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The Manifest Destiny helped America thrive and prosper but even if it helped, it made the Natives leave their homeland and walk all the way to a reservation on foot.

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The Manifest Destiny helped America thrive and prosper but even if it helped, it made the Natives leave their homeland and walk all the way to a reservation on foot.

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-Matthew Chan

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We needed this because without it, we won’t have as big as now a land and freedom.
Andrew hui

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I think that it is needed for our country to be as it is today and without it, we wouldn't be as big of a country as we are right now and this helped form the united states, even if not all things that have been done to achieve this was completely right. -Travis Chan

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The Manifest Destiny was a crucial act in some ways but was also good for our country now. I say this because America was greedy for land and was focused on expanding. But when you take control of another country who just got there independence like Mexico, then that was Americas fault. Although they did get some of there land fairly, and that was by them buying it. 

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The Manifest Destiny was a crucial act in some ways but was also good for our country now. I say this because America was greedy for land and was focused on expanding. But when you take control of another country who just got there independence like Mexico, then that was Americas fault. Although they did get some of there land fairly, and that was by them buying it. 

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-Javier Chavez

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Manifest Destiny was an essential part of America becoming what it is today.  Almost all country’s back then fought for land, it’s just the nature of wanting more.  There is nothing wrong with it, b/c you are fighting to make your country stronger and better.  The land you took was most likely taken from other civilizations anyways.  -Robert Lee Rubio

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The Manifest Destiny did help form the United States of America to what it is today but some of the processes used while getting the land was unfair. Due to the Manifest Destiny, America’s land was more than doubled and we were able to use that strong idea to form what is America today. But, America did do some shameful and shady things during the Manifest Destiny to get the land.

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The manifest destiny was necessary to spread democracy and freedom to the lands.  Also as an expanding nation, the US needed more land

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I feel that although Manifest Destiny did have some negative effects and was not completely moral, it was normal at the time and it also greatly contributed to the growth of our nation. The United States gained land in many different ways, some of which were not so great, such as taking advantage of other countries or groups of people to gain the land. For example, the U.S took advantage of the fact that Spain didn’t have stable control over Florida, and basically drove them out of their own land. On the other hand, the U.S also gained land in a lot of more “fair” ways, such as signing treaties and purchasing land. I think America didn’t make the most moral decisions; they made decisions that would best fit their needs (making them richer in terms of money, land, or power). 

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I feel that although Manifest Destiny did have some negative effects and was not completely moral, it was normal at the time and it also greatly contributed to the growth of our nation. The United States gained land in many different ways, some of which were not so great, such as taking advantage of other countries or groups of people to gain the land. For example, the U.S took advantage of the fact that Spain didn’t have stable control over Florida, and basically drove them out of their own land. On the other hand, the U.S also gained land in a lot of more “fair” ways, such as signing treaties and purchasing land. I think America didn’t make the most moral decisions; they made decisions that would best fit their needs (making them richer in terms of money, land, or power). 

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Although I do agree that the decisions that the United States made at the time regarding land were quite selfish and greedy, this did end up helping us in the end. If Manifest Destiny had not happened, America would be way smaller, and would not have the status and success it has today.
- Lotuseana Ng

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The manifest destiny was necessary for the US because without it, we wouldn’t of gotten the lands we have today.  These lands are important because it gives power to the US.  Along with money, the US gains intimidation and could drive off other countries with it.  But, if there is no land achieved from the manifest of destiny, us Americans would be less independent and would have way less power.

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The manifest destiny provided lots of important things to help America expand, but the methods of obtaining it was a unfair.
Matthew Ly

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The Manifest Destiny was very beneficial for America.  It gave the young country land and resources.  Without the Manifest Destiny, America would not have become as powerful or prosperous as quickly as it did.  However, the way the country obtained the land and resources was unfair.  The Manifest Destiny hurt other countries.  Texas and the West Coast were obtained through violence with Mexico.  The Louisiana Territory and Florida were obtained through agreements, but those lands were never ours to begin with.  In conclusion, although the Manifest Destiny helped America, it was not fair to other countries.
-Victor Lei

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The Manifest destiny helped expand America and get more money. We did kill a lot of Indians and Mexicans and lost some f our people but without the manifest destiny America wouldn't be what it is today.
-Braden Chan

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Even though it was unfair, and somewhat cruel to the other people who lived in the places we conquered the Manifest destiny helped expand the US, and make it a little more well known. -Helen C

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Although the Manifest destiny helped us gain land, there was negative things to it too.  To get this land, we had to force the Indians to leave their own homes.  In addition, many people died because they didn't want to leave but were still forced to.  

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Although the Manifest destiny helped us gain land, there was negative things to it too.  To get this land, we had to force the Indians to leave their own homes.  In addition, many people died because they didn't want to leave but were still forced to.  

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-Athena

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The manifest destiny was a necessary idea for America to become successful because it expanded land and spread democracy throughout North America. However, the effect of the occurrences made many Americans be seen as greedy, power hungry, and prideful. Through peaceful negotiations such as the Louisiana purchase, the United States successfully demonstrated a method to interact with foreign countries. Despite the ideology of expanding and claiming more land for this country, the United States used cruel methods for their sake only and disregarded any future foreign interactions. Specifically, war with Mexico and breaking promises in order to claim land showed a negative side to the effect of the Manifest Destiny. Today, the United States is successful with the land expansion outcome of the Manifest destiny, so without its purpose, we wouldn’t be present.
- Sierra Sun

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Manifest destiny in itself was the idea for us to move west, and while we used very cruel and negative methods to achieve this land, I don't really see many situations where we could've made better choices.  If we had tried everything to make manifest destiny completely positive with pacifist choices, America may not be what it is today.
- Theodore T.

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Positive or negative, the Manifest Destiny was a crucial event in American history. With it, we were able to expand our territory and become a stronger country, leading us to what we are today. But, because of our greed and constant want for more, we wronged many people and committed countless shameful acts. Although our tactics weren't completely moral at times, like the Trail of Tears or the Mexican-American War, every country has something to be ashamed of. These events will remain a part of American history forever. Instead of dwelling on something we now cannot change, we should pay it forward to those we have wronged with kindness and hospitality. Without the Manifest Destiny, we wouldn't be where we are today, and for that, I think the positive outweighs the negative in this  situation.
- Faith Dang

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I believe that Manifest Destiny was both positive and negative. When we used force to get what we wanted, it was more negative. An example of this would be when we fought the Mexican American War or when we forced the American Indians out of their home lands. In these two events alone, many people died, culture was lost, and enemies were made. When we used things like treaties and negotiation to achieve what we wanted, it was the positive side of it. An example of this would be when we purchased the Louisiana Territory or signed a treaty with Great Britain to get half of Oregon County. All in all, I’d say that Manifest Destiny was both a positive and negative part of our history.
-Caden

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Although the manifest destiny made us do many horrible things in the past like kicking out the American Indians, we would not be here today without those horrible things.  Those events are what make us powerful, free, and a prosperous country.  Even though some of those events do not respect our values today, the manifest destiny helped develop the strength of those values.
-Gianna Lee

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Manifest Destiny had both positive and negative sides.  A positive side was how it caused Americans to gain land, earn respect from other countries, and promoted democracy.  It also provided many with a new beginning at a new life.  The negative sides of the Manifest Destiny were how Americans made tons of enemies, went to war, and earned some land unfairly.  An example was how Americans forced the Natives to leave their land, which was given to them and promised it would be kept to the Natives only.  During the Manifest Destiny, there was lots of violence, but without the violence, American wouldn’t be where it is today.  We will strive for the best and achieve anything that we put our minds towards.  With both the positives and negatives I would say that Manifest Destiny would be in the middle.

-Kaitlin

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The Manifest Destiny had both goods and bads. While it is good in that the US wanted to be more, and expand their ideals to new places, some of the ways they did that was not very moral. However, they the US still accomplished getting land in a non-harmful way, for example the Oregon treaty. Despite this, they still drove out many innocent Native Americans originally living there, and that is wrong. 

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The Manifest Destiny had both goods and bads. While it is good in that the US wanted to be more, and expand their ideals to new places, some of the ways they did that was not very moral. However, they the US still accomplished getting land in a non-harmful way, for example the Oregon treaty. Despite this, they still drove out many innocent Native Americans originally living there, and that is wrong. 

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Overall, the Manifest Destiny was an exciting time for American pioneers, but also a devastating time for the people living in the land first.
-Nicolas

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Id say that the Manifest destiny is in the middle. there are some things they did that where a great steal while others showing how much power they have. i did not like it when had a war with mexico just to get more space for there country.

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Id say that the Manifest destiny is in the middle. there are some things they did that where a great steal while others showing how much power they have. i did not like it when had a war with mexico just to get more space for there country.

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The Manifest Destiny is both positive and negative, but greatly contributes towards American history. The positive aspects about it were gaining more land within the US and learning about democracy. We knew the Andrew Jackson did not show democracy in two ways, and we learned from that. Another positive aspect was how we showed one of our American values, which was working hard in order to strive for success. However, the negative parts were taking control of land, but didn’t go so great with the Mexicans. This led to the Mexican-American War.  Furthermore, Andrew Jackson didn’t want the Indians around, so he wanted to have them out. Other negative  events included the Mexicans attacking the US near the Rio Grande and slavery in Florida.  Overall, I believe the Manifest Destiny is half half.

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The Manifest Destiny is both positive and negative, but greatly contributes towards American history. The positive aspects about it were gaining more land within the US and learning about democracy. We knew the Andrew Jackson did not show democracy in two ways, and we learned from that. Another positive aspect was how we showed one of our American values, which was working hard in order to strive for success. However, the negative parts were taking control of land, but didn’t go so great with the Mexicans. This led to the Mexican-American War.  Furthermore, Andrew Jackson didn’t want the Indians around, so he wanted to have them out. Other negative  events included the Mexicans attacking the US near the Rio Grande and slavery in Florida.  Overall, I believe the Manifest Destiny is half half.

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- Tyler

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Manifest Destiny is an important part of American History because it allowed the U.S. to gain more land, money, and resources. Manifest Destiny also helped strengthen the U.S. economy.  Americans became more confident, brave, and independent.  Even though these were some good parts of Manifest Destiny, there were also some negative parts that occurred from it.  Obtaining land was a negative part because we violated the Native Americans and forced them off their land, causing unnecessary bloodshed among soldiers and the Native Americans. Americans also caused high tensions and even started a war with Mexico.
-Brianna N.

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The Manifest Destiny was an essential part to American history. Without it, we wouldn't have had all the land that we have now. America would have been less powerful. The Manifest Destiny also proved many aspects of American culture. It showed that Americans were ambitious and willing to fight for the benefit of their country.
However, America also caused much unnecessary violence and disrupted many other countries and groups. For example, Andrew Jackson disrupted the Seminole Indians. True, they were raiding their lands, but this could have been settled peacefully. America also already had plenty of land in the beginning. What they didn't have a lot of was money. But instead of keeping their land and building up a steady economy, they gave up a lot of their money to acquire even more land. The Americans also caused much disturbance to the Mexicans to acquire Texas and the West that led to the Mexican-American War.
With all that said, I think that the Manifest Destiny was an important part in American history and greatly contributed to the country that it is today, but there were also a lot of negative and dishonorable aspects to it.
- Kyla Ma

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America's main values are based on the ideas of democracy as well as traits like bravery, confidence, and working hard to achieve a goal. Manifest Destiny is a key symbol of our country because it shows how we went through great lengths to achieve our dream of attaining more land and power. We risked war with other countries, even one of our past allies, France, breaking and forming new foreign relationships along the way. Without our drive to become a better nation, we would not be as prosperous or powerful today. Without Manifest Destiny, we would not have fifty stars on our flag.
The reason why I am not fully siding with the opinion on the right is that I know the U.S., in all its glory, caused many to suffer. Members of the Federalist political party were affected. Also, many soldiers died for its cause. We shamed France, Great Britain, and Native Americans. We were cruel to the Natives, forcing them to move out of their lands, and manipulated Mexico by making false promises. Despite the downsides of Manifest Destiny, it is still an essential part of American history and has helped mold our view of the world today.
- Maddie Yang

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I believe The Manifest Destiny made America become what it is today, but I do think it was pretty shameful of us to sometimes pressure and cause a lot of havoc towards other countries to necessarily get what we want. There was a lot of killing involved, but I do think we made American History very special. We wouldn’t be where we were without The Manifest Destiny, though there was a lot of hidden obstacles that made us to get where we were.

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I believe The Manifest Destiny made America become what it is today, but I do think it was pretty shameful of us to sometimes pressure and cause a lot of havoc towards other countries to necessarily get what we want. There was a lot of killing involved, but I do think we made American History very special. We wouldn’t be where we were without The Manifest Destiny, though there was a lot of hidden obstacles that made us to get where we were.

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-Kaylee

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The Manifest Destiny was an really important aspect of American history.  Without the Manifest Destiny, we wouldn't know what is now called the western side of the United States.  The Manifest Destiny caused lots of chaos, for example sign many treaties and going to war, but in return the United States was able to gain lots of land.  We had to go through a lot of times to get to where we are today.  The Manifest Destiny helped us in many ways.  One way is that it helped the United States gain more land. Plus, beneath the land there are many valuable resources.  For example, under the California's land there was gold underneath its land.  Many resources under the other present day states' land had like oil and much more.  This gain of land was hard to get, but it helped them in the long run.  The Manifest caused much chaos and problems with many foreign countries, but in return we are able to gain the land and know what we know as present day United States.
//Samantha Ng

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The Manifest Destiny is like my opinion on the 2019 Cats movie: very conflicting. It has good aspects(expanding the U.S. as a whole) and bad parts(driving Natives out and going to war with Spain and Mexico). I can’t say I wish it was never there, though, as America would’ve went a totally different path if it didn’t make the choices it did, but wouldn’t it be nice if the methods weren’t as brash? 

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The Manifest Destiny is like my opinion on the 2019 Cats movie: very conflicting. It has good aspects(expanding the U.S. as a whole) and bad parts(driving Natives out and going to war with Spain and Mexico). I can’t say I wish it was never there, though, as America would’ve went a totally different path if it didn’t make the choices it did, but wouldn’t it be nice if the methods weren’t as brash? 

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-Vivianna

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The Manifest Destiny was really important for the U.S. today because it is the event that gave us all of the land we have today.  I think without this event, the U.S. wouldn't have all the land it does today and it wouldn't be as powerful. I think the U.S. got all of it's land from the Manifest Destiny but this event can also be bad because they were being selfish with their money and spent it all on land and also the way we treated Native Americans. But in my opinion, the Manifest Destiny was a mostly good thing but with some flaws. -Luann Zhang

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Sure manifesting destiny was a thing we really needed to do to grow our country.But we threatened and scammed a lot of people to get it. Also we did kill a lot of people.

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The Manifest Destiny helped America with democracy and land. Even though we were at war with many different countries and states, the result of land we have today is fair enough than what it was before.
-Jessica Chau

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The Manifest Destiny is something that America should be proud of and ashamed of.  Because of the Manifest Destiny, we gained more land and earned the respect of other countries.  We became the country we are today because it.  On the other hand, America had many unfair land gains that caused death and the loss of a home to others.  The Manifest Destiny is something that America can learn from.

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The Manifest Destiny is something that America should be proud of and ashamed of.  Because of the Manifest Destiny, we gained more land and earned the respect of other countries.  We became the country we are today because it.  On the other hand, America had many unfair land gains that caused death and the loss of a home to others.  The Manifest Destiny is something that America can learn from.

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-Suree Qiu

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The Manifest Destiny was an important aspect of United States history. It is what caused the United States to be the United States. Without the Manifest Destiny, the United States would only have the east side of present day United States. Even though the United States had to go through war and sign many treaties, it was still fair. Without these sacrifices the United States there would have been what we know as present day western United States.

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The manifest destiny is the reason why we exist today it was a necessary thing in order to help our country grow without the manifest destiny do United States would not be as strong as we are today even though there’s some negative parts of the manifest destiny it was necessary to help the United States The manifest destiny impacted the country in several different positive ways as with more land we gained more resources and without resources we wouldn’t have money without money we would starve so the manifest destiny was necessary for some Americans to thrive and survive.

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The Manifest Destiny was both a negative and positive thing because it helped America gain land and power but Native Americans lost land. We shouldn’t be proud of our American history due to the fact that we made the Native Americans move and leave their land so we can have it instead. 

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The Manifest Destiny was both a negative and positive thing because it helped America gain land and power but Native Americans lost land. We shouldn’t be proud of our American history due to the fact that we made the Native Americans move and leave their land so we can have it instead. 

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-Fiona

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To me, Manifest Destiny was neither positive, nor was it negative.  Even though some acquisitions were legitimate (Louisiana Purchase and some others) while some used brute force to acquire (i.e. Florida + Texas), but we still ended up gaining land and becoming what we are today because of it.  

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To me, Manifest Destiny was neither positive, nor was it negative.  Even though some acquisitions were legitimate (Louisiana Purchase and some others) while some used brute force to acquire (i.e. Florida + Texas), but we still ended up gaining land and becoming what we are today because of it.  

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-Grace Vuong

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Although the Manifest Destiny helped the United States gain more land, some of the actions were terrible. When we went to war with Florida and Texas, it was terrible. But at the end of the day, we got the land.

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Although the Manifest Destiny helped the United States gain more land, some of the actions were terrible. When we went to war with Florida and Texas, it was terrible. But at the end of the day, we got the land.

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-Ethan Paw

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In my opinion, Manifest Destiny was somewhat a negative and positive part of American history. The negative part about Manifest Destiny was that the US went to war over land that belonged to another country for no real reason other than that the US wanted more land. Land was lost, cultures were destroyed, and many people died because of the Manifest Destiny. However, Manifest Destiny was also a positive part of American history because it allowed the US to expand greatly, and establish itself as a global power. Europe and the rest of the world realized that the US was a force to be reckoned with. Also, before Manifest Destiny, the US only claimed the east part of what is now the USA. At that time, the population was increasing and because of that, the US needed more land/space. The land they needed was also good for farming (making money) and they needed resources to survive.

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In my opinion, Manifest Destiny was somewhat a negative and positive part of American history. The negative part about Manifest Destiny was that the US went to war over land that belonged to another country for no real reason other than that the US wanted more land. Land was lost, cultures were destroyed, and many people died because of the Manifest Destiny. However, Manifest Destiny was also a positive part of American history because it allowed the US to expand greatly, and establish itself as a global power. Europe and the rest of the world realized that the US was a force to be reckoned with. Also, before Manifest Destiny, the US only claimed the east part of what is now the USA. At that time, the population was increasing and because of that, the US needed more land/space. The land they needed was also good for farming (making money) and they needed resources to survive.

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- Ryan Lam

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I feel like the manifest destiny was not very negative but not very positive either. The decisions made from the presidents had high risk high rewards. When the president bought Louisiana, they payed less, but there was already a war happening! The manifest destiny helped show many American values. This also showed that America is not great because of their history with Indians, their selfishness with land , and how they took land from other people without telling them. There are many ups and downs about the manifest destiny. That is the reason why I put it at the middle. 

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I feel like the manifest destiny was not very negative but not very positive either. The decisions made from the presidents had high risk high rewards. When the president bought Louisiana, they payed less, but there was already a war happening! The manifest destiny helped show many American values. This also showed that America is not great because of their history with Indians, their selfishness with land , and how they took land from other people without telling them. There are many ups and downs about the manifest destiny. That is the reason why I put it at the middle. 

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-Connor

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The Manifest Destiny was important because we got the land that we have now and the freedom.  But the Manifest Destiny was also bad because we had to kick out the people that use to live there to just get land, that was greedy and mean of us to do something like that.
-Michelle Chan

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The Manifest Destiny was important because it gave us the land we have today. The U.S is very wealthy and has many resources because of this event. It showed American values as well. Although we did do many cruel things to Native American. There were other ways to get the land without overthrowing the people living there. -Nyah M.

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The Manifest Destiny was a very important time during American history. Without the Manifest Destiny our country wouldn’t be complete, it would’ve just been the east side of what is called present day United States. Even though there were sacrifices that had to be made, it result in more pieces of land. The M

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Manifest Destiny was vital for  what we have today.  The reason America is so wealthy and free is b/c we have so much land.  But, even though the Manifest Destiny was important for what we have today.  The way we got some of the land was morally wrong.  In our conquest for land, early Americans ignored other country’s people.  They kicked out the Indians, who were hear hundreds of years before us.  

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Manifest Destiny was vital for  what we have today.  The reason America is so wealthy and free is b/c we have so much land.  But, even though the Manifest Destiny was important for what we have today.  The way we got some of the land was morally wrong.  In our conquest for land, early Americans ignored other country’s people.  They kicked out the Indians, who were hear hundreds of years before us.  

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-Abigail Chang

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The Manifest Destiny gave us a lot more land and resources. It let us grow, but most of the ways that we got the land was unfair and cruel. There was fighting over land and kicking out natives. You could say that the Louisiana Purchase was fair, but France’s decision was affected by an incoming war with Britain. So the only one that was fair is probably the Oregon treaty where we got half and Britain got half. So yes it was needed for us to get to this point, we could’ve done a more peaceful and fair approach on getting new land.
-Benjamin Wong

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The Manifest Destiny did help our country, but there were many cruel actions that went along with it. Yes we did get more land, but some of the land that we got was unfair. For example, it was unfair how we got florida. We barged in and replaced their government with an American one. But they did take Oregon fairly because of the treaty that they signed with Britain. The Americans also payed no attention to the fact that the Native Americans were living here first. We pushed them out rather than reasoning with them. Even though there were negative parts in the Manifest Destiny, there were also some positive ones.

-Breanna T.

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The Manifest Destiny was kind of a necessary think for our country because we wouldn't be who we are today with out it. We did gain a lot of land and expanded from coast to coast, but we were very cruel to the Indians and claim their land like they were never there. 

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The Manifest Destiny was kind of a necessary think for our country because we wouldn't be who we are today with out it. We did gain a lot of land and expanded from coast to coast, but we were very cruel to the Indians and claim their land like they were never there. 

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- Austin Choi

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The manslaughter of many Indians on the west side was inhumane and gruesome. I am very passionate about how Native Indians were the first to that land and I think that Americans and Natives should've came to a compromise rather than one party taking all control. However, that being said, the Manifest destiny was a very important to not only the size and economy of our country, but to American cultures and values. It evoked pride in many Americans and gave frontiersmen new beginnings and new lives. If we had not taken Louisianan, Oregon, California, and Texas a lot of what I know to be America wouldn't be. I would technically be in Mexico right now or I would have lived in New York or Delaware.
-Samantha Hong

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Today, we are very proud of having a country the stretches from coast to coast.  We did get much of the land by buying it in a fair way (Louisiana Purchase), but some of the land was acquired by "bullying" neighbors. This was the darker side of the Manifest Destiny.  We knew that Mexico was a new and weak country (just like we were) and we decided to go to war with them for land, which we didn't need more of.  The same thing happened with Florida.  We knew that Spain didn't want to go to war and we basically scared them off the land.  This was very unfair.  Although there were definitely some negative parts to the Manifest Destiny, there were also a few beneficial parts.  

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Today, we are very proud of having a country the stretches from coast to coast.  We did get much of the land by buying it in a fair way (Louisiana Purchase), but some of the land was acquired by "bullying" neighbors. This was the darker side of the Manifest Destiny.  We knew that Mexico was a new and weak country (just like we were) and we decided to go to war with them for land, which we didn't need more of.  The same thing happened with Florida.  We knew that Spain didn't want to go to war and we basically scared them off the land.  This was very unfair.  Although there were definitely some negative parts to the Manifest Destiny, there were also a few beneficial parts.  

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-Madison

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Although I am not proud of it, the Manifest Destiny was a necessary thing for the country. We can't deny the way we acquired all the land though. Yes, what the US did was mostly cruel and harsh to other countries, like invading onto Texas and taking advantage of Mexico, but that's what needed to be done. When it comes to expanding a young country, I feel that the US did what it needed to do. Without the Manifest Destiny, we wouldn't be where we are today.

-Katie Wu

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Although the Manifest Destiny helped our country, this action/event was done in unfair ways.  The Manifest destiny created conflict and war, which led to death and people suffering.  People who suffered were the Indians.  Not only, that, but it led to rising tension with Mexico.  On the other hand, on the bright side, it increased both our territory of land, plus the resources.  With more land, there would be more land for farming.  With the increase, the number of jobs increased.
-Jessica Ng

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I believe that Manifest Destiny was very important for America today. Back then, the United States was very cramped and we were still a very young nation. We needed that land to develop. I still think that there is some bad side to Manifest Destiny. We made some enemies from our conquest. We took most of our land quite fairly by signing treaties, but other states like Texas we annexed and took their land by force. Manifest Destiny was an important part of American history because it helped our nation develop with more land.

-Steven Wu

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Despite being absolutely disturbing how we got some of the land, I believe it was human nature to want to expand the young nation. This want for growth has led America becoming one of the most powerful if not the most powerful nation, which has ushered a time where there is minimal world conflicts. - Kyle Li

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Although the idea of the Manifest Destiny was a necessary idea to make the United States prosper and thrive, the United  States took over some land in unfair ways.  There were still events where the United States took land fairly, one of them being Oregon.  It was fair because the British and the United States (with a treaty) split Oregon into half, so each could settle on an equal amount of land.  No hatred, war, or anything negative occurred between the two countries.  But then, we have the United States winning Texas over Mexico.  When the Mexican government specifically allowed Stephen Austin to choose Americans who were hardworking and had good morals, many other Americans came into Texas without any permission, and showed little respect the Tejanos that were living there at the time.  Eventually, tensions started to rise, a war happened, and the United States won Texas.  This was extremely unfair because the Americans basically took over Mexico’s land without permission at all, and didn’t even show any thankfulness or appreciation for them.  So because there were both positive and negative events that occurred during the Manifest Destiny, the idea of it was good, but it was bad in terms of some situations (like the event explained above).  This is why I chose to make my opinion reside towards the middle. - JORDAN ACOSTA LEE

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The Manifest Destiny was a necessary thing for our country because look at America today and then it worked out perfectly and now then we are not at war. Another factor on this is that we wanted to expand and the people wanted to expand the united states for the people so technically it was justified and we did it in the most justified way possible excluding the fact that we could have purchased the land but that was already ruled out in the first place because we asked to purchase the land and they said no and then they attacked us. In which the U.S Army motto says "This We'll Defend." This can translate to this situation because we were attacked and so we need to defend our territory and protect what we have and our values. And as the united States Navy's motto says "non sibi sed patriae" which means "not self, but country." so if the president was the only person to expand this, then America would not have chosen this or have expanded. So technically, the majority of the people in the U.S wanted the expansion. This is like the battle of Lexington when John Parker said "Don't fire unless fired upon" Which in this case, we were fired upon. So we trampled them with cavalry in defense.
-Mason Louie

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Look, I understand that without the Manifest Destiny, our country would not be the country it is today. Yes, in the end, the expansion of U.S. territory allowed us to become the powerful nation we are today. I do not deny this, and it is for that reason this argument is placed on the "mostly" side.
However, this means that we also can't deny that the method in which we acquired a large portion of that land was through means that were cruel, unnecessarily violent, and immoral. The ways American leaders added the territory to the U.S. does not set a good example for the America we aim for today, one that fights against tyranny and is sees itself as quite peaceful.
Take, for example, the Mexican-American War, a war that shed both American and Mexican blood over the idea of the Manifest Destiny. I cannot imagine an America in which  the states we gained after that war were not apart of the country-- however, the fact that we warred over something like this instead of peacefully negotiating is not great.
Our reasons for wanting Florida is another good example of why I defend this position. This country is ashamed of our past as a slave-holding country, and we do not deny the cruelties that white slave-owners inflicted upon slaves. So, why should we say that it was absolutely necessary to gain that land when our reasoning was quite unsavory?
Add to that the fact that the land we gained had Native Americans already living there, and that even our promises to the countries we acquired the land from were not kept, and it is clear that the Manifest Destiny was a negative part of American history. The fact that the Manifest Destiny benefited us does not make it something to be wholly proud of.
//Natalia T.

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To be honest, the Manifest Destiny did improve our country. We gained a lot of land, but we also gained a lot of enemies. Though there is a positive side to the Manifest Destiny, I feel that the negative side balances it out. Many people were killed and many were ran out of their homes. Because the Manifest Destiny isn't totally bad or good, I choose to stay in the middle. I don't know if I'm supposed to put my name but // Garvin K.

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To be honest, the Manifest Destiny did improve our country. We gained a lot of land, but we also gained a lot of enemies. Though there is a positive side to the Manifest Destiny, I feel that the negative side balances it out. Many people were killed and many were ran out of their homes. Because the Manifest Destiny isn't totally bad or good, I choose to stay in the middle. I don't know if I'm supposed to put my name but // Garvin K.

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While yes, Manifest Destiny was a necessary thing to do to expand our country and grow, we did it in terrible ways. We threatened and scammed people out of their land and killed many. - Melody Deng