During the late nineteenth century, people were continuously expanding westward. White pioneers were continuously expanding and since the Native Americans were in the way, they had to be moved. Not only was there an economic aspect for moving the Native Americans, there was also a racial aspect. Native Americans were forced to give up their culture for the one of whites. This was all justified because whites wanted to expand westward to create more railroads, create farms, and mine for precious minerals. Firstly, one main reason for the mistreatment of Native Americans was that the Natives were in the way of westward expansion. First, the Native Americans were moved to reservations. The situation with the Native Americans often turned violent. Not only did they die from diseases that the whites spread, many Native Americans were killed when they tried to stop the whites from invading their land. “Aggressive whites sometimes shot peaceful Indians on sight, just to make sure they would give no trouble. (Chapter 26)” Whites often killed native Americans to prove a point that they had the power. Although there were conflicts that emerged with …show more content…
Silver and gold were both found in the west. Minerals were an important factor in industry work, which allowed expansion to flourish. William Hope Harvey compared silver and gold and noted how important each item was. Although "one was the money of the people - the other, of the rich," the two metal were important "monies necessary to the prosperity of the people. (Document F)" However, during this time, although many famers had land, they were also the poorest. With all the work that they put into the farms, they only get a small return. Washing Gladden wrote, "His burdens are heavier each year and his gains are more meager. (Document D)" This shows that although farmers had the land and produced the crops, they were earning less and