Manifest Destiny Ideology
Origin Of Manifest Destiny And Its Impact On Aboriginal Rights
The doctrine of Manifest Destiny is one of America's greatest exports, killing off Indigenous peoples worldwide since the 1800's.
Origins Of Manifest Destiny
The original use of the term "Manifest Destiny", first used publically in a New York newspaper editorial in the 1800's, revealed a desire "to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions." This was tied up with notions of "God's will", and imperial assertions of the "White Man's Burden" kind.
Mining And Genocide
Manifest Destiny ideology shaped both public attitudes and government policy, and was constantly updated to suit whatever economic opportunities were available on Native land. For example, the discovery of gold in Georgia led to a barrage of Manifest Destiny propaganda calling for removal of Native peoples from the area. So in 1830 the U.S. Congress passed the "Indian Removal Act", and thus began the dispossession of the Cherokee people. This was legitimised under the Treaty of New Echota, which was signed by President Andrew. The result of this act was the Trail of Tears where Native Americans walked from Georgia to Oklahoma under very harsh conditions. Over 4,000 lives were lost on that forced march.
Manifest Destiny Today
Nothing has changed. As I write this, Six Nations warriors in Ontario are blockading part of their land that has been sold to "Henco Industries Ltd", who are subdividing the land for "development", and the U.S. military has been called in.
Just as surely as Coca Cola and Mcdonalds have spread from the U.S. across the globe, so has the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. Certainly, native genocide was not invented by the U.S., but Manifest Destiny has definitely given the destruction a sense of legitimacy, due to America's position as a world leader. And so the catalogue of atrocities continues:
- In Brazil, the Negarote are still being exterminated and displaced to accommodate logging industry on land that is generally accepted as being "the lungs of the planet".
- In Russia, the Siberian Khanti face constant incursions from government and big business, who seek to steal their land to mine the oil beneath it.
- In Australia, our people are constantly under seige from government and mining companies seeking to strip bauxite and uranium from the last unspoiled lands on the continent.
- In Africa, the San of the Kalahari have been removed from their lands to further diamond mining interests, with mining exploration supported by the World Bank to the tune of 2 million dollars (U.S. dollars, of course).
- In Japan, the Ainu are still being hounded to the brink of extinction.
Yes, Manifest Destiny certainly seems to be taking the world by storm, "from sea to shining sea."
Sorry if this blatant anti-western bias offends. For a bit of balance, check out my blog on Eastern Colonialism, or read all my articles in the Asian Indigenous Peoples section.
