Chapter 12 focuses on how the United States expanded westward. The Native Americans had the right to the land because they were her first. The American perspective were that the Natives were savages and in our territory. Furthermore, please follow this link where it talks about the Oregon Trail. Then watch this video about the journey.
Discuss what the journey meant to the United States and expansion westward. Please give much detail and include your thoughts on the journey.
At first the Oregon Trail began as unconnected series of trails used by the Native Americans, but it became a very important trail. The Oregon Trail was a dangerous road and ran 2,000 miles west from Missouri toward the Rocky Mountains to the Willamette Valley. People on the trail constantly had to search for water along the way. They also had troubles with rattle snakes, insects, and wild animals on the trail. This trail was important for several reasons. Fur Traders expanded the route to transport pelts to trading posts and meetings. Missionaries went on the trail to establish church connections in the Northwest. A combination of economic and political events in the 1840s started a large scale migration west on what was then known as "The Oregon Road." Joel Walker was the first settler to make the complete trip with a family, in 1840. Large scale migrations started in 1843. A wagon train of over 800 people and 5,000 cattle made the five month journey. The Oregon Trail was important because military posts, trading posts, shortcuts, and spur roads sprang off the Oregon Trail over the next three decades. The trail also became a route for eastward cattle drives. Ezra Meeker was a pioneer. In 1852, He tried to preserve the Oregon Trail by staging several trips over the trail. He organized communities to place markers along the trail route. Because of him, parts of the trail is still here today, but through the years, remnants of the trail disappeared under construction of buildings and roads, but over 300 miles of the trail still exists! (words: 267)
ReplyDeleteTo start off the Oregon Trail wasn't used by the United States. It was used by Native Americans and was just some unconnected trails. It soon became much more though. In the 1800s, the Oregon Trail gave Americans a great way to the West. Fur traders expanded it to get the fur pelts to trading stations. In the 1830s it was used by missionaries to make churches in the northwest. During some economic problems in the 1840s the "Oregon Road" was used a lot. Joel Walker was the first to complete the trip. In 1843, 800 people made the trip, and in 1847 Mormons traveled to the west as well. Then two railroads came along that connected the east to the west. Nowadays 300 miles of this trail are still around and are part of the Oregon National Historic Trail. The Oregon Trail was great for America in many ways. It got many people to the west which helped expand America and got America to it's consecutive states size. (169)
ReplyDeleteFor eight decades during the 1800s, the Oregon trail was a natural corridor for the United States. It acted as this because of the United States moving from eastward to the westward part of the continent. From Missouri toward the Rocky Mountains all the way to Willamette Valley, the Oregon Trail ran about 2,000 miles! At first, the Native Americans were the only ones to use it; however, it became very important! You see, fur traders expanded this trail to transport pelts to trading posts. Even in the 1830s missionaries followed this trail. Now, the large scale migration started in 1843 when a wagon train of over 800 people with 120 wagons and 5,000 cattle started on this five month journey. Five months!! ( and we think a seven hour drive is long ) Because of Mormons escaping from their persecution and the discovery of gold in 1848 sent a huge wave of people putting their future in finding gold, causing them to move west! This was important because this helped us expand towards the west! Another one of my thoughts is that how brave are the pioneers that WALKED miles to create themselves a new life in the west! Even the people who could ride in the wagons practically had nowhere to put their stuff due to the little storage in the wagons! And yes of course we get annoyed with our siblings on road trips, but think, you would not want to travel alone would you? Well that is what the people did! One of my other thoughts on this, if you were traveling and there was severe weather, you could pull over into the many HOTELS and stay there. However, the pioneers did not have hotels therefore they had to power on through the severe weather! ( side note: I did not know that white hunters were the first to scalp humans not Indians! ) To the United States, this most have been a nightmare to move westward! Again, today we travel in cars so no type of animal can get us, well that was the exact opposite for the pioneers who had to deal with rattle snakes and other wild animals! ( another side note: can you believe the Indians would take out people’s organs because they angered the Indians?! ) So yes, to the United States, this mean moving westward was NOT going to be easy. I still do not know how they could make it! Through the Lord’s provision is all I can say! (420)
ReplyDeleteIn the 1800s, the United States expanded from its current eastern land towards the west coast using the Oregon Trail, which was a natural passageway throughout the country. However, a trail doesn't cover about 2,000 miles from Missouri toward the Rocky Mountains to the Willamette Valley overnight. It was originally founded by Native Americans, but later fur traders came into the picture. They used the trail for transporting routs and other meetings amongst themselves. Missionaries also took the open door to reach out to the lost and establish a church along the Platte River and Snake (rivers east of present day Alliance, Nebraska). However, everyday-people didn't migrate west until the 1840s--due to political and economic occurrences (although most were headed to California for gold; however, others had Chimney Rock, Nebraska. They saw this land as new opportunity, so in 1843 a large wagon train embarked the journey on the Oregon Trail. The massive group consisted over 800 people with 120 wagons!.....Not to mention the 5,000 cattle they brought along the five month journey. Immigrants from Germany and other countries also tagged along. But even before that, John Walker earned the title of the first settler to the new land in 1840. Mormons were the first to actually discover the gold in California sometime during 1848. They used the Oregon Trail, searching for refuge because they were being persecuted elsewhere. Over the next three decades, people started flooding in, greedy for the said gold and fortune. Military posts, trading posts, shortcuts, and spur roads began to occupy the trail as well. Ezra Meeker also formed small communities and markets along the trail. But let it be known! Traveling in a wagon across the Oregon Trail was no easy task! The pioneers had to watch out for Native Americans, snakes, other natural harmful obstacles (included crossing mountains and rivers), and the evil people in the camps people were in. Greed can really do things to people. Advancement of traveling across the land developed even further when the Central Pacific Railroad was built in 1869. This is how California became a part of our continent. Then later in 1884, Portland, Oregon was linked to the Union Pacific Railroad in Wyoming because of the construction of the Oregon Shortline. These ended up replacing the wagon trains. This movement west is what helped America grow even more. Granted, there were a lot of dangers in it--as most journeys have. Lives were lost for the US to expand. But perseverance helped us get us to where we are today. So if we would have lived in that time, we should have wished Godspeed to all who migrated. (443)
ReplyDeleteThe Oregon Trail has been around for a long time. But it was used mostly by the Native Americans for most of the time. But in the 1800s the white settlers found it, so they started using it for fur trade routes, and a faster way to send mail it eventually became a big thing in America it was kinda like a rail road. Joe walker was the first complete the trip of the Oregon Trail. In 1844 800 people maid the trip. This trade route connected the Native Americans to the west. In my opinion I think the Oregon Trail is a good thing. Because it connected the east to the west and I gave him a faster way of traveling to safer with travel.(120)
ReplyDeleteThe Oregon Trail was used by the natives and hunters and trappers as a trade route for a long time. it was the fastest was to trade, send messages, and was the "railroad" before the railroad across the country. it was used throughout the 1800s. it connected the west and east until the railroad was built. it was extremely fast and was used often. especially in 1844 when gold was discovered. the route was used up until 1863 when the railroads were put into building action. soon, the trip was cut down from a few months across the country to a few weeks. this allowed more miners to go west for gold.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rdCq1LecYU
^new theme song <3
The movement westward ment a lot to the United States. This was apart of our manifest destiny. This was our belief that God gave us this continent and for us to take all of it over. This happened… sort of… with the exception of Canada. This also included the Oregon trail. With the discovery of gold in California, the Oregon Trail became even more popular that it was with the fur traders and the Mountain Men. Even before the Gold Rush, this trail was popular with missionaries. The Native Americans also played a big part in this. They were forced to move out West, but then they were forced to move again when the Gold Rush came. Also Native American tribes such as the Cheyenne attacked the early settlers, so this made it even harder to settle. But none the less, the West was won and settled. (148)
ReplyDeletethe united states was greatly impacted by the movment of the civilization from the east to the west. the thing was is that the things that were built in the west were a lot different than the ones in the east. the east was more civilized when the west was more free and open ranged on the law and what people did. the movment to the west also opened up a lot of oppertuntities economically. the west beought in a lot of money for the east. there was of course the thing of gold too. when people began to traval to the west they had to buy a lot of things to do it and that gave the est money also.
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The Oregon Trail was a rather grueling kind of adventure. But if you made it to the end of the journey west then you would be rewarded greatly. Yet there was some of those families decided to stay in the east because they wanted to stick with what they already knew to be right and not risk there lives. Many families and people traveled the Oregon trail in hoped of finding gold in California or simply just a better life. One of the ways the people could have s better life in the west us by having more fertile fields and bigger crop fields. I think the people that traveled the Oregon trail were very brave, but also very prosperous if they made it all the way to the west. But if they didn't make it all the way I still respect them for trying their best in search of a better life. (146)
ReplyDeleteI think the Oregon trail was rewarding if you made it to the end. Most of the trail was hard to conquer but like they say "at the end of every rainbow there's a pot of gold" California is the pot of gold and even though its a rough journey to get there is a reward at the end. The Oregon trail was started out as a trade route and warped into a trail to get to California and other land in the west. Many people decided to move their family west where there were more resources and might provide a better life for them. Over all the trail was rough but when you made it to "the other side" so to speak, it was very rewarding. (121)
ReplyDeleteThe first migration on the Oregon Trail was in 1843. The trail began in Independence, Missouri. The Oregon Trail has become a symbol of the American spirit. The Oregon Trail became obsolete once the railroads were built. The pioneers had to face tornados, hurricanes, floods, and diseases they went through so much pain and agony. They did all of this to create new lives in the west. My thought on the Oregon Trail is that it was very difficult to travel on because of the weather and the disease would be very tough to fight through. If there was bad weather now are cars would protect us but they had wagons made out of wood and weren’t the sturdiest things in the world they also didn’t go as fast as cars do. They had to just deal with it. (140)
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