Manifest destiny

In the 19th century, Manifest Destiny was a widely held belief in the United States that American settlers were destined to expand throughout the continent. Historians have for the most part agreed that there are three basic themes to Manifest Destiny:

Historian Frederick Merk says this concept was born out of "a sense of mission to redeem the Old World by high example ... generated by the potentialities of a new earth for building a new heaven".

Historians have emphasized that "Manifest Destiny" was a contested concept—Democrats endorsed the idea but many prominent Americans (such as Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and most Whigs) rejected it. Historian Daniel Walker Howe writes, "American imperialism did not represent an American consensus; it provoked bitter dissent within the national polity.... Whigs saw America's moral mission as one of democratic example rather than one of conquest."

Marvel 2099

Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that explores originally as one possible future of the Marvel Universe, but later revealed in a climax of Superior Spider-Man Goblin Nation arc and Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #14 to be the same universe in distant future. It was originally announced by Stan Lee in his "Stan's Soapbox" column as a single series entitled The Marvel World of Tomorrow, which was being developed by Lee and John Byrne. This later changed to a line of books under the banner Marvel 2093 (the date being one hundred years from the year in which the titles launched) before finally being published as Marvel 2099. The three of the initial four titles launched — Doom 2099, Punisher 2099, and Spider-Man 2099 — starred futuristic takes on pre-existing characters. The fourth, Ravage 2099, featured an all-new superhero, scripted for several months by Stan Lee. The 2099 line soon expanded to include 2099 Unlimited, Fantastic Four 2099, Ghost Rider 2099, Hulk 2099, X-Men 2099, and X-Nation 2099. While it has been confirmed to be a possible future version of Earth-616, the mainstream Marvel Universe, the 2099 universe has been officially designated as Earth-928 and alternatively dubbed as Earth-616 circa 2099.

Manifest Destiny 2011

Manifest Destiny 2011 is a British opera composed by Keith Burstein with a libretto by Burstein and Dic Edwards. It is a revision of Burstein and Edwards' previous 2003 opera Manifest Destiny and maintains its predecessor's subject matter of Islamic suicide bombers, the ramifications of both the Middle Eastern conflict and the War on Terror.

Set in the present day or "near-future", the complex plot centres on a harrowing journey through the War on Terror by the Palestinian political activists Leila and Mohammed and Leila's lover Daniel (a Jewish composer). At one time potential suicide bombers, Leila and Mohammed renounce violence and attempt to resolve their lives and grievances in a more peaceful manner, but are caught up in the brutal realpolitik of war and the imperial machinations of the American state. The action takes place variously in London, Palestine, Afghanistan, the White House in Washington, D.C., and Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, and contains both realistic and metaphysical content.