ipl-logo

Westward Expansion In Gold Rush Brides By Natalie Merchant

414 Words2 Pages

Natalie Merchant, singer of “Gold Rush Brides” mentioned various aspects of American History situating around Westward Expansion in her lyrics. “The land was free and the price was right.” In this line there’s a reference to the Homestead Act which allowed Americans to put in a claim for free acres of federal land by encouraging westward migration. “The Price was right” referred to the small filing fee that the Homesteaders had to pay. “I see indians that crawl through this mural that recalls our history.” This line referred to the Plain Indians that were victimized and atrociously treated by the figureheads of the federal government. It was also stated that these lands were obtained by wars and “treaties” that often led to bloody conflicts and positions. The word “crawl” would ultimately represent the many endeavors and struggles that these Indians faced. …show more content…

Savery was intimately related to this expansion, in the sense that slaves wanted freedom. Land basically guaranteed freedom because during this century land was acutely recognized as “power.” However, slavery during this period was not utterly abolished. “The connection of slavery and American growth was really sort of ignored. In other words, people would talk about the expansion of the "Empire of Liberty" and never quite mention that millions of people in this "Empire of Liberty" were slaves.” (Foner) Slavery was a pivotal factor in Westward Expansion, yet these slaves were completely neglected. In “Gold Rush Brides” one line states “Do their works survive their yellow fever lives in the pages they wrote?” Basically, Natalie Merchant questions if the labor of the slaves were acknowledged, “Do their works survive?”, because they had a crucial role in

Show More
Related
535 Words | 3 Pages

Jedediah Smith One of the many important people alive during the Westward Expansion was a man named Jedediah Smith. He was from a large family, two parents and 12 siblings. As a child, he lived in New York, that is, until he turned 12, when he moved to Erie County. Eventually, his family decided to pack up, once again, and head to Ohio. Though his time spent there was never documented, it is believed that Smith got a fairly good education and got a job as a clerk.

Read More
381 Words | 2 Pages

In 1871 British Columbia joined confederation and was the 6th province to be apart of the country known as “Canada”. “On July 20, 1871, British Columbia entered Confederation as our sixth province, extending the young Dominion of Canada to the Pacific Ocean.” (http://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1871/ ) One of the main reasons B.C. was able to join Canada, was because of the Fraiser River Gold Rush. This was when 30,000 miners from the United States came to British Columbia to get in on the gold rush.

Read More
936 Words | 4 Pages

For example, in the document (Source E: James K. Polk, speech that announced the discovery of gold in California, “Fourth Annual Message” (excerpts), December 5, 1848) states, “No section of our country is more interested or will be more benefited than the commercial, navigating, and manufacturing interests of the Eastern States. Our planting and farming interests in every part of the Union will be greatly benefited by it. As our commerce and navigation are enlarged and extended, our exports of agricultural products and of manufactures will be increased, and in the new markets thus opened they can not fail to command remunerating and profitable prices.” This quote describes westward settlement would bring new

Read More
1226 Words | 5 Pages

Baptist writes, “From 1783 at the end of the American Revolution to 1861, the number of slaves in the United States increased five times over, and all this expansion produced a powerful nation”. The United States economic growth was dependent upon the slaves who drove the economy by cultivating the crops that America

Read More
876 Words | 4 Pages

DBQ on opposition to slavery 1776-1852 The years from 1776-1852 was period of growth and change for the newly established United States and one thing that seemed determine to change was slavery. The establishment of slavery had existed in America for longer than the country itself and up to this point in history the question of slavery had been avoided but the economy shifting towards industrialization and a political climate that was becoming increasingly stratified primed society for a confrontation of the issue. Though eventually abolished through the civil war, slavery would leave marks on the country that still influence modern society. The opposition to slavery that would lead to this revolution of sorts began to grow because of increasing religious fervor, ethical awareness promoted by those advocating human rights, as well as political motivation.

Read More
625 Words | 3 Pages

Evaluating Cruelty: Sharecropping and Slavery “After the Civil War, former slaves sought jobs, and planters sought laborers. The absence of cash or an independent credit system led to the creation of sharecropping” (Pollard para. 1). Sharecropping is the action of allowing workers, called sharecroppers, to work on someone else’s farm. This let former slaves find jobs; however, farmers found loopholes to exploit the former slaves. Because of this, the workers were rarely paid the amount they needed for their needs.

Read More
356 Words | 2 Pages

The westward expansion of of the U.S. began to happen around the 1800s. during that time the social opportunities increased since many people moved to the west because the government was paying them or giving them free land. The political opportunities did not increased as much since most of the people moving westwards were poor or immigrants and only white males had the right to participate in those events. The economic opportunities increased for the people who moved westward because of the gold rush and the opportu tires that were provided.

Read More
429 Words | 2 Pages

Nevertheless, the atrocity of Nat Turner’s rebellion does not take away from the atrocity of the slave trade. One thing that the enslaved and the slaveholders had in common was the

Read More
784 Words | 4 Pages

During the “Gilded Age” period of American history, development of the Trans-Mississippi west was crucial to fulfilling the American dream of manifest destiny and creating an identity which was distinctly American. Since the west is often associated with rugged pioneers and frontiersmen, there is an overarching idea of hardy American individualism. However, although these settlers were brave and helped to make America into what it is today, they heavily relied on federal support. It would not have been possible for white Americans to settle the Trans-Mississippi west without the US government removing Native Americans from their lands and placing them on reservations, offering land grants and incentives for people to move out west, and the

Read More
608 Words | 3 Pages

The documentary "American Experience: The Gold Rush" by PBS reveals why there was a surge of people coming to California during the mid-1800's. The documentary is able to provide the audience with a narrative while never showing any real footage of the event. It achieves a narrative by using two different approaches at the same time. The first approach, the narrator explains and shows throughout the film important events that happened in the 1800's using primary and secondary sources. For example, it uses photos, contracts, newspapers and other sources to give the audience assurance on how the gold rush occurred.

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

During the pre-civil war time period— also known as the antebellum years— America experienced a widespread transformation for the sake of its economy. With the booming belief of the Manifest Destiny, America’s constant desire for westward expansion caused disputes between the North and the South regarding the establishment of free states and slave states, which led to certain compromises such as the Missouri Compromise. After the Market Revolution, the North and South used its new gained land to create different means of economic gains; the North became industrialized through manufacturing, while the South became an agricultural industry dependent on cotton. However, as America’s boundaries expanded, tensions between the North and South grew, often leading to compromises in bloodshed. The drastic differences between the two groups eventually transformed America into a divided nation of sectionalism economically, politically, and socially.

Read More
1039 Words | 5 Pages

In conclusion, the westward expansion was one of the most important times in American history but one of the hardest for those who made the journey. The settlers had to go through a lot of hardships to get a new life in the west. The Gold Rush helped bring people to the west and populate California so it became a state. People such as Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark helped explore the new terrain and make maps so people could live there. Even though the pioneers got diseases, had conflicts with the Native Americans, and had to travel for long periods of time in a ship or covered wagon, they never gave up hope.

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

The impact of slavery on the Old South is a difficult measure to establish because slavery was the Old South. While the popular adage was “Cotton is King,” it was simply a microcosm of the delusion of the day. Truly, slavery was king. Slavery was the growing tension of the time, political catalyst and ironically crux of American power. To the masses, slavery was a social defining stance; the “peculiar institution” to some and a defining moral line to others, American life was changed depending on what view you took of slavery.

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

The Westward Expansion all started when America made the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. There were many benefits from the purchase for the US that the French didn’t realize before they sold it. The purchase gave the US access to the Mississippi river which allowed for expansion of river trade to the North and South from the center of the US. The port city of New Orleans was bought by the US and its prosperity benefited the US greatly. The US sent Lewis and Clark west to investigate the land they purchased.

Read More
704 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever wondered how life was for the slaves in the South? Slaves in the South suffered through many consequences. For example, they suffered through many whippings with cow skin if they didn't obey their master, they also got separated from their family mostly the fathers, so, they can be sold to a very mean slave owner. Even if they were living a miserable life on the farms, they had their own culture and they managed to even get married in the farmland or where they worked. Not only did the slaves live on the farm.

Read More

More about Westward Expansion In Gold Rush Brides By Natalie Merchant

Open Document