The Donner Party Essay

The Donner party, one of the most legendary tales of the American expansion of the West. Eighty-seven people, men, women, and Children risked it all. Their Lives, Fortunes, and Density. Beyond the obvious tragedy of the Donner party, one can find examples of Human Character in the story. Courage, Perseverance, Hopefulness. The Donner party started out in the year, 1846 in Springfield, Illinois. Why did they head out west? Reasons from economic opportunity to a “fresh start”. The party was made mostly up of two large families: The Donner and the Reeds. During this time period in the United States, the country was growing and expanding, cities in the American east were booming and “filled to the brim” with people. The West was untouched by man and filled with clean land. Manifest Density and the American dream, were all “pushing” the Donner party to go west. But there was a lot of risks involved. Their Health, Lives, and Fortunes. All of these risks were put on “jeopardy” by going out west. By having the courage to risk it all shows the human spirit is one of bravery and boldness. The Donner Party faced many challenges on their journey out west. They had to cross huge landscapes and rocky terrain. They also were following a new and inexperienced cut off or “short cut”, that “claimed” to “shave”

Beyond the obvious tragedy of the Donner party, one can find examples of human character in the story. The Donner shows that even in the face of death and darkness, that humans can be courageous, perseverance, hopeful. The events of the Donner party were indeed sad and ugly, but they never gave up. The members of the Donner party were humans and humans make mistakes. Only the Donner party’s decision was a life-altering one. Can we condemn these people for trying to survive during one of the worst winters known to