The westward expansion is a movement of settlers promoted by the federal government that pushed west to get things that benefit them. Such as gold, land, financial reasons, and religious freedom. During this time, America was going through Indian removal acts, economic issues and so much more. The westward expansion occurred due to gold and cheaper land resulting in Native Americans being forced off their own land. To begin, One of the reasons for the westward expansion was gold. Document 4, stated, “ White men had found gold in the mountains around the land of the Winding Water [in Oregon]”. This quote was describing how white settlers found gold in the Native's mountains. Natives had no power over what the white men/settlers were doing. …show more content…
In document 2, There is a passage shown about owning land. The quote states, “for the benefit of widows and single women over twenty-one years of age, that they are as much entitled to homesteads as men”. This passage is telling us what extent people went to, to get people to buy the land/ move west, they wanted to draw people in. Document 2 links to my claim, I know this because, since the federal government was promoting the expansion they also had to give an ideal promotion of land as well meaning offering women land and better opportunities. They stated how the land was cheap and that they could keep it, and how they were able to work and keep their money. This land offer had an impact and it could potentially change people's lives. That land was the Native's land, but they also had no control over what was happening during this time, they just had to suffer the consequences others brought to …show more content…
In document 5, There is an image shown about land. The poster discusses ‘ a new beginning’, how many acres they're providing, and how cheap the land would be. They wanted people to be sort of drawn in and said things that they wanted to hear so it could benefit ‘both sides’. Document 5 links to my claim, I know this because, since the federal government was promoting the expansion they also had to give an ideal life to someone who would want. They stated many benefits one being cheap land. Another is how it could be a new beginning. This land was an impact and it was in fact the main reason most people went and followed this path. The Homestead act is also a large part of this. The Homestead act in simple terms was the government offering land / selling to settlers. That land was the Native's land, but they also had no control over what was happening during this time, they just had to suffer the consequences others brought to
The document “Colonists Encroach on the Stanwix Line”, records a speech made by a Native American, John Killbuck to the governors of three separate English Colonies. He tells of the English and other European Settlers invading Naive American lands base on their own greed and compete against one another. The English haven’t always agreed on bringing about peaceful compromises on the lands they and other European Nations have conquered, instead, wars erupted and whoever were the victors reaped all the rewards, land that consisted of Native American tribes. The Native had tried to make a peaceful compromise of a land dispute by setting a boundary between Native American tribes and the English Colonies. However, with the increase of Europeans flooding
Their land had been taken over, and this is still happening today. This a struggle of loss in power that the Natives once had, but had to sit and watch it be taken from
In Document 3, Cherokee Nation, a cherokee tribal member gave a speech that one part states, “This is the land of our Nativity; the land of our birth. We cannot consent to abandon it for another far inferior [place]”. Meaning they will not give up there land that they were born on, for somewhere else. Theodore Frelinghuysen’s speech, (Document 5, Theodore Frelinghuysen) mentions that a long, long time ago, God placed the tribes where he wanted them, which means they were here way before us, and we should not force them to move. Both documents infer that their land is important and sacred to them.
The Supreme Court had decided that the Indians could live on the land; however, they could not hold a title to the land. This was because their “right to own their land” was inferior to the settler’s “right to discovery.” The Indian’s wanted to own their own land because it was theirs to begin with; therefore, they thought this decision was
And put it up for sale. And all the Indians had to move to other land. So basically they got kicked off there land. And it wasn 't fair. And the Indians who accepted the act, like for the government to take there land.
The Great Land Rush and the making of the Modern world, 1690-1900, written by John C. Weaver, discusses the distribution of land, its changing process, and the introduction of property rights in a market economy throughout various parts of the world – North America, South Africa New Zealand, and Australia among others. This essay will discuss the definition of property right, how it was implemented by the settlers onto new territories and the development there after. Through the analysis of Weavers dissertations, the essay will also draw similarities and difference of the way various colonial government treated indigenous people and other settlers; along with how settlers treated aboriginals and one another. The book takes into consideration how the Neo-Europeans gained and distributed land that they discovered.5 The process of how a land comes into ownership and the legislation around it is called property rights.5 Property rights where developed after it was realized that Neo-Europeans where excessively violent with natives over their land.5 Europeans would discover new lands and would use their native beliefs, and legislation as a tactic to gain control of the niche.5 this would harm the native people of that land as these practices of land taking where violent between settlers and natives.5 The settlers used property rights within their own people but had aggressive beliefs with the natives that resulted in gruesome wars between the two parties for the land.
The land was seen as a way to a greater nation because people believed God gave them the right. However, while they believed this and tried to make it happened, they had a conflict. Native American stood in their way and the only way to get what the people wanted the Natives needed to leave. This brings on the Indian Removal Act that occurred in 1830 leaded by Andrew Jackson. This can be seen in the article written by Jackson on the Removal Act on the lines, “It will place a dense and civilized population in large tracts of occupied by a few savage hunters.”
Due to westward expansion, the need for American culture to be one destroyed hundreds of Native American lives, and many innocent lives were taken. The point of view of the speaker of this document is T.J. Morgan, a white man, which is significant considering how many white Americans had a mindset that Native American culture was a threat to having a successful and ideal society. Civilizing and assimilating Native American culture was thought to protect America and its people from corruption by white people, however, it ended up forcing thousands of Indigenous people to go through endless torture. Nonetheless, as one can see in document 7, one can see the disgusting efforts of white Americans to assimilate Native American culture, the scissors wanting to cut Natives’ hair, taking the land from Indigenous people, and white Americans
Throughout the 19th century European settlers in the United States were enthralled by Westward expansion, furthermore, defining the Western region of the country as the ‘frontier’ to represent the challenges and opportunities expanding West would institute. Westward expansion was significantly driven by the concept of Manifest destiny which describes the idea that Europeans have the divine power and inherent right to expand across North America (Burton, January 17th, 2023). Westward expansion was legally encouraged and endorsed by the federal government through the Homestead act of 1862. The Homestead Act encouraged Westward migration/ settlement by offering land grants to settlers from the East willing to migrate to the West to develop the land.
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 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.
Westward expansion was a period of American history in the 1800s when the United States expanded its territories westward, acquiring new lands and extending its borders. This period of expansion was driven by a combination of factors, including economic, political, and cultural forces. The United States was a new country with an enormous amount of assets and a developing population in the early 1800s. Over the next few decades, the United States continued to expand westward, with settlers moving across the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Coast. This period of expansion was marked by conflict and conquest, as the United States clashed with Native American tribes, Spanish colonizers, and other nations for control of the land.
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
Westward Expansion took place in the late 1800’s. During this time some of the major reason for moving westward included the chance for gold, the creation of mines, and the availability of land. The trek towards the west created the idea of Manifest Destiny. This was thought to be the destiny for the United States to stretch from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. According to O’Sullivan Manifest
The lands that the Native Americans were previously calling their homelands were immediately sold and used for their resources (timber, mining, gold etc.) I like the quote under the Treaty Timeline portion that highlights this best as quoted by Ohiyesa, “The greatest object of their lives seems to be to acquire possessions-to be rich. They desire to possess the whole world” (Why Treaties Matter, How Treaties Changed Lands and Lifeways) I think that this another example of how we have been socialized to believe the Eurocentric perspective that is taught in textbooks.