Abstract

BELLO, Kenya. The American Star: Manifest Destiny and the Dissemination of an Imaginary Community. Estud. hist. mod. contemp. Mex [online]. 2006, n.31, pp.31-56. ISSN 0185-2620.

This essay analyzes the impact of the ideology of Manifest Destiny on the shaping of national American identity during the Mexico-United States war through The American Star newspaper, published virtually throughout the nine months of the occupation government in Mexico City. Using Benedict Anderson's concept of imaginary community, the author shows how the United States press was one of the main promoters of the dissemination of this nationalistic image. She also analyzes the editorial position of the Star in relation to the negotiations that led to the signing of the peace treaty, in order to trace the influence of this conception on its editors, United States society and its institutions.

Keywords : Manifest Destiny; The American Star; Press; Mexico-United States war; imaginary community; Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty.