The Pros And Cons Of Westward Expansion

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“We need Hawaii just as much and a good deal more than we did California. It is manifest destiny.” -William McKinley, 25th President of the United States. Westward Expansion began in 1803, Thomas Jefferson arranged the Louisiana Purchase with France and gained land from 15 states, this greatly expanded the territory of the U.S. The idea of manifest destiny is what pushed the Europeans to continue expanding, they believed they were divinely ordered to expand the U.S. territory. Westward Expansion caused harm to people who came in contact with Europeans, to this day Hispanics face stereotypes and discrimination due to the interactions between them during times of the Mexican-American war, Natives face educational and medical issues due to their forced …show more content…

For every 100 American Indian/Alaska Native kindergartners, only seven will earn a bachelor's degree, compared to 34 of every 100 white kindergartners” (NCSL). Indigenous children mostly have to deal with these issues when going to schools on their reservations. The schools they attend are often low on budget and do not deliver the education they need fully. Due to their low-quality schools, it can cause them not to understand the material and drop out, can cause behavioral issues, and make them not pursue higher education. Though Natives not only face issues in their education system, but face medical issues as well, “In general, Indigenous populations have higher rates of certain medical conditions than the general U.S. population. These include asthma, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia” (ESP). These diseases became more prominent in these communities due to how they live on reservations, they do not have access to things many people do have access to, such as good food and clean water. They also are statistically closer to being destitute, which limits their access to good medical