Manifest Destiny the United States Term Paper

The project of the League of Nations is yet another relevant example for pointing out the impact the "manifest destiny" idea had on the foreign policy of the United States. In this sense the basis for an organization that would prevent another war was the concept which emerged from the idealistic beliefs of the United States and especially of its president Wilson. However, the project failed to reach its actual power due to the absence of its initiator. Thus, the U.S. did not sign the Covenant and the role of the League of Nation was limited in its scope (Kissinger, 1995). Many consider this aspect to have been a great foreign policy mistake or at least hesitation. Therefore, for the first time in history, the U.S. did not stand behind its own political project (Kissinger, 1995). Still, the actual drafting of the organization represents a proof of the exceptional nature of the U.S.'s foreign policy.

The Second World War and the United Nations, the successor of the League of Nations effectively brought the issue of "manifest destiny" into the 20th century. More precisely, the entire idea of the San Francisco Conference of 1945, from the first diplomatic initiatives, the Atlantic Charter, as well as the following peace conferences underlined the fact that the United States was determined, and still is, to follow on the principles of its divine destiny. Thus, the UN is the practical creation of this idea (Schlesinger, 2003). It represents the diplomatic framework in which the U.S. can manifest its supremacy from all points-of-view and at all levels. Thus, the creation of the Security Council ensures that no decision is taken without the consent of the U.S. And no action is taken without the implication of the U.S.

Contemporary history offers a series of international events in which the U.S. was involved and which are the proof of the American exceptional mission.Thus, during the Cold War the Truman doctrine argued a clear opposition of the communist regime. The war in Vietnam is relevant for pointing out the U.S. intervention in the name of human rights and democracy (Calvocoressi, 1996); the war on terror is now waged constantly and throughout the world with the declared aim of making the world a safer place. Thus, the United States is loyal to its idea of an exceptional nation destined to promote democracy, the purest human values and the respect for the individual, all these aspects being expressed concisely through "manifest history."

Bibliography

Allard, Phil. "Manifest Destiny Noble Ideal or Excuse for Imperialist Expansion?" Issues and controversies of the American History. April 10, 2006. 23 April 2008 http://www.philwrites.com/H_manifest_destiny.htm#h2

Calvocoressi, Peter. World politics since 1945. Budapest: Open Society Institute, 1996.

Gort, Thomas. "Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points. January 8, 1918." American History Page. N.d. 23 April 2008. http://www.hbci.com/~tgort/14points.htm

Haynes, Sam W., and Christopher Morris, eds. Manifest Destiny and Empire: American Antebellum Expansionism. College Station: Texas a&M University Press, 1997.

Jenkins, P. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.

Kissinger, Henry. Diplomacy. London: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

O'Sullivan. "The Great Nation of Futurity." Cornell University. N.d. 23 April 2008. http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?frames=1&coll=moa&view=50&root=%2Fmoa%2Fusde%2Fusde0006%2F&tif=00350.TIF&cite=http%3A%2F%2Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmoa%2Fmoa-cgi%3Fnotisid%3DAGD1642-0006-46

Richardson, Heather Cox. "Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War." The Historian, Vol. 61, 1999.

Schlesinger, Stephen. Act of Creation. The Founding of the United Nations. Colorado: Westview, 2003.

Weinberg, Albert K. Manifest Destiny a Study of Nationalist Expansionism in American History. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 1935......