Inventing Destiny

"Conventional studies of US expansion have viewed the topic from political, diplomatic, economic, and military perspectives. In this collection, an interdisciplinary cast of scholars examine the subject from a variety of cultural perspectives, showing how narratives of empire and conquest formed in both low and high cultures. Many of the chapters will focus on the less remembered actors and outliers - anti-expansionists, Native Americans, Anglo-American women, and non-national expansionists - who significantly complicated the narratives of empire. The contributors examine a variety of source materials such as artwork, literature, and geospatial analysis alongside fresh readings of traditional historical texts. Instead of dwelling on the familiar narratives of "manifest destiny" or "the vanishing Indian," Inventing Destiny identifies and explores the less-remembered fictions of expansion, seeks a better understanding of the anti-expansionist response, and uncovers the resistance of those who were victims of US territorial aggrandizement"--