Westward Expansion Research Paper

When one hears the word ‘movement’ most think about minor actions like dancing or running, however the movement of the Westward Expansion was much more than that. The movement towards the West affected people, places and encouraged biased opinions on many people. Despite what most Americans think, the westward expansion wasn’t just the beginning of the USA, it was also the end of many other nations, annihilating innumerable generations of Native Americans and making slaves of African Americans and Chinese people. The colonization by Americans in the 19th century also destroyed the homes and lands in which the Natives lived, not only because of the obvious expansion but also from needing more land for cash crops such as cotton or wheat. It didn't …show more content…
For instance, the whole of the Indian Removal in 1830, this act led to the forced relocation of Native Americans and brought devastating consequences, having over 12 million Native Americans die from disease, starvation, brutality, exhaustion, etc. One of the most obvious examples of the mistreatment towards Native Americans was what is known as the Trail of Tears, where American settlers and armies forced Native Americans to relocate to what is now Oklahoma. This journey wasn’t just harsh because of the distance, but also the conditions the Native Americans had to endure. Despite its name, the so-called trail was more of a crowded path surrounded by bushes, rocks, and countless insects. The Cherokee people’s journey on the Trail of Tears stands as a reminder of the brutality undertaken by America, where thousands of Native Americans suffered due to harsh conditions and mistreatment simply because of the greed of American settlers. African Americans also suffered greatly because of the Westward expansion, as enslaved people, they were forced to move to the southern and western regions of the United States to work in harsh environments like mines but were most often sent to plantations where cash crops, such as cotton, tobacco and wheat grew. The expansion of cotton plantations in the South, in particular, fueled the demand for slave labor, prolonging the exploitation of African Americans. The effect these cash crops had was so large that by 1850 there were over 3 million African American slaves. Chinese immigrants, too, faced mistreatment during the Westward expansion, specifically during the construction of the transcontinental railroad. In 1869, over 12,000 Chinese immigrants were brought to do the grueling labor required to build the railroad, enduring dangerous working conditions, low to no wages, and

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