Manifest Destiny

I checked Wikipedia for "manifest destiny" and found this note:
The phrase was coined in 1845 by journalist John L. O'Sullivan, then an influential advocate for the Democratic Party. O'Sullivan argued that the United States had the right to claim "the whole of Oregon" saying:
And that claim is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federated self-government entrusted to us.
That is, O'Sullivan believed that God ("Providence") had given the United States a mission to spread republican democracy ("the great experiment of liberty") throughout North America.
President Bush seems to have erroneously embraced this same mission for Iraq and perhaps much of the world. I wonder if such thinking is a natural offshoot when we try to involve Providence in national and world affairs ... just wondering.

3 comments:

  1. KB,

    The proselytization of democracy is far more reaching than 'manisfest-destiny'. It is a mandate that this country was formed on.

    When the Declaration of Independance was written as well as the Bill of Rights, the intent was how to define how we govern the U.S. but the forfathers argued that these rights and privledges transcend governments, if not man.

    I would contend that your assertion that Bush erroneously embraced a view held by our forefathers is... well... erroneous.

    If we raised the American flag in Iraq, or Afganistan, I might be more inclined to agree with you. But the last time I checked, Iraq has its own flag, and we, have dethroned a malevolent dictator.

    The folley of Americans is in beleiving that the ideas set in stone by our forefathers were uniquely American. Indeed this is a great country, but Hamilton, Jeffereson, and Franklin all point to the Holy Bible as their inspiration. We didn't embrace democracy... it embraced us.

    God Bless
    Doug

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  2. Thanks for the correction Doug. I agree with your perspective about MD ... you are right when you say that we didn't raise the American flag in Iraq.

    That said, I have to say that I am uncomfortable with the phrase "proselytization of democracy". Maybe helping countries to develop democracy could work (past successful examples of this escape me) but I think that in places like Iraq it is foolish to think that you can have democracy without basic freedoms like the freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

    Blessings, KB

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  3. KB,

    You are very correct about that. Democracy can only work if there is not a fear of reprecussion because of views. This very thing occured to the losing party to Hitler. They were publically disgraced, humiliated and eventually executed as traitors: this is not democracy.

    Some successful examples do come to mind: South Korea for one, but the success of this is quite narrow. Still, I am not comfortable sitting quietly and letting opressors opress. It is a difficult pickle.

    God Bless
    Doug

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