Charlotte Palomo Exam 1
Charlotte Palomo
Exam 1
2.The U.S. used harsh, but appropriate, measures to civilize the inhabitants of the west.
After reading lecture notes and readings in the books, I’ve come to conclude that I am a bit biased on this statement, because coming from a race that is a minority and the acts they had to endure is simply immortal and I would have to disagree on calling their measures appropriate. Yet, on the other hand, had it not been for the trials and tribulations they had to go through, perhaps we wouldn’t be the country we are today and that’s how it is these days, the survival of the fittest, where the strong survive and come out on top. But for the most part, actions that were taken on behalf of the United States were at times beyond harsh and I know there had to be other ways to civilize the west without all the violence. For example, as the U.S. continued to move westward, Mexican Americans were one of the citizens that were forced to transition into what the U.S. saw as the correct way of life. Unlike the Indians, the Mexican Americans were citizens and were unable to be ran off their land. The Mexican Americans wanted to be a part of the new political structures of their new “homeland” but found themselves being ignored and without say. Instead of trying to prove a point and be heard, it only made their situation worse. Knowing what they were getting themselves into and tired of being at the bottom of the political chain, in 1859 a wealthy landowner from Brownsville named Juan Cortina decided to declare war, known as Cortina’s Rebellion. Mexicans tried to seek respect and with war comes the death of people; this would be the beginning of the Civil war, the first of many wars for the Mexican Americans which were fought for equality in the new land. So instead of the U.S. going off on the Mexicans and going to war, I feel they could have came to an agreement where both can live as one, but it was never enough for the U.S., it was either all or nothing.
Exam 1
2.The U.S. used harsh, but appropriate, measures to civilize the inhabitants of the west.
After reading lecture notes and readings in the books, I’ve come to conclude that I am a bit biased on this statement, because coming from a race that is a minority and the acts they had to endure is simply immortal and I would have to disagree on calling their measures appropriate. Yet, on the other hand, had it not been for the trials and tribulations they had to go through, perhaps we wouldn’t be the country we are today and that’s how it is these days, the survival of the fittest, where the strong survive and come out on top. But for the most part, actions that were taken on behalf of the United States were at times beyond harsh and I know there had to be other ways to civilize the west without all the violence. For example, as the U.S. continued to move westward, Mexican Americans were one of the citizens that were forced to transition into what the U.S. saw as the correct way of life. Unlike the Indians, the Mexican Americans were citizens and were unable to be ran off their land. The Mexican Americans wanted to be a part of the new political structures of their new “homeland” but found themselves being ignored and without say. Instead of trying to prove a point and be heard, it only made their situation worse. Knowing what they were getting themselves into and tired of being at the bottom of the political chain, in 1859 a wealthy landowner from Brownsville named Juan Cortina decided to declare war, known as Cortina’s Rebellion. Mexicans tried to seek respect and with war comes the death of people; this would be the beginning of the Civil war, the first of many wars for the Mexican Americans which were fought for equality in the new land. So instead of the U.S. going off on the Mexicans and going to war, I feel they could have came to an agreement where both can live as one, but it was never enough for the U.S., it was either all or nothing.