Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny is a phrase that expresses the idea that the United States was destined to develop from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It was used to justify the expansion to the West of the country and the belief that we had the right to take over no matter what or who was in the way. This idea is commonly used in many Western films. These films usually have the country expanding it's civilization to the west, like the idea of Manifest Destiny. A common theme of Westerns is that the pioneer from the East traveling to the West has to learn and take on the Western culture. A few example of these types of Westerns include, A Man Called Horse, Little Big Man, Dances With Wolves, City Slickers, and Western Union. It could have also been someone from the West and traveling East to find that his or her customs are much different than the customs and culture in the East, which is just the opposite. Usually there is a conflict in the West, such as the cowboys and indians coming to blows. Some examples of this type of film are The battle at Elderbush Gulch, Ulzana's Raid, Dances With Wolves, and The Last of the Mohicans. Another conflict Easterners had to face while journeying to the West is the frontier. They have to leave the wilderness and learn how to adapt and survive in the West. Whatever the conflict or storyline of the Western is, Manifest Destiny always seems to be involved in the plot somehow.