view America's "mission" or "destiny" in varied terms: as an example to others; as nation destined to conquer; as the uplifter of "lesser" peoples; as a moral champion; or as the spear-carrier of a special racial destiny. In the minds of its advocates (and many of its critics), Manifest Destiny implied that the United States could be the New Israel or the New Rome; a republic of freedom and an "empire of liberty"; a universal state and an Anglo-Saxon bastion. Some of these contradictory conceptions were framed as Divine will and others as simply geopolitical realpolitik.
A good general knowledge of US history would be helpful to fully appreciate this book, as Stephanson is offering an analysis rather than a detailed narrative.
A good general knowledge of US history would be helpful to fully appreciate this book, as Stephanson is offering an analysis rather than a detailed narrative.
September 20, 2020
had to read this for school. very informative, very eye opening (a lot of things they dont teach u in high school american history) but dry. overall a great book but would not read this for fun. usually i dont log school reading on here but this was a lot so im okaying it
Read
February 14, 2021Lu pour l'université
September 15, 2021
Read this for uni. American policy is infuriating.
September 11, 2023
Read for class, was fine.
March 5, 2025
This was honestly so hard to read. Such a broad topic in 129 pages. It completed what it set out to do but it was miserable to read.
May 20, 2025
great introduction to the subject. the concept evolved from religious right to white right to subjugate from sea to sea
September 1, 2025
they’ve already got me workingggggughh
April 22, 2024
this isn’t a bad book at all, i just dislike reading history stuffs lol
also I approximately fell asleep almost every time i picked up this book so i’d recommend reading it if you’re struggling with falling asleep 😻
also I approximately fell asleep almost every time i picked up this book so i’d recommend reading it if you’re struggling with falling asleep 😻
January 4, 2017
A concise account of the intellectual history of the idea of manifest destiny.
to-keep-reference
October 18, 2016Anders Stephenson realiza un excelente resumen de las concepciones de los Estados Unidos como una “nueva Jerusalem” en Manifest Destiny: American Expansionism and the Empire of Right (New York: Hill and Wang, 1995).
Imperio Pág.114
La combinación de reformismo y expansionismo en el “Imperio del Derecho” es excelentemente presentada por Anders Stephanson, Manifest Destiny: American Expansionism and the Empire of Right (New York: Hill and Wang, 1995).
Imperio Pág.127
Imperio Pág.114
La combinación de reformismo y expansionismo en el “Imperio del Derecho” es excelentemente presentada por Anders Stephanson, Manifest Destiny: American Expansionism and the Empire of Right (New York: Hill and Wang, 1995).
Imperio Pág.127
September 9, 2009
Very interesting, this concept that Europeans and later Americans have as a "chosen people" and that in turns gives them the justification to take out and abuse whoever, all in the name of American expansion and American ideals.
March 6, 2013
This book is good for learning the basics about manifest destiny, but the writing is very dry.
Read
February 9, 2017An important look at this idea that shaped so much of U.S. and American history.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews