"Manifest Destiny" and Its Modern Implications for Immigration and The Civil Sphere

 

    The image above is a picture posted by Homeland Security’s official account on X. This illustration shows a woman in white, levitating, holding a book that resembles the bible. The image represents the American westward expansion post Civil war, showing American settlers farming and altering the land. The image also shows a group of Indigenous Americans being chased off of the land. The original painting by John Gast was used to represent the concept of “manifest destiny”, that God guided white settlers to expand westward. In this specific illustration, the caption suggests that this is an idealized history, something to “be proud of”. 

    They utilize the caption to suggest that Americans must be proud of our history and defend our land, despite the violent history. This image as a whole, with the painting in tandem with the politically targeted caption, presents an idealized image of white settlers taking over land to form America. This image is one of many anti-immigration images and “memes” posted by Government or government officials. 

    In his work the Civil Sphere, Jeffrey Alexander generally defines the civil sphere as a realm outside of social structures where people collectively organize. He sees the civil sphere as a moral realm that guides its members' views and moral commitments. Alexander explains that the sphere is separate from economics, family, and religion, it is specific to civil society and life. Part of the formation of the sphere includes exclusion of some and acceptance of others. Alexander uses a Durkheimian lens that describes those within the sphere as sacred and those outside as profane. This comes with fabricated stereotypes of the profane, limiting them to socially constructed characteristics. Alexander writes, “Actors are not intrinsically either worthy or moral: they are determined to be so by being placed in certain positions on the grid of civil culture” (Alexander, 55). While those excluded from the sacredness of the sphere are not actually defined by the immoral characteristics they have been assigned, the social power of the civil sphere persuades society to view them as such. In Chapters 4 and 8 of this work, Alexander discusses how historical narratives provide a framework for the qualities and people that are deemed sacred versus profane. While addressing the formation of civil sphere discourse he states, “It is elaborated by narrative accounts that are believed to describe faithfully not only the present but also the past. Every nation has a myth of origin, for example, that anchors this discourse in an account of the historical events involved in its early formation.” (Alexander, 63). In this excerpt, Alexander is describing how the myths of origin create a stereotypical image of what should be considered sacred, this applies to race, gender, religion, and other aspects of society. These myths distort our perceptions of those who are outside of the civil sphere, further condemning them to a profane existence within society.

    This image is a concrete example of what Jeffrey Alexander describes as myths of founding. It is a clear symbol of traits that are considered sacred based on “founding” members of our society. It portrays a white, christian ideal that the current administration views as sacred qualities. When you put this image in the context of the immigration standpoints that the administration has taken, it is clear that they are marginalizing people who they do not believe belong in the civil sphere. Alexander explains that the capacity of liberty and freedom is extended to those that conform to the sacred characteristics, thus othering those who are not deemed worthy of entrance. Those who conform are the “we”, they are invited into this collective sphere that demands sacred qualities. Those who are rejected become “they”, they are othered by this sphere and deemed profane. “These anti-civil qualities make it “necessary” to deny such persons access to rights and the protection of the law, Indeed, because they are conceived as lacking the capacity for voluntary and responsible behavior…” (Alexander, 61). People who are rejected from the civil sphere are also rejected from the liberties which others are granted. As we’ve seen in the media, immigration policies in the current administration violently restrict the freedom and liberties of those who do not conform to the sacred ideals that are portrayed in the image above.  

Bibliography

Bond, S., Joffe-Blocke, J., 2025 “What's behind the Trump administration's immigration memes?” From npr.org. Retrieved March 30, 2026 (https://www.npr.org/2025/08/18/nx-s1-5482921/memes-white-house-dhs-social-media-trump) 

Alexander, Jeffrey. 2006. “Discourse: Liberty and Repression” pp. 53-67 in The Civil Sphere Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Alexander, Jeffrey. 2006. “Contradictions: Uncivilizing Pressures and Civil Repair" pp. 193-209 in The Civil Sphere Oxford: Oxford University Press.