Final answer:
Manifest Destiny is the historical concept of a divine mandate for the United States to expand across the North American continent, involving the Americanization of native cultures and associating territorial growth with the spreading of freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept that it is a God-given right to spread out across the continent is known as Manifest Destiny. This ideology held that the United States was destined to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. The term was coined by magazine editor John O'Sullivan in 1845. Manifest Destiny encapsulated several ideas including:
- Expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, or "from sea to shining sea".
- The Americanization of native peoples and cultures encountered during westward expansion.
- The belief that spreading the United States' boundaries equated to spreading freedom.
These views justified the expansionist policies of the 1840s and were a significant factor in the nation's history, influencing events such as the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War.