Westward Expansion: Impact of Natives Thesis Statement: Due to the taking of land and resources, Americans treated the Natives negatively during the Westward Expansion When watching the recent movie ‘The Revenant’, audiences wonder what the message of the story or the theme. Setting up in the 18th century it follows a man (Hugh Glass) that was helping the Americans collect game in exchange for money. He was taken in because he knows the language and land of the Native Americans, due to his wife and child being part of the culture of Indians. Natives were killed for defending their land and keeping the White men from claiming it. The movie also shows the violence directed toward the Native Americans such as the rape of the women. Since this …show more content…
These soldiers cut down my timber; they kill my buffalo; and when I see that, my heart feels like bursting; I feel sorry.” (Santana, Chief of the Kiowas 1). This quote strikes strongly; he states his feelings of the Whites destroying the land, his land. The men start to spread into Indian territory and taking the sources of the land such as buffalo. Due to the Slaughter of buffalo this impacted the Natives spiritually, mentally and emotionally. They used the bison as lifeline, they used the animal fully. Every piece of the body was used to help the Natives live. Why were the men killing the buffalo? Most of the meat was supplied to the soldiers of the Civil War. Fur was used as coats and lap robes for riding houses and carriages. Leavenworth, Kansas became a trading center for buffalo materials where they also sold the bones grinded up for fertilizer. In some restaurants buffalo tongues became a delicacy, this sent the demand of buffalos at the highest demand. Buffalo hunting became a year-round job paying $3.00 per hide and 25 cents per tongue. This high demand was one just one of the reasons the Indian-American war began in