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Life In The Westward Expansion

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During the 1800s, America was a prospering and powerful country so the People felt that it was their Manifest Destiny, or obvious fate, to settle from coast to coast. Therefore, they set out to get all lands in the West, and were determined to do so, no matter how much they had to give up. However, when the Americans started moving westward, they kicked Native Americans out along the way. They had no respect for other people’s ownership of the land and did anything they needed to obtain it. The idea of Manifest Destiny divided the nation in several controversial topics like Indian territories and slavery. The American mindset of settling lands in the West allowed the country to expand their territories but the problem soon arose of …show more content…

When gold was discovered in a so-called Indian Territory, “thousands of whites invaded, destroyed Indian property, staked out claims” (Zinn) The Americans didn’t acknowledge that the same place they were settling into was the place the Indians called their home. Many Americans thought that since it was their fate to settle in the West, there was a reason they could remove Indians from the land. They thought that God was leading them and used it as an excuse for unexplainable acts like kicking Natives out of their land. Although it seemed the country was coming together to move westward, the decisions made along the way caused for a split of opinions. Some Americans were for creating territories for the Indians but were weakened by those who had a strong belief they were destined to settle all the way to the West. In conclusion, the mindset of Manifest Destiny allowed American territories to expand but brought up controversies that would become prominent issues. As the Americans moved westward, slavery divided the states in the North and South and later became a problem that needed to be solved. Additionally, Natives were being removed and forced into small territories which made some Americans doubt the decisions the government was making. All in all, Manifest Destiny allowed for the a new chapter in the United States’ history that would bring power but also troubles within the

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Manifest Destiny is a unique, yet mysterious fundamental series of events in American history. No other country’s history contains such an eventful history as the United States. Amy Greenberg’s book, Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, provides documented evidence that settlers believed they were destined for expansion throughout the continent. In other words, many religious settlers believed that it was a call from God for the United States to expand west. On the other hand, people believed that Manifest Destiny vindicated the war against Mexico.

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From 1865 onward, Native American culture was greatly changed by the westward expansion of the united states. Government action effectively destroyed native culture. The US was not justified in its ruthless westward expansion because of the harm dealt to the native people and the change in the American economy. One reason that westward expansion was not justified was the damage done to the native people. When the US really started to settle the west in 1865, we would offer chiefs compensation to move their tribes farther west or on to reservations.

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