65 pages • 2 hours read
Daniel Walker HoweWhat Hath God Wrought
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Ideological Context: Manifest Destiny
“Manifest Destiny” is a term deeply embedded in the American historical lexicon, encapsulating a complex set of beliefs and attitudes that have influenced the nation’s expansionist policies and self-image. This ideology, which emerged prominently in the mid-19th century, posited that God had destined the white settlers of the United States to spread democracy and capitalism across North America. This belief in a divinely ordained mission not only justified territorial expansion but also framed it as a moral imperative, influencing American policy and identity.
The term itself is often said to be coined by journalist John L. O’Sullivan in 1845, in the context of advocating for the annexation of Texas and disputing British claims in the Oregon Territory. O’Sullivan argued that the United States had a manifest destiny from Providence to expand across the continent for the uninhibited growth and prosperity of the rapidly increasing population. This phrase quickly became a rallying cry for expansionists, encapsulating the intertwined ideas of American exceptionalism, the virtue of the American way of life, and a divine mandate for expansion.
Manifest Destiny was not just a theoretical construct but an ideological force that influenced real policy decisions and actions, leading to the annexation of territories such as Texas, Oregon, and, following the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the regions that would become California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. These territorial expansions dramatically altered the geographic and cultural fabric of the United States, carving out new states and territories from lands previously inhabited and governed by Indigenous peoples and other nations. These “achievements” for the US came at a steep cost, marking a dark legacy of settler colonialism. The drive for expansion led to the forced displacement, suffering, and near eradication of numerous Indigenous communities, stripping them of their lands, rights, and lives in the process. Nations such as Mexico also faced significant territorial losses, reshaping political boundaries and relations in North America. This period of aggressive territorial acquisition underscored a pattern of exploitation and violence against Indigenous populations and other nations.
Manifest Destiny has faced significant opposition from various quarters. Critics challenge the moral and legal justifications for expansion, pointing to the aggressive dispossession of Indigenous lands, the extension of slavery into new territories, and the imperialistic overtones of the doctrine. The debates over Manifest Destiny thus mirrored broader conflicts within American society about the nature of democracy, the limits of American power, and the ongoing definition of national identity. What Hath God Wrought brings these arguments into the discussion while exploring how the philosophy shaped the country’s growth.
Cultural Context: American Exceptionalism
The ideology of Manifest Destiny was rooted in a mix of religious conviction, cultural narratives, and racial ideologies that emerged from the early history of the United States. These beliefs trace back to the Puritan settlers who saw themselves as a “chosen people” destined to create a “city upon a hill,” a concept that laid the groundwork for the notion of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism—the belief that the United States is inherently different from other nations, both in its founding principles and its historical evolution—has been a driving force behind the country’s national identity. This notion posits that the US, with its ideals of liberty, democracy, and individualism, has a unique mission to transform and lead the world.
As the nation grew, these ideals became intertwined with a sense of cultural and racial superiority, influenced by Enlightenment thought and a burgeoning sense of nationalism. The belief in the inherent superiority of the white race and the American way of life, combined with pseudo-scientific ideas about race that proliferated in the 19th century, contributed to a worldview that justified the expansion of American territories as a civilizing mission. Some Americans saw this mission as both a divine mandate and a moral obligation to spread democracy and capitalism, often at the expense of Indigenous populations and non-European nations, whose cultures and political systems were deemed inferior.
The lenses of American exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny rationalized the displacement and mistreatment of Indigenous populations as a necessary, even benevolent, process of bringing civilization to supposedly “savage” lands. This ideology not only justified the seizure of Indigenous lands but also facilitated the cultural assimilation and physical removal of Indigenous peoples through policies like the Indian Removal Act. Similarly, the annexation of territories from Mexico was framed as the spread of liberty and democracy, overlooking the sovereignty and rights of the Mexican nation and people.
Conflicts with European powers over territorial claims were also infused with the spirit of American exceptionalism, reflecting a burgeoning American nationalism that saw the US as destined to dominate the North American continent. What Hath God Wrought discusses this as part of a larger narrative of competition and conflict with European colonial powers, with the US casting itself as morally and culturally superior, driven to reshape the continent in its image.
