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Westward expansion of the united states
Westward expansion of the united states
Westward expansion of the united states
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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.
There were both positive and negative components of westward expansion from 1800 to 1875. By the late of 1800s, the land of the United States was mostly purchased. In seventy five years, the United States continuously expanded westward, which was encouraged by the idea of Manifest Destiny. New land in the United States led to more economic, social, and political opportunities. Gaining more land also led to disputes between the states and wars with other countries.
Robert Morgan, Author of “There is No True History of the Westward Expansion” gives his points of what his beliefs on what Westward Expansion were. Morgan talks about what his view of Westward Expansion was, by using many other peoples perspectives. Morgan presents two main points in his literature: First being that history is not made up of just a few heroes and villains, and second that average citizens were responsible for Westward Expansion. I agree with one of Morgan's views, however, I do not agree with his other view. The first point that Morgan presents is that history is not made up of just a few heros and villains.
From 1817-1825, immigrants and native New Yorkers alike worked year round by hand and with the help of animals to complete the canal, which finally opened in October 26, 1825. Early on, horses and mules worked the canal system taking turns with boats in long shifts carrying cargo with towlines. At the beginning, the canal could accommodate thirty tons of freight. Travel on the canal to Buffalo from Albany took about five days. When traveled by stage coach, the route took about two weeks.
The late 19th century was a time of exploration, innovation, and continued westward expansion. The West, however, was not as glorified as people today like to think it was. Westward expansion had many benefits, the main being lots of new land for both the Americans and immigrants, but many ideas of the West have been altered throughout the years. The West was romanticized in many ways, people moved to the West in the pursuit of happiness, but today many hardships of westward expansion have been ignored. Cowboys and homesteads are two major concepts that have been romanticized today about the West.
Was the westward expansion of the United States just an inevitable or unjust and easy to stop? Manifest destiny was not a god given right, it wasn’t helpful to the other countries, we weren’t enlightening anyone. All of that is just a cover of our power hungry government. I am not against the expansion of America, I think it’s great if we buy countries, or they join us.
In the Nebraska Palladium, an author penned his article to talk about not only his desire to keep expanding westward, but to also explain that his fellow citizens have decided that expansion is what is right and necessary. He continues onward to explain some of the reasons about why he thinks continued expansion could be a very positive situation, citing commercial and agricultural growth. His specific belief on westward expansion is: not only is it right, but it is necessary to the successful growth of America. There’s a small section where he mentions territorial legislation, but he makes it sound as if definite law has not yet been passed. While he doesn’t specifically identify with a party in his article, he appears to align with the Republican
Westward Expansion Flash Draft Have you ever wondered about what would 've happened if the westward expansion never occurred? We wouldn 't have many things you know today and America would be a lot smaller. The westward expansion happened during the 1800s and helped shape the modern America. The westward expansion started with the Louisiana Purchase and was made even stronger by the Gold Rush. Many people came to strike it rich or just to start a new life out west.
The government has many different roles throughout history and today. They had a very different role during westward expansion than today. Capitalism is a mostly non controlling government so you would have a lot of freedom and choice. The proper role of government is support the growing country and to spread capitalism.
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.
The Westward Expansion offered an opportunity to aid the growth of the United States and expand its borders. A deal that shaped the landscape of America as we’ve known it, and you ask who, how, and why it affected people negatively? A people that started making America their homes before the colonists came, the natives of America. The places they called home were gone, left, and forgotten, but America saw it as a way for industrialization. During America's growth the land was theirs monetarily, but spiritually it belonged to Native Americans, which America was too selfish, and naïve to be aware.
Westward migration in the 1800s was a very arduous and long journey, and those that traveled in hopes to reach the west were faced with countless difficulties and hardships. Some of these pioneers made great discoveries and had enormous success in discovering relatively safe routes to the new land, but others faced great tragedies, the struggle to survive depriving a man from even the simplest sense of morality. One of these great tragedies was the one faced by the Donner Party, a group that perhaps foolishly embarked on a trail that was rumored to be a shortcut, and this grievous mistake led to the demise of several travelers. The Donner Party, a group of nine covered wagons left Springfield, Illinois on a 2,500 mile journey to California
Life for the Native Americans was much harder during and after the western expansion. For example, the US took land from the Indians leading the formation of reservations, White men almost hunted the Buffalo , an important food source for the Indians, to extinction, and forced the Indians to get rid of their culture. Because of the western expansion, the area of land the Indians could occupy decreased significantly. The government would make treaties with the Indians allowing them to keep a certain area of land, but this would soon be broken ; When the Pacific Railroad Act was passed it stated that wherever a track was laid the company would own any land 200 ft surrounding the track including Indian land ; the Government would make sure that
Through the first half of this semester I have examined the undeniable truths of how Westward Expansion has affected Indians. It has encouraged me even more so to explore both sides of the story. I did not know how horrible Indians lives were when the outsiders invaded their land. I have been enlightened through this material concerning the mental and physical aspects of the westward expansion. The poor treatment towards Indians are shown immensely through the removal, and the stripping of their culture.
Students responded well to the bell ringer and were instantly engaged in the lesson and were able to make predictions about what the term manifest means based on the statements I provided. The use of the painting helped students become familiar with the term Manifest Destiny. Students had a visual of the impact of Westward expansion, the new inventions, and the different people who were affected by Westward expansion. Students had opportunities to analyze and worked well in their groups to discuss and share their observations on the painting.