Manifest Destiny
Alexis Vice
Unit 5 Extended Writing
The idea of “Manifest Destiny,” which was the belief that the United States was destined to spread from the Pacific to he Atlantic Coast, led to the forced removal of many Native American Tribes. In an attempt to declare land for the white Americans, the U.S. Government passed acts and took actions against the Native tribes- some of which had disastrous effects on the Natives.
Some tribes, such as the Nez Perce, signed treaties with the American government that guaranteed their tribe lands where they would be safe from white settlers. However, in some cases, gold was discovered at the sites the Native tribes had been promised. The government did not honor the treaties they had signed with the tribes, and invaded the lands anyways. Natives were then ordered to be moved onto reserves. Some tribes who attempted to peacefully cooperate and were unarmed were still killed, simply because the soldiers saw their acts (such as the Ghost Dance) as a threat of violence. The Office of Indian Affairs was in charge of determining how the Natives were to be treated on the reserves, and how they could best be incorporated and accepted into white society. The Dawes Plan offered Indian families separate plots of land on which they could farm, just like the American settlers did. The Dawes Plan was essentially a plan to completely remove the traditional Native American culture. Most, if not all, of the Natives were not used to living by themselves. They viewed the land as “belonging to everybody,” and were not used to individual life. Native American children were also taken to schools in attempt to teach them how to be educated like white Americans, and how to practice Christianity like the white Americans.
Overall, the idea of “Manifest Destiny” led to the forced removal of many tribes, and the death of the majority of other tribes. The United States government was essentially attempting to remove the Native American culture, which they
Unit 5 Extended Writing
The idea of “Manifest Destiny,” which was the belief that the United States was destined to spread from the Pacific to he Atlantic Coast, led to the forced removal of many Native American Tribes. In an attempt to declare land for the white Americans, the U.S. Government passed acts and took actions against the Native tribes- some of which had disastrous effects on the Natives.
Some tribes, such as the Nez Perce, signed treaties with the American government that guaranteed their tribe lands where they would be safe from white settlers. However, in some cases, gold was discovered at the sites the Native tribes had been promised. The government did not honor the treaties they had signed with the tribes, and invaded the lands anyways. Natives were then ordered to be moved onto reserves. Some tribes who attempted to peacefully cooperate and were unarmed were still killed, simply because the soldiers saw their acts (such as the Ghost Dance) as a threat of violence. The Office of Indian Affairs was in charge of determining how the Natives were to be treated on the reserves, and how they could best be incorporated and accepted into white society. The Dawes Plan offered Indian families separate plots of land on which they could farm, just like the American settlers did. The Dawes Plan was essentially a plan to completely remove the traditional Native American culture. Most, if not all, of the Natives were not used to living by themselves. They viewed the land as “belonging to everybody,” and were not used to individual life. Native American children were also taken to schools in attempt to teach them how to be educated like white Americans, and how to practice Christianity like the white Americans.
Overall, the idea of “Manifest Destiny” led to the forced removal of many tribes, and the death of the majority of other tribes. The United States government was essentially attempting to remove the Native American culture, which they