What is Manifest Destiny?

Manifest Destiny refers to the 19th-century ideology that promoted the belief that the expansion of the United States across the American continents was both justified and inevitable. This concept was rooted in a sense of American exceptionalism and was often tied to the idea that the U.S. had a divine right or mission to spread democracy and civilization westward. This belief fueled various historical events, including the annexation of Texas, the Oregon Trail migration, and the Mexican-American War.

The other options do not accurately reflect the definition of Manifest Destiny. A movement for women's suffrage relates to the rights of women, while a document declaring independence would refer to something like the Declaration of Independence. A cultural movement in the 1960s pertains to social and political changes occurring much later in American history and is not related to the territorial ideas encapsulated by Manifest Destiny. Thus, the focus on expansion as the essence of Manifest Destiny makes it the correct answer.