The Manifest Destiny

The Manifest Destiny was the religious belief that the United States of America should expand its territories from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The main objective was to expand the territories of God all thought lands ahead. Soon after America got their independence from the British, formation of the government was the next agenda in place. In 1787, the constitution was formulated, and it consisted the freedoms and rights of all individuals. The Christian philosophies adopted by Americans was that all men are equal, and we are all created in the image of God. The liberty and rights stipulated in the constitution constituted of the freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly and the right to bear arms and even the right to a trial by a select jury. The irony is that these rights and freedoms did not cover Native Americans, as they were stripped off their parcels of land as the settlers grabbed land for themselves and maimed the locals.

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Human rights and equality seemed to be forgotten when it came to Native Americans. The irony is that the Founding Fathers did not see any wrong in taking over the parcels of land that were initially the property of the Native Americans. The fact is that most of the Native Americans were cast out of their native homeland, and their land was used to pave in Rail roads, industries and infrastructure development. The year 1607 was marked for the first ever settlement, Jamestown. The establishment of the United States came by with warfare and killing of the locals; this war was fought between the Native Americans and the Puritans. The main cause of the war can be attributed to a failed diplomacy by both the partisans of this war that lasted three years. About 3,000 Indians died, while the colonists lost only 600 men, this is depicted in the image by a show of National Cemetery. The war was fought out of the acts of valor by the soldiers who were willing to die in order to forge a new America that would last centuries to come (Drake).

In this context of analysis of the situation back in the late 1700 AD, the image given above is a depiction of the onslaught of the Native Americans by the Puritans. The image shows a giant Native American male lying flat on the ground. The image shows an Old man, in this scenario the age of the man depicts a community that has occupied this piece of land for centuries, giving the impression that their occupancy had lasted centuries.

The giant size of the old man alludes to the expansiveness of the inhabitation of the Native Americans. The Native Americans had occupied vast lands throughout the current North America. This depicts that the war against the Natives was happening all over America and not just one state. Puritans under the leadership of Pope Innocent IV made a decree that Christians had the right to conquest, and they had a mandate over all human beings even the non-believing infidels.

The image shows the man is restrained by ropes on the right and left leg, both of his hands are restrained too by ropes held with great effort by miniature men looking like pigmies. This depiction shows that the rights and freedom of the character were withheld from him, and there was nothing much he could do. Usually, one would think that the giant can bolt and cut of the ropes, but he was bounded by a power beyond his control. Far below his limbs are an inscription of rail roads. Rail roads were built by giant corporations with finance and military power. The development of rail road infrastructure was already in place set up by like corporations like Missouri Rail Roads and Frisco Rail Roads. Inhabitation of the Puritans was already in place, and all they needed was access to the lands beyond their homes.

The enforcement of the Manifest Destiny was signed in by President Andrew Jackson through signing into law the Indian Removal Act. This saw to the eradication of the five established tribes of the Native Americans. The Cherokee Nation and other Indian colonies were moved to newly designate Indian territories. The Cherokee Nation was formulated, and it was considered a separate state by they were held cutthroat by the U.S courts. The nation remained within the legal bounds of the United States as depicted by a woman with a giant scissor cutting the hair of the man in the image; this alludes to the assimilation of the Native American to the newly accepted Puritan design.

The push for the agenda on the Manifest Destiny is seen clearly by the Man seated on top of the nose of the character in the Image. It indicates the level of oppression the Native American went through under the ruling of the Puritans. It shows how the Puritans led themselves to believe that they were superior to any other man across the lands, and their agenda is paramount and should be accepted by all.

The old man in the image is seen to have his right-hand palm over the head of a dog. The dog indicates the fear that had trans-versed their lands. The Native American lived in fear of the white man. Most cowered away to let the Puritans have their way as they were scared by the ruthlessness of the Puritans in the pursuit of land and control over the natives.

Native Americans underwent a great deal of suffering all throughout the 19th centuries because of the Manifest Destiny agenda and from the people who carried out its mandate. The welfare of the Indian people till today has seen the ruthless hands of Puritans and their livelihood has never been the same. The greed of men who want nothing but profit led to the hate and despised directed to the Indian community for over two centuries. Such inhumane behavior should never be condoned, and no man is superior over another, this is unacceptable.

References

Drake, Brian Allen. "Review Catlin's Lament: Indians, Manifest Destiny, And The Ethics Of Nature Hausdoerffer John University Press Of Kansas Lawrence". Journal of American Ethnic History 31.1 (2011): 85-87. Web.