Manifest Destiny is a very fitting term for what it really is describing. During the expansion of the United States, they truly believed that it was the American destiny to expand across the entire continent.(Spoiler alert:They Did) However, because of such a widespread belief of this destiny, we saw the reflection within the actions of not only the American people’s westward expansion, but we also saw then policies reflect these ideas that it was their destiny, and their right to these westward lands. This time period famously brought us the Indian Removal Act, which was created to forcibly remove Native peoples from these territories and allow this expansion to occur. These ideas are prevalent in the artwork we have looked at of the time period, with many divine symbols, and manifest destiny being personified as an angelic woman leading the people westward. In my opinion, this was not destiny whatsoever. The true meaning of manifest destiny was a scapegoat to justify the removal of Native Americans from their land. The removal of these peoples was not typically completely peaceful, and famously brought us the Trail of Tears, where many of the Native individuals lost their lives due to the terrible conditions they had to face while being removed from their homeland. If it were truly the destiny of the Europeans to inhabit the entire plot of land, there would have been no resistance, nor would other groups and tribes already inhabited the land. TO me, that is not destiny, but a reflection of the colonizing mindset of the European people. It is smothered with a certain smugness and entitlement that just simply isn’t true. It is also not like they didn’t try again, and colonized other places after American independence was gained from the English. The indigenous peoples tried to combat this, but their resistance was met with a farther advanced and more populous society trampling over their previous way of life.