Ch. 12: Manifest Destiny (AB Tech)

Reading Log: in what ways has your text dealt with exploitation at all? How can we make a connection to what we've learned about the cotton revolution so far?

Is expansion always progress? Why or why not?

Contextualize Manifest Destiny within the overall narrative of southern development covered via our chapter on the Cotton Revolution

Who were the Comanche and how did they exert influence on the frontier?

Image Analysis #1:

1.) Observation

What is happening in this image? List the people, objects, and symbols you notice.

Who is shown moving westward, and who or what is being left behind?

2.) Symbolism & Meaning

What symbols or figures (like Columbia, light/darkness, technology, or nature) appear in the image? What do they represent?

How does the artist portray “progress”? How is it contrasted with “wilderness” or “civilization”?

3.) Perspectives & Voices

Whose perspective of Manifest Destiny does this image reflect?

Whose perspective might be missing or ignored (e.g., Indigenous peoples, enslaved individuals, Mexico)?

4.) Tone & Message

Does the image celebrate, justify, or criticize expansion? What evidence makes you think so?

How might this image have influenced public opinion in the 19th century?

5.) Connections to Broader Themes

How do these images illustrate the idea of Manifest Destiny?

In what ways do they connect to themes of technology, democracy, displacement, and power?

Image Analysis #2:

1.) Observation

What is happening in this image? List the people, objects, and symbols you notice.

Who is shown moving westward, and who or what is being left behind?

2.) Symbolism & Meaning

What symbols or figures (like Columbia, light/darkness, technology, or nature) appear in the image? What do they represent?

How does the artist portray “progress”? How is it contrasted with “wilderness” or “civilization”?

3.) Perspectives & Voices

Whose perspective of Manifest Destiny does this image reflect?

Whose perspective might be missing or ignored (e.g., Indigenous peoples, enslaved individuals, Mexico)?

4.) Tone & Message

Does the image celebrate, justify, or criticize expansion? What evidence makes you think so?

How might this image have influenced public opinion in the 19th century?

5.) Connections to Broader Themes

How do these images illustrate the idea of Manifest Destiny?

In what ways do they connect to themes of technology, democracy, displacement, and power?

Image Analysis #3:

1.) Observation

What is happening in this image? List the people, objects, and symbols you notice.

Who is shown moving westward, and who or what is being left behind?

2.) Symbolism & Meaning

What symbols or figures (like Columbia, light/darkness, technology, or nature) appear in the image? What do they represent?

How does the artist portray “progress”? How is it contrasted with “wilderness” or “civilization”?

3.) Perspectives & Voices

Whose perspective of Manifest Destiny does this image reflect?

Whose perspective might be missing or ignored (e.g., Indigenous peoples, enslaved individuals, Mexico)?

4.) Tone & Message

Does the image celebrate, justify, or criticize expansion? What evidence makes you think so?

How might this image have influenced public opinion in the 19th century?

5.) Connections to Broader Themes

How do these images illustrate the idea of Manifest Destiny?

In what ways do they connect to themes of technology, democracy, displacement, and power?

What is a song you've been feeling lately you'd like to add to the class playlist?

In brief, explain life and culture in the west.

Manifest Destiny was often described by Americans as the nation’s “obvious” or “divinely ordained” expansion across North America. Based on the chapter, to what extent was Manifest Destiny an idealistic belief, and to what extent was it a justification for economic and political expansion?

Explain the process by which the Mexican cession occurred.

How did the Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny coincide?

In brief, explain the major themes of this chapter.