Final answer:
Manifest Destiny was the belief that God gave the United States the right to expand westward and spread freedom and liberty to all. It justified Americans' quest for territorial expansion and had significant impacts on the country. This belief led to debates about slavery and clashes with indigenous peoples.
Step-by-step explanation:
The belief that God gave the United States the right to spread across the continent and bring freedom and liberty to everyone who chose to settle in the US is known as Manifest Destiny. It was a widely held belief in the nineteenth century that Americans had a divine right and responsibility to expand westward and spread Protestant democratic values.
Manifest Destiny justified Americans' quest for territorial expansion and absolved them of any questionable tactics they employed in the process. However, the reality was more complex as Hispanic communities, diverse tribes, and other settlers from Asia and Western Europe already lived in many parts of the country.
This belief in Manifest Destiny led to significant debates about the fate of slavery in the West and the clashes, both physical and cultural, that followed the western migration left lasting impacts on the United States.
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