During the early stages of the United States of America in the 19th century, an idea known as manifest destiny was very popular. Manifest Destiny is the name of the period in which Americans believed that it was their mission to expand across the continent, starting from the western frontier territories and then export the nation's ideals of democracy and enlighten the entire world. Manifest Destiny played an important role in the creation of the theory of American exceptionalism. According to Loch K. Johnson, exceptionalism is a “belief in the mission of spreading the value of this nation throughout the world.” During this time many people in America thought that their country was watched over by God and was chosen to save humanity by spreading its ideals throughout the world. Many of our political leaders of the time believed that the American ideals of democracy were truly exceptional and decided to make it their mission to help other countries improve them and bring them into conformity with the same democratic ideals followed by the United States of America. An example of America trying to fulfill the “national mission” is during the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War broke out between Spain and the United States during April and August 1898 for the liberation of Cuba. The war began when Spain rejected American demands for Cuban independence. The United States became involved in the war because it had economic interests in Cuba and also because it had reason to believe that Spain had caused the explosion of the USS Maine. In May 1898, Congress passed the Teller Amendment, in which the United States promised not to annex Cuba, but to liberate it as an independent state. Therefore, the United States claimed to fight the war not for itself... middle of paper... it was in the 20th century, but there are still times when America feels that our mission is to . . For example, after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush declared: “We did not ask for this mission, but we will carry it out… We defend not only our precious freedoms, but also the freedom of people everywhere to live and live. they raise their children free from fear.” There are still those who firmly believe that the United States and the American people have higher standards than anyone else in the world. They believe that their duty as Americans is to offer hope to humanity around the world, which can be done by instilling in them our ideals of personal and economic freedom. Works Cited Johnson, Loch K. 1942-. American foreign policy and the challenges of world leadership. Power, principle and Constitution. New York: Oxford UP, 2015. Print.