Week 6

I was looking at the NH Curriculum for S.S. and found a topic that sparked an interest for this post. For U.S. History under Theme C there is the topic: impact of Westward Expansion on Native Americans. In my last post I spoke about the Louisiana Purchase and how that event somewhat sparked the beginning of Westward Expansion for Americans. Westward Expansion was a sign of opportunity, new beginnings, and a sense of adventure for the United States. Horace Greeley (born in Amherst, NH) is given credit for the famous quote "Go west young man, and grow up in the country." However, I like a different version better, which is "Go west young man and grow up in the land." Greeley stated this quote in regards to expansion westward or what it would eventually become known as, Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was belief that it is the destiny of Americans in the US to expand throughout the continent. This is where I transition to the Native Americans.

All of this talk about Manifest Destiny is so positive for Americans. However, the exact existence of "being destined to expand throughout the continent" is a direct negative to Native Americans. The expansion and eventual settlement of areas west of the Mississippi simply equates to loss of land and culture for Native Americans. This had already happened to some tribes in the east to some extent, but would become much more devastating during the 19th and 20th centuries. It is simply sad that in the most basic sense, American colonists would gradually wipe out the Native American culture. 

One thing I have realized during the writing of this post, is that this topic of NH Curriculum is taught/learned in small snippets that are woven through other pieces of U.S. History. The "impact of Westward Expansion on Native Americans" is not typically, if ever, one unit of curriculum by itself. It is not usually taught by itself as one topic/event. Students may learn that during the Lewis & Clark Expedition, Native Americans that were encountered along the way were told that this land now belongs to the United States. Students may also learn about the Trail of Tears, in which thousands of Native Americans were removed and relocated to new territories. Without learning about this topic by itself, I think students miss out on a lot significance and magnitude of this impact and loss of Native American culture.