CheylaResende Unit11Essay WasWestwardExpansionEthical?

March29th,2013

In1845,JohnOSullivanwrotethatitwastheUnitedStatesdestinytobecomeagreater,larger andmoreeconomicallypowerful.Between1803and1848,theUSbegantoexpandandbecamethe mostpowerfullandonEarth.Eventhough,somepeoplemightagreethattheWestwardExpansionwas indeedethical,itwasmoreunethicalthananything.Morenegativereportsweremadethanpositive duringthisinvestigation.Whatmadetheexpansionsounethicalwouldbeforallthedeathsthat occurred,theslaverythatbegantoincreaseovertheyears,alsobecausetheexpansionwasmadeonly forpowerwhichmadetheUSseemgreedy. First,Americaintheprocessofexpandingtheirland,seemedthattheywouldmakemany treatiesandpromises,thattheywouldneverkeep.WhentheUSwouldgainland,theydonlywant moreandmoreneversatisfiedwithwhattheyhad.ThomasJeffersondecidedtomakeanexpansion acrosstheentireLouisiana.Atfirst,itwouldseemcompletelyethicalbecausetheydidformorespace, theonlyreasonthecreatedthatspacewastoincreaseslavery.(Historian:StephanG.H.2009). SlaveryisunethicalbecauseeventhoughithelpedtheUnitedStateseconomy,thepeoplewhowere slaveswerenttreatedaspeople,butinsteadasanimalsandmachines. Followingthatexpansion,theCongresscreatedadocumentcalledtheIndianRemovalActin 1830.Whichbythetitleofit,meantthatitwouldforceNativesoutoftheirlandsotheUScanhave morespace.WhenAndrewJacksonbecamepresident,hesignedtheActbecausehismaingoalwasto getridofalltheremainingIndians.Hemadeatreatybutthenchangeditandbasicallymakingitseemas athreattowardstheNatives.ForcingtheNativestobecomecivilizedtribes.Theychangedtheway theylivedtoactAmerican.(HistoryAliveTextbook,T.C.I.,2002).AmericansthenwenttoTexasin 1845,determinedtotaketheirlandalso.Texaswaswantedbecausethelandwasingreatconditions forfarming,mainlyharvestingcotton,andotherjobs.(HistoryAliveTextbook,T.C.I.,2002). ThedeathsthatoccurredprovesthattheWestwardExpansionwasunethical.TheIndian RemovalActof1830wassurelynotapeacefulandstresslessprocess.OnMay26,1838,theFederal

troopsbegantoForcepeopleoutoftheirhomes,notallowingthemtotakeanyoftheirbelongingswith them.AlltheNativeshadwaswhattheywerewearingwhentheywerebeingforcedouttheirland.The AmericanstoldtheNativesthattheyhadonly2yearstofullyevacuatethelandthatwassoontobe ownedbytheU.S.TheCherokeespetitionedCongresstoreconsiderthetreatythatwouldremove them,buttheCongressjustpusheditaside.Noonewasontheirside,leadingthemintohavingtomarch on,butdroughtsanddiseaseswasmakingthetripunbearable.Ittookthem3to4monthstogetfrom IllinoistoKentucky,(an850miletrip)onlybyfoot.Everytimethenativeswouldstoptotakebreaks 14to15peoplewouldhavetobeburied.BytheendoftheTrailabout1/4inroutemakingitatotal of4000innocentpeople.ThelandthattheCherokeeNativeswerebroughttointheendwasvery similartothelandtheywereoncelivingin,butofcoursetheywerentgoingtobelivingthereforlong. TheAmericansweresoontotakethatlandalso.SoeitherwaytheUSstillgetwhattheywant,leaving theCherokeenativesindanger. Insummary,throughoutthe1800s,theUSmayhaveexpandedfromseatosea,butmany peoplehavesufferedalongtheway.BecauseoftheUnitedStatescarelessactions,peoplehavedied, losttheirhomes,andhavebeentreatedasiftheywereanythinglessthanhuman.Thoughsomepeople mightsaytheWestwardExpansionwasethicalbecauseofthebeneficialthingsthatcamealongwithit suchas:Peoplewereabletohavejobsandtheworldbecamewhatitistoday.However,thereisa darksidetothethisvictory.Nooneisthinkingaboutthenativesthatcouldvelivedinsteadofbeing forcedoutoftheirhomes.Noonecaresthatitwastheirlandbeforeanyofus.TheUSisacorrupt businessman,promisingpeoplethingsbutdoingsomethingwaydifferent,evenifitwasourdestiny.