Four voices from the 1800s

Source A — Support for expansion (John L. O’Sullivan, 1845): “Our manifest destiny is to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” O’Sullivan used “manifest destiny” to express the belief that U.S. expansion across the continent was justified and inevitable. Source B — A traveler’s experience (Luzena Stanley Wilson, recalling her 1849 journey): Wilson described a difficult overland journey to California. Travelers faced long distances, shortages, illness, and the danger of death along the way. Source C — Indigenous land and sovereignty (a historical summary): Indigenous nations had lived on and governed their homelands for generations. As U.S. settlement expanded, treaties, government policies, and military force pushed many Native peoples from their lands, often onto reservations. Source D — Land claims in California (California Land Act, 1851): People claiming land under earlier Spanish or Mexican grants had to present proof to a federal commission. The process could be costly and lengthy, and some claimants lost land while their claims were decided.