Final answer:
The belief in Manifest Destiny was a driving force behind westward migration in the 1840s, advocating for American territorial expansion as a divine right while also providing economic and moral justification for displacing Indigenous populations and taking control of new lands. By the 1890s, this ideology continued to influence America's expansionist policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The belief in Manifest Destiny played a significant role in motivating migrants to head west during the 1840s. Manifest Destiny was a term that encompassed the belief that the United States was destined to expand its territory across the North American continent.
This ideology provided a religious and moral justification for American expansion, implying that it was a divine right and duty for Americans to spread democracy and their way of life 'from sea to shining sea'. Consequently, it helped to shape the nation's westward movement as Americans felt compelled to fulfill their destiny, often at the expense of Indigenous peoples and other groups already inhabiting the land.
Manifest Destiny justified the expansionist actions and encouraged settlers to take advantage of economic opportunities in the West, such as land for farming and resources for trade.
The concept was seen as giving Americans the right to govern any other groups they encountered and absolved them from moral scrutiny regarding the tactics they employed to acquire new territories.
The influx of Americans heading west also included those engaged in commercial and agrarian enterprises, whose economic activities often laid the groundwork for further national expansion.
By the 1890s, American expansion was seen as a continuation of the principles of Manifest Destiny, where economic motivations combined with a belief in cultural and technological superiority to justify further conquests and settlements.
The repercussions of such expansionism included numerous conflicts with Indigenous peoples, and the cultural and political changes brought about by these movements continue to be a topic of debate regarding their impact on the history and development of the United States.