During the 1840s the United States grew geographically by about a third via the annexations of Texas and the Oregon Territory, and the seizure of the Southwest via war with Mexico. Most Americans felt this was justified in the name of “Manifest Destiny,” the idea that expansion was God’s will for the nation. This lecture will trace the origins of Manifest Destiny in the colonial era, its rising popularity starting in the 1830s, and how this idea ultimately re-opened the debate on the status of slavery. (Limit 40)