249 years ago America was a cluster of meager colonies that were strictly constrained by one of the largest empires in history. Since then, America has become the only global hyperpower, the largest economy, and the most influential country in the world. The U.S. has aggressively but successfully expanded to one of the biggest countries in the world in terms of land mass and population over recent centuries. This is all a result of America’s immense expansion in the name of Manifest Destiny.
This idea of Manifest Destiny or America’s right to conquer the continent originated long before America had gained its independence. The Puritans believed their settling in the new continent was a sign from God and this later developed into the idea that it was their divine right to expand their lands. Furthermore, Europeans in the colonies believed that acquiring land was essential to prosperity. America’s big breakthrough came after the Louisiana Purchase where the country tripled in size and gained a desire for rapid expansion. America did an exemplary job satisfying this desire with the annexation of Texas, the 1846 Oregon Treaty, and winning the spoils of the Mexican-American War. During the latter parts of the century, America also gained some territory in the Pacific and Caribbean due to victory in the Spanish-American War. With those acquisitions and some other land purchases, America expanded from a few colonies in the rearview mirror of world politics to the greatest military and economic power the world has ever seen.
Typically America’s history of expansion is not a hot topic in the news, however, President Trump’s recent and ultra-ambitious propositions for America to expand its influence have sent some people looking back into the history books, specifically at American expansion. Recently, Trump has proposed some ideas on how to expand American influence starting with taking back control of the Panama Canal, conquering Greenland, and taking over and rebuilding Gaza into the “Riviera” of the Middle East. Additionally, he made comments in a joking manner about annexing Canada as the 51st state.
Although these claims may seem ludicrous and intimidating, the United States has a somewhat justified historical claim on the Panama Canal. At the dawn of the 20th century, the U.S. officially started the project to build a canal through Panama to get goods from the Pacific to the Atlantic and saw it completed in 1914. Thereafter, the U.S. maintained control of the canal until late President Jimmy Carter signed the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty on September 7, 1977, relinquishing the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government officially starting at the turn of the century on December 31st, 1999.
Trump stated that Panama has rolled over giving China control of this powerful waterway and made it clear he wants to see a change. In his inaugural address, Trump stated “Above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.” This and the use of tariffs have highlighted Trump’s desire to hinder Chinese economic success and potentially take back its title as the country with the highest trade values.
As for Greenland, Trump is continuing a persistent American effort to acquire Greenland which started after the purchase of Alaska and peaked during the 1960s in the Cold War. The main reason the U.S. wants Greenland is for its abundance of natural resources and the midpoint between Moscow and Washington D.C. is in Greenland making it of interest during the Cold War. Despite Trump’s bold statements having a historical basis, Trump’s latest claim about taking control of Gaza seems preposterous. Throughout his political career, he has made a point of getting the U.S. out of the Middle East and cutting down on U.S. foreign intervention as it’s not “cost-effective”. This plan included sending Gazan residents to neighboring countries and having U.S. soldiers in Gaza. This plan also diminishes any chance that Palestine can become its own state.
However, just because it rings a bell doesn’t mean that this recent craze for U.S. expansion completely aligns with the concept of Manifest Destiny. In fact, Manifest Destiny is a flexible topic that can be attributed as the reason anytime America wants to expand. Dr. Apel said, “The motives are simpler than Manifest Destiny, it’s access to resources and potential for wealth, it becomes an overly flexible concept, but it’s not why people did what they did, it’s just an easy explanation”.
Additionally, Manifest Destiny is more so a belief that it’s the God-given right of Americans to settle North America, not foreign lands. However, with the Panama Canal, America seems to view the authority over the Canal as their right and believe that they should have control over who is making the decisions. All in all, it’s important to look beyond the surface and not make quick assumptions simply because they encounter some similarities.
President Trump has wasted no time proposing ambitious plans for the U.S. to expand its influence and conquer new territories. Some of these plans are continuations of U.S. foreign interests, but some are unprecedented and a complete U-turn on his foreign policy and isolationist stance. The ambitiousness of these claims makes them seem almost unachievable and impossible, but one can never be sure with the 45th and 47th President.