Western Expansion

1) "Brainpop." Westward Expansion, 2019, www.brainpop.com//socialstudies/famoushistoricalfigures/lewisandclark/movie/Accessed 16 Dec. 2019. 2) "Corps of Discovery." America's National Parks Podcast, National Parks, 20 Sept. 2018, nationalparkpodcast.com/corps-of-discovery/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019. 3) Domnauer, Teresa. "The Lewis &amp; Clark Expedition." Freedom Flix, Freedom Flix ed., 2016, pp. 2-64. 4) "Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion." Gale in Context, Gale: A Cengage Company, go.gale.com/ps/searchTopic?p=MSIC&amp;u=vol_w671s&amp;topicId=VDYNZP864510073&amp;searchType=ts&amp;sid=MSIC&amp;asid=092c63d8. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019. 5) Schanzer, Rosalyn. How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis &amp; Clark. Washington, National Geographic Society, 1997. 6) “Westward Expansion.” Ducksters Educational Site, www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/california_gold_rush.php.

"Fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions." ~ John O' Sullivan

My understanding of manifest destiny is taking from others because God told us that we could.

What manifest destiny means is basically saying that God has helped us in doing what we always wanted to do and from then on, anything that we do is okay and no one can argue with us because no one can disagree with God. Its the same as saying "we're right and you're wrong and that's how its always going to be."

The Louisiana Purchase, bought by Thomas Jefferson for $15M in 1803 gave America 530,000,00 acres of land. This was the main part in the Western Expansion. Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on a journey to the pacific where they picked up Sacagawea along the way. The newly discovered land allowed European settlers to travel west on the Oregon Trail to find a new life. A few years later, James W. Marshall discovered gold in California starting the California gold rush. The Louisiana Purchase was a great thing for America. If we didn't buy the land, America would have probably looked very different than what it looks like today.

Big ideas: Power of Wealth, Quest for Discovery, Quest for Power.

The California gold rush took place in 1848-1855 after European settlers moved west on the Oregon Trail. James W. Marshall was the first person to find gold in California at Sutter's Mill near Coloma. The California gold rush brought a total of 300,000 people to the wast coast and it is the largest mass migration in American history. The gold rush was so big that all the gold mined weighed around 750,000 lbs. Before the gold rush, San Francisco had a population of about 1,000 in the year 1848. Only two years later, (1850) San Francisco had a population of around 3,500. The large sprout of people in California led to it becoming a state in 1850.

~ People's greediness for money and power may lead to tragedies, It's always better to wait for the right moment.

In conclusion, I think that buying the Louisiana territory was a great historical moment for America. Louisiana was the start of the western expansion that would soon lead to a group of men and one woman trying to find a easy route to the pacific for transportation and a huge gold rush in California that brought people from all over the country and even different parts of the world. The western expansion gave people a opportunity to start a new life with new places to explore and learn about. There were also many resources out west that would help America for industrial uses and for war making us a much stronger country and preparing us for the future.

Big ideas: Isolation, Dangers of limited knowledge, Man against nature.

The Oregon trail was a path that led from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City. It was a 2,000 mile long trail that took 4-6 months depending on the conditions. People had been taking the trail trying to find a new life on the west coast. It was also a popular trail from 1848-1855 due to the California gold rush. Before people started taking the trail, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark had taken a group of men (and one woman) on a expedition to the west coast.

~ Sometimes people will give up something, sometimes even everything, for something else that they might not even get or see.

Big ideas: Nature as beauty, Losing hope, Man against nature.

Thomas Jefferson had organized a group of men (The Corps of Discovery) with the leaders being Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their task was to find a route to the Pacific and mark it on a map and to study new things along the way. Clark made most of the maps while Lewis did most of the studying. There was 33 people in total on the expedition including Sacagaewa  who they found along the way at one of the many villages they found. She was a very important person on the journey because she knew a lot about the wilderness that they were in. Only 1 person died on the expedition, Charles Floyd, who sadly died due to a ruptured appendix. The expedition turned out to be very successful and we can thank Lewis, Clark, and everyone else who risked their lives to make a safer path to the western coast.

~ Throughout history when people are recognized with their successes, they have counted on other people to help them get to that point.

Big Ideas: Female roles, Coming of Age, Death - inevitable or tragedy.

Sacagawea was a very important person in the Lewis &amp; Clark journey. Lewis and Clark asked her to join the expedition as a guide and a translator for when they bumped into other tribes. She knew the land around them better than Lewis and Clark did since this was where she had grown up. She got them safely to the pacific with only 1 tragedy along the way. She also gave birth to a young girl along the way named Lizette Charbonneau. She sadly died at the age of 24. She was born in 1788 and died in 1812. Without Sacagawea's help for the Lewis &amp; Clark expedition, more people might have died, maybe even the whole team.

~ It's always a good idea to have someone who knows their way around. Don't try to rush it and ruin everything.

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