Manifest Destiny was a religious belief that Americans had a divine, God-given right to expand west by converting or moving anything in their way. Manifest Destiny: This is the underlying theme used to justify all westward expansion. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from the French government for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to New Orleans, and doubled the size of the United States. 'For Jefferson, westward expansion was key to the nation's health: he believed that a republic depended on an independent and virtuous citizenry for its survival, and that independence and virtue went hand in hand with ownership of land, especially ownership of small farms. (writes "Those who labor on the land... are God's chosen people.")' To provide enough land to support this ideal population of virtuous landowners, the United States would have to continue to expand. The President sends a scouting party (Lewis and Clark), the hunters and mountain men follow him. They were essentially doing the same thing that Daniel Boone did. Just later in history and pushing further west in an organized way with government support. There is much greater political significance at this time as America must appear united (links to Texan conflicts)2-3-American ideals were based on the ability to get what they want through hard work, however other civilizations who populated the country could not adapt to this ideal and, through Manifest Destiny, believed they had a God-given right to expand for the good of their American culture. ( Politically it ties back to democratic government on...... middle of paper ...... and other minerals. Gold got a high price, so people went west to look for it. Just like any other commodity that brings a lot of money, gold miners always hoped to get rich (this factor underlines the importance of individuals' desire to expand it is also an important step forward as they are among the first to populate the west coast of America) had its origins in central New York. Due to the radical beliefs of Mormonism, they settled first in northern Ohio and then in western Illinois (the city of Nauvoo). and practicing one's religion in relative isolation without worrying that one's practices and beliefs offend others (this factor is the least significant, however it does not depend directly on Manifest Destiny, however it is limited without it)