Manifest Destiny as a Manifestation of Civil Religion [Revised]

Lily Ader

Manifest Destiny as a Manifestation of Civil Religion

Gast, John. 1872. American Progress. 1872. Wikimedia.

The first image that likely comes to the minds of many when they think about the concept of "manifest destiny," harkening back to high school history courses, is likely the image above. This painting is titled American Progress, painted by John Gast in 1872, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, as well as the conclusion of the Mexican-American war, in which the United States acquired California through the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. This image depicts a large, angelic-looking woman, "Columbia" making the trek across the United States from the already colonized parts. The colonized American land is depicted as serene as opposed to  the uncolonized portion of the land that makes up the United States, which is characterized in this image by stormy, treacherous weather. To this dark and stormy, uncolonized land, occupied by Native Americans, Columbia brings American Progress as the title suggests, with her robes that are referential to early democracies like that of classical Athens, the principles of which founding fathers took pride in referencing for creating modern American democracy. She is also seen holding a school book, implying that she is bringing education as a form of progress to the indigenous people depicted on the bottom left section of the painting. Furthermore, she is seen holding a cable that is attached to a series of poles, implying that she (potentially as a representation of America as a whole) is bringing technology and progress as she moves across the modern-day continental United States. It is also important to note that the Industrial Revolution occurred earlier in the century, another large aspect of American Progress during the 19th century. 

The thesis of this image is that the American government is destined, by a higher power, to expand westward and that the American government is doing good by fulfilling that destiny. "Columbia," the woman featured in this painting is an icon of American civil religion or the belief system that American citizens subscribe to in "secular life." The use of this figure in white perfectly encapsulates the saliency of civil religion and the creation of a new American civil religion with the founding fathers, and the founding principles of the United States as a whole. Bellah says American civil religion is, "selectively derived from Christianity, this religion is clearly not itself Christianity," (Bellah 1967: 7). 

Christianity as a religion provides white Americans and colonizers with a justification for violence and pillaging based on superior morality. However, the figure in this image is distinct from the Christian God in that she is a woman. In contrast, most depictions of God portray men and an image that is salient specifically to Americans. Manifest destiny, as an ethos, encapsulates one aspect of American civil religion that asserts the supremacy of the American form of government over others and, therefore, a moral obligation to spread American democracy. This aspect of civil religion continues, even in a "post-colonial" world, through American foreign policy that emphasizes the importance of Democracy in various conflicts.