Final answer:
Manifest Destiny was a 19th-century belief in the United States' destiny to expand across North America and spread democracy, while American Imperialism represented a later global expansion of U.S. influence, often through overseas territories. The two concepts are aligned in their expansionist intent but differ in scope and application, with Manifest Destiny being continental and Imperialism being global.
Step-by-step explanation:
Manifest Destiny vs. American Imperialism
The philosophy of Manifest Destiny was a 19th-century doctrine that the United States had a divinely granted right to expand its territory across the North American continent. This belief supported the westward territorial expansion, asserting it was both inevitable and morally right. Manifest Destiny was driven by a sense of mission to spread democratic institutions and involved the Americanization of Native Americans and Mexican residents in territories such as Texas, Oregon, and California. It was intertwined with complex questions regarding the nature of freedom and the role of the state in expansion.
On the other hand, American Imperialism emerged later in the 19th century as the United States began to exert its influence and control beyond the North American continent. It was characterized by the acquisition of territories overseas through colonization, political pressure, or military conquest. The idea of American exceptionalism fueled imperialism, which is the belief that the U.S. had a unique mission to promote liberty and democracy worldwide. Unlike Manifest Destiny, which was largely continental, imperialism reflected global ambitions and entailed enforcing American ideals in foreign territories.
Both concepts were underlined by the desire to expand American influence and control, but they occurred in different contexts and scales. Manifest Destiny was largely a continental enterprise, while American Imperialism had a global dimension. The former focused on expansion across North America, leading to the fundamental alteration of the continent's political landscape, whereas imperialism involved the United States in overseas affairs and often contradicted the republic's democratic principles.