Question

(150-word min.) What happened to the Native Americans when the United States expanded coast to coast? This include tribes east of the Mississippi as well as tribes in the Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Coast. (Look specifically at the period between 1800-1900)

Answer 1

• The debate over whether the U.S. would continue slavery and expand the area in which it existed or abolish it altogether became increasingly contentious throughout the first half of the 19th century.
• When gold was discovered in California, acquired through the treaty that ended the war with Mexico in 1848, waves of treasure seekers poured into the area. The California Gold Rush was a major factor in expansion west of the Mississippi.
• The great losers in this westward wave were the Native American tribes. Displaced as new settlers moved in, they lost their traditional way of life and were relegated to reservations. However, westward expansion provided the United States with vast natural resources and ports along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts for expanding trade, key elements in creating the superpower America is today.
• Buffalo migration was also affected by the settlers. Settlers often killed buffalo for sport. This created food shortages for the Native Americans. Even though treaties were created to keep the peace between settlers and the Native Americans, they were not always kept. Battles often broke out because the Native Americans were treated unfairly and were being made to change their way of life.
• Native Americans having to give up their land, for the "white man," and their way of life. The whites insisted on "civilizing" the Native American savages. Many Native American tribes were wiped out or removed to reservations far away from their home land. T
• he Westward movement changed the way of life for Native Americans and Americans. Those who moved West had to adapt to the land and climate. They had to become innovative and create organizations to safe guard their new way of life. While many people died while taming the West many others thrived and grew cities out of the once untamed territories. The Native Americans were forced to give up their way of life and their land.