It's all just marketing.
this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2025
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Disclaimer: I'm not a historian, but thought this thread could use a more thoughtful answer than previous answers
Manifest destiny was mostly about extending the US from the Atlantic to the pacific, and trying excuse the genocide of indigenous peoples. Arizona and New Mexico were the last continental US states to receive statehood, both in 1912. World War 1 started in 1914 and the US joined the war in 1917. The war captured a lot of the attention of both politicians and everyday people, in large part because 5 million Americans directly joined the war effort, or close to 5% of the population. There were still territorial interests at play, but more about the strategic and resource value of the territories for war readiness vs settling them with Americans of European ancestry.
Destiny is manifest... We claimed everything to the pacific and then we started putting military bases all over the planet
It morphed into the american dream. Metasticized into consumerism.
Worth noting that Manifest Destiny itself is a repackaging of the Divine Right of Kings.
I'd say now, it's just "America First".
They're all just the same premise: What's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable. Be it a king to his serfs, Americans to the indigenous population of America, or now Americans to the planet.
They’re all just the same premise: What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable. Be it a king to his serfs, Americans to the indigenous population of America, or now Americans to the planet.
Best way to put it, imho.
Because its a bullshit thing made up for folks to do what they want. Its basically the same as the divine right of kings.