Manifest destiny...imperialism...reform...acquisition. These are all terms that represent a period of great expansion and conquest that literally shaped the United States during the mid to late 1800's. Texas and Hawaii were gained, and so was virtually the western half of the US through the Louisiana Purchase and one of the most crucial wars in American history--the Mexican War. Not only did the United States gain much new territory and power during these years, but it also adopted a foreign policy via the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary that is still in use today.
The simplest wa…
