In 1845, John L. O'Sullivan (1813-1895), editor of the Democratic Review, referred in his magazine to America's "manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions." student moved it to 1839 because of a secondary source.
Because I knew this was wrong, I went searching for where O'Sullivan first used this phrase. Indeed, it was 1845.
But extending my search range to earlier years, I found that he was not the first American to use that phrase, and in that general sense.
While some of those search results seem to have a date prior to 1845, a closer look indicates otherwise. Actual sources of the first 9 hits:
ReplyDeleteReprint of an 1851 speech.
Reprint of an 1853 speech.
1961 Supreme Court decision
1871 speech in the Senate by Morrill of Vermont
1846 speech in the House by Goodyear of New York
Reprint of an 1849 speech.
1846 speech in the House by Winthrop of Massachusetts
Reprint of an 1840 speech.
So you're right after all.