"True destiny is internal, not geographical."

What is Manifest Destiny ???

Part I: Special Virtues

  • In U.S. History: The belief that the American people and their institutions possessed unique, inherent virtues that set them apart from the rest of the world.

  • In the Book: The Fall of the All-American. Chris Frye begins his journey as the "King of Tyson County," a basketball phenom whose "special virtues" on the court make him feel untouchable and destined for superstardom.

Part II: Remaking One’s Image

  • In U.S. History: The perceived moral obligation to spread these cultural beliefs and "remake" the frontier in the image of American ideals.

  • In the Book: Surviving the Aftermath. After a catastrophic accident buries his "Plan A," Chris must undergo the unglamorous, gritty work of remaking himself in a world where he is no longer a star.

Part III: An Irresistible Destiny

  • In U.S. History: The concept that westward expansion was an irresistible movement that nothing could stop.

  • In the Book: Choosing a New Path. Chris realizes that his true destiny isn't a "choreographed leap" toward fame, but an "irresistible" internal pull toward the small moments and quiet truths that finally make him whole


Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, 1862. Mural, United States Capitol.
Artistic propaganda like this promoted the national project of manifest destiny. Columbia, the female figure of America, leads Americans into the West and into the future by carrying the values of republicanism (as seen through her Roman garb) and pr
“General Scott’s entrance into Mexico.” Lithograph. 1851. Originally published in George Wilkins Kendall & Carl Nebel, The War between the United States and Mexico Illustrated, Embracing Pictorial Drawings of all the Principal Conflicts (New York: D.
The great environmental and economic potential of the Oregon Territory led many to pack up their families and head west along the Oregon Trail. The Trail represented the hopes of many for a better life, represented and reinforced by images like Biers