Manifest Destiny: A False Doctrine Built on Fallen Humanity
As a current graduate student at Southeastern Oklahoma State University pursuing a Master’s in Native American Leadership: Nation Building, I cannot stay silent about one of the most destructive ideologies in American history: Manifest Destiny (cue me gagging).
For generations, Manifest Destiny has been taught as a bold vision for national growth. In reality, it was nothing more than a manipulation of religion and power. A weaponized doctrine used to justify the oppression, displacement, and attempted erasure of Native peoples. It clothed greed and conquest in the language of God’s will, distorting faith to fit human ambition.
Manipulating God’s Name
Manifest Destiny claimed the United States was divinely ordained to expand westward. Politicians and settlers alike framed it as God’s design, but this was a gross manipulation of sacred truth. Instead of honoring God’s original design of stewardship, balance, and respect for creation and all peoples, Manifest Destiny twisted Scripture into a license for domination. This is not faith; it is exploitation.
The Reality of Expansion
Behind the lofty rhetoric of Manifest Destiny was destruction:
Native nations were forcibly removed from their homelands.
Treaties were broken again and again.
Families were torn apart through violence and systemic policies of assimilation.
Entire cultures were targeted for eradication under the guise of “progress.”
This was not destiny. This was colonization built on the fallen nature of humanity: greed, pride, and the thirst for power.
A Universal Lesson in Human Failure
It is easy to cast Manifest Destiny as simply a “white versus Native” narrative, but the deeper truth is this: any race, any culture, when consumed by unchecked power, can fall into the same pattern of destruction. Manifest Destiny is not just an American problem; it is a human problem. History across the globe shows us that when humanity exalts its own will above God’s design of love, justice, and community, the result is always oppression.
Reclaiming the Original Design
God’s true design was never about domination. It was about relationship, balance, and care—with Him, with one another, and with the land. Native nations understood and lived by these principles for generations before colonization. To move forward, we must name the lies of Manifest Destiny for what they are and seek restoration, reconciliation, and truth.
Final Reflection
Manifest Destiny is not a story of divine purpose—it is a cautionary tale of human arrogance. By recognizing its falsehood, we not only honor the resilience of Native nations who endured its consequences, but we also learn to guard ourselves against repeating the same mistakes under new names and new justifications.
As a Native leader in training, my call is to expose these lies, to challenge systems of oppression, and to build a future rooted not in false destiny but in God’s true design for justice, dignity, and community.
