Sacagawea

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny in the time of the Westward Expansion occurred when selfish White Europeans decided God told them they had the right to take over land from people who had less power than them. This contributed very heavily to the Trail of Tears because settlers decided that they wanted more land for their people to use so they kicked out Native American tribes like the Cherokee. About fifteen thousand Native Americans were forced on the Trail of Tears and about four thousand died. The Native Americans were forced to march all the way to Oklahoma at gunpoint. There were less soldiers marching with them, but since they had power, (also known as guns) the Native American tribes had no choice but to walk or forget their roots.

Guns and violence will win the first fight, but in the end words and peace will become superior.

Coming of Age

Sacagawea was born on either 1788 or 1789 in the Western Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She was a Shoshone Native American. The Shoshones are known for their tepees, bowl and basket making, hats, and traps for hunting. When she was about eleven her village was attacked by a Hidatsa War Group. Her mother was murdered and she was kidnapped and taken as a slave.

Family, Blessing or Curse

A while after she was kidnapped by the Hidatsa she was sold to Toussaint Chauponneau. He was already married and he had children. Toussaint Chauponneau was supposedly a very useful asset to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but in reality he was rather useless and Sacagewea did most of the work, like translating and scavenging for more food and medicines. On February of 1805 she had a baby. She gave birth to Jean Baptiste when she was about seventeen. Jean was the youngest member of the expedition. Overall, having a family was both a blessing and a curse for Sacagewea because she was lucky that she new various languages, but in was bad because she was forced into the marriage.

Women can do the same job as a man just as well.

Quest For Discovery

The Corps of Discovery was approved by Thomas Jefferson who was the President at the time. The main goal was to find a waterway that would give Americans easy access to export and import goods from Asia. In December of 1803 William Clark started a military training camp by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The age range of the Corps of Discovery was from seventeen to thirty-five. They were all volunteers. The Corps of Discovery was going through the territory of the Hidatsa. Sacajawea was there with her husband and Lewis and Clark decided that they would be a helpful contribution to their expedition because they could communicate with multiple other Native American tribes. With Sacagewea and her husband joining the expedition there was forty-five people. To be more specific forty-four men and one women. Yikes!

We thrive on the downfall of others and then we take credit for their land and accomplishments.

Female Roles

Sacagewea was the only women on the two year expedition. I know what you must be thinking, Lord have mercy on her soul. Sacagewea's main roles were interpreting with other tribes, gathering food and medicine from plants and animals and guiding the group. She guided the Corps of Discovery through the Rocky Mountains. If that's not a major accomplishment, I don't know what is! She was also important because having a woman and baby in a traveling group showed that they were not trying to attack and take over other Tribes' land. Which personally I think is sexist because a woman can do as much damage as a man.

Women can do the same job as a man just as well.

Necessity Of Work

Working hard has been important throughout history, but their is no doubt that if you didn't work hard in the eighteen hundreds you were in trouble. From the Trail of Tears to the Westward Expansion to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Native Americans had to work hard to survive the trail. The people who traveled Westward had to hunt and travel the tough terrain. Also, people of the Lewis and Clark expedition had challenges with the ships. They sometimes had to get out and pull the boats forward. In Sacagewea's case she had to guide, interpret and gather food and medicine with a baby on her back.

When something bad happens to you and you have the strength to move on it proves that you are powerful.

Power and Corruption

Power and Corruption in the time of the Western Expansion is mostly about the U.S. Government because they decided that they should get anything they wanted. They didn't care how many Native American lives were lost and how it displaced most of the survivors. The Cherokee lost their homes because it was either leave or forget who you were and the people who came before you. In Sacagawea's case she didn't have much power because she was a women. She was sold to a man and had no say in it.

When people with power show injustice towards the powerless than they prove that they are truly corrupt.