About This Lesson
Manifest Destiny, the idea that Providence guided the conquest and settlement of North America, is one of the most contested ideas in American culture and history. An open and informed discussion in a social studies class about the merits of “westward expansion”—including the impact that it had on the original inhabitants of North America, as well as its ramifications today—is an essential experience for high school students. For more resources from the National Council for the Social Studies, visit http://www.socialstudies.org/
