The
Oregon Trail
Manifest
Destiny, a phrase used by leaders and politicians in the 1840’s to explain
continental
expansion by the United States, revitalized a sense of “mission” or
national destiny for Americans.
The people of the United
States felt it was their mission to expand the boundaries of freedom to others
by
having
others conform to their ideals and beliefs in a democratic
government.
The Native Americans were recognized as a self-
governed nation and not part of the European origin,
therefore they were
excluded.
To understand Manifest Destiny, it’s essential to
understand the need and desires of the United States at this
period of time. The United
States was growing at huge rates as more immigrants were coming into
America and the
size of families grew. The family farm was recognized at this time and
having a large family was an asset when it came time to work the
fields.
In 1818 and 1839 the United States suffered two major
depressions. Moving to the frontier opened opportunities for many; new
commerce and land ownership could bring wealth to
many.
Many people took advantage of the possibility of owning land (land prices were
inexpensive), staking a claim for the future and a fresh new start. The
possibilities were worth the extremely hard trip and many headed out
west.
Just to grease
your wheels a little, you might want to start thinking as a reporter or
researcher. Ask yourself who, what, where,when, why, and how. Then
your “job” as researcher is to answer the questions and answer them in the style
of article you want from the task page.
Helpful
resources:
From revolution to
Reconstruction: Essays: Manifest Destiny: Index
Autobiography of
John Ball
Introduction to the Oregon
Trail
Manifest
Destiny