Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
A 19th-century American belief in the divine approval and obligation to expand westward and settle the American continent, often used as a philosophical justification for territorial expansion.
AP course connection
Topic 4.2: 4.2 Purpose and Audience in Later European and American Art