1810s–1840s
Homelands & New Lands
How did people draw on religion to define and defend
their futures?
Americans moved west in the
early 1800s, creating changes that rippled across the continent and upended people
of other nations.
These were precarious,
disorienting times—ripe with opportunity and danger. Everywhere people looked
for the best course of action. But which action, which response? What was the
best way to secure the future?
No obvious or “manifest”
destiny determined the decisions people made. Instead, individuals,
communities, and nations organized themselves to confront their challenges.
Whether the West signified homeland, new land, or a place to shape from afar,
religion helped guide both thinking and action.
