Question

Reading essays reveals a dark side to Manifest Destiny. What is that dark side?

Answer 1

well let's first think about what Manifest Destiny is: the idea that westward expansion of the United States was "destined" by a divine order, and that territories like California, New Mexico, etc. should be acquired and assimilated into our borders.

from the top of my head I can think of a few consequences of this:

> displacement of native people
> increase of urbanization, while not always a bad thing, can create population/labor shortages in rural areas/markets
> destruction of the environment, as land is cleared for housing, agriculture, etc.