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Theme Seven Westward Expansion, Exploration |
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Theme Seven Westward Expansion, Exploration |
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Assigned Readings:
Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Chapter 7
Why Lewis and Clark Matter
Web Sites Outlined Below.
Internet Required: (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) are REQUIRED.
Instructor's Introduction:
"From the earliest European incursion into the Americas, one motive has drawn them into the
interior: wealth, in the form of land, pelts, gold, or business. Many high-minded individuals surely lent
different justifications to the great invasion, but none could completely cloud the greed and hunger that
drove the westward quests of immigrants and adventurers." (Rex Field, Palo Alto College) Wave after wave would come: first the fur trader,
then the farmer, particularly in Texas, then of course the ubiquitous gold prospectors. In later
years hordes of ranchers, farmers, and miners, many from foreign lands, would continue the
conquest.
Amongst modern historians, Patricia Limerick, in her book Legacy of Conquest is the best known proponent of a relatively
new idea: the conquest of the American West was not a series of quaint, violent, and romantic adventures -
mostly with happy endings - and a process that ended sometime around a hundred years ago. In fact,
as Limerick argues, trappers, traders, Indians, farmers, oilmen, cowboys, and sheriffs of the Old West
"meant business" in more ways than one, and their descendants mean business today.
Complete the following for full credit:
(A) The Fur Trade was the single most important factor that brought white people to the West, and, in the process, in conflict with Native Americans. Questions to answer in one essay: What brought about the fur trade between the Europeans and Indians in the western parts of North America? What did each side want? How were the Indians "paid"? What animals were hunted? Where did the expression "Mad as a hatter" come from? About how many beaver were in North America before the trade began? How many were left once the trade ended? Look at the image here at the right. What did the native-Americans want in exchange for the furs they trapped? What would result from this trade?
(B) Do a Google Search on the Louisiana Purchase.
Questions to answer while investigating the story of the Louisiana Purchase:
* Who was Thomas Jefferson, and why did he want to buy
New Orleans and the vast Louisiana territory?
* Who was Napoleon Bonaparte, and why did
he want to sell so much land?
* Who was living in Louisiana in 1803, and what did they think
of the sale?
* What modern states are part of what was once the Louisiana Purchase?
* What was so important, in the long run, about the Louisiana Purchase? Look at this
question from different points of view, as much as possible.
(C) After the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, President Thomas Jefferson made a fateful decision: he hired his personal aide, Meriwether Lewis, to organize and equip an expedition to explore and map the newly bought territory. Jefferson's goals were many: the men were to meet and collect information about the native populations, to map the rivers, mountains, and vast lands, to catalogue and collect the various plant forms, but most of all, to find that elusive passage to the Pacific Ocean. The The Corps of Discovery, as the expedition would be called, was an incredible success, and remains one of the best known events in American history. It is a terrific story of adventure and heroism. Explore the Interactive Trail Map Books, songs, plays, television histories, and paintings have been based on it. It is one of the most enduring of American tales. Directions: Go to Why Lewis and Clark Matter.
In ONE essay, answer these:
(D) Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Chapter 7:
(E) Land!!! Quiz: Theme 7
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