Western Expansion

Western Expansion.

Americans, were they the real savages? Through all American has gone though to get to where we are today, talk about how were "America the great" our country is so trustworthy and fair, well how did we get that way, somewhere we had to be unjust. Trustworthiness, responsibility, citizenship are the most important pillars of character in Americas western expansion.

Trustworthiness is the key to survival. To begin with the Americans started off with a stupid move in not first gaining the Indians trust, and then losing all hope of ever gaining it. Knowledge: the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. First, the Indians had lived and learned the land that Americans were calling their own, far before "America" was America. In that time, the Indians learned how to live off the land, plating and harvesting crops, they learned how to deal with different season, also how to cure sicknesses. It would have been smart for the Americans to gain the Indians trust so that they could have been taught in the knowledge the Indians gained over the many generations of surviving on what the Americans were calling "their land". The Americans lost the Indians trust with broken treaties and forcing them off their native lands with the Indian removal act. Truly, if the Americans would have gained the Indians trust and compromised with them, there could have been an avoidance of many discrepancies. For example; the Black Hawk war, The Trail of Tears where 2,000-4,000 Indians died, Wounded knee massacre where U.S army troops killed 300 Indians or the Ghost dance which was the last attempt for the Plain Indians to keep their land and culture. Consequently the Americans lost the Indians trust in doing many different things, there was much to learn from the Indians but the Americans didn't use their responsibilities to further their knowledge before making the decisions they made.

"Manifest destiny refers to the belief of many Americans that is the nations destiny and duty to expand and conquer the west in the name of God, nature, civilization and progress"(Journalist John L O'Sullivan). The western expansion was not only a destiny of America as a thriving country but also a responsibility. In order for America to become the powerful country it is today, it held the responsibly to expand its territory into the west to become a powerful country. In expanding America's territory to the west, brought a new trade for Americans, in fur. The west also opened up extensive trading river systems which farmers could easily ship corn and wheat and other goods. Also, stretching the country to the west would not only increase total size but increase mass population through migrates traveling mainly on the Oregon and Santa Fe trails. Along with the trails, the transcontinental rail road was the connection between the east and the west. The transcontinental railroad allowed travelers to go from coast to coast in a weeks time, allowing easy trade, and brought 2.2 million foreign immigrants to the trans-Mississippi West. whether some Americans believed in "manifest destiny" or not, America did utilize

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