Ideology was heavily influenced by the concept of ‘Manifest Destiny’. This was the white Americans belief that it was their divine right to expand across the continent; a main factor in empowering the notion of Westward expansion. Although, in this quest Indigenous people and their culture faced great opposition as the white Americans stormed westwards massacring and disregarding the Native Americans ways of life. The propaganda produced through the narrative of Manifest Destiny spread the belief of white superiority and romanticised nationalism, politically and morally justifying the erasure of Indigenous cultures. This issue must be highlighted to convey that Manifest Destiny distorted the fact that the white settlers were immigrants themselves, imposing on the Native American lifestyle. 

In terms of the wilderness, Manifest Destiny placed a great amount of strain on the environment as it was based upon the exploitation of nature. It called for manmade control over wilderness, with the justification for building the railroads and housing being based off this need for wilderness to be tamed. The concept of a manmade wilderness links directly to the Frontier ideology, where wilderness was presented as an escape from civilisation, enhancing rugged individualism and freedom in a supposedly untouched wilderness space.