George Rogers Clark once said: “If a country were not worth protecting, it was not worth claiming.” Nearly everyone knows how the United States gained recognition as an independent nation after the Revolutionary War. George Washington and his men fought to free the States in the East; however, few people know the story of how the country swelled in size. During the Revolutionary War, the actions of George Rogers Clark’s expedition, west of the Appalachian mountains, would later prove necessary for peace and expansion of the country’s frontiers. The future conqueror of the West grew up in Virginia, one of ten children of John Clark and Ann Rogers. Young George was two years old when North America’s French and Indian War began in 1754 (Ketchum 1). Elimination of the French dominance in North America, created a desire by settlers to move westward, …show more content…
Clark concluded the only solution, was confronting the source (Ketchum 1). His plan required him supplies, so he travelled to Williamsburg, Virginia, where he met with Governor Patrick Henry to discuss his intentions (Davis 93). Clark’s plot was to stop the threat of the Indians in the West (“Patrick Henry in Council to George Rogers Clark”). Governor Henry approved of the plan, but did not inform the majority of the Assembly in order to maintain secrecy. Clark’s payment upon completion of the campaign would be lands from the West (Davis 93). He was then permitted to assemble three-hundred and fifty men and purchase supplies for the expedition. However, he was unable to recruit the assumed three-hundred and fifty and settled with one-hundred and fifty volunteers (Davis 93). Due to disputes at Fort Pitt, Clark received little help and travelled mostly by foot or on flatboats. Following this setback, Clark and his men set out on the Ohio River towards the Illinois Country which lies north and west of the river, in May, 1778(Davis
1.What parts of North America were claimed by France? 2.Why did Native Americans form alliances with colonists? 3.In what ways did France & England clash between 1689-1763? 4.How did the French try to keep the English out of the Ohio Valley?
It was thomas jefferson's newly owned land and his will to explore it he decided to send explorers across it in which he named the corps of discovery. The heads of the group were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. When starting the expedition meriwether lewis bought many gifts for the indians such as beads, coats, fabrics, and hats that could hopefully help convince the indians to be relatively good friends with the explorers and our country. When the expedition started exploring in 1803 they started down the Mississippi river on three ships and didn’t run into any american indians. as they traveled they learned about many new things such as minerals and plants so far unknown to science and eventually sent a care package back to president Jefferson on one of the three ships to show him all the new scientific discoveries that the expedition had made.
He set up a dam on a portion of the river and established a grist mill along with a blacksmith shop. James and Gilbert Clark also settled in the same vicinity with him and set up a salt works. Not long after they were settled, the U.S. government declared that the land they settled was part of Indian Territory and not in the territory of Arkansas. James, the Clark brothers, and other settlers had to move to other lands. James decided to move back to Washington(Joshua Williams).
In 1742 the chief of Onondaga of the Iroquois Confederacy knew that his land that the people shared would become more valuable than it has ever been. (Doc B)The reason for this was because the “white people” also known as the Americans wanted the land of the chief. The feelings of the Chief result in complaining to the representatives of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia,
I believe Erdrich book moves away from stereotypes and describes nineteenth-century Native Americans as individuals with rich traditions and customs. Erdrich is able to describe the Native American culture during the Westward Expansion of the United States in a realistic and sympathetic way through the eyes of an Ojibwa Indian girl. She also personalizes this story with her own drawings as a testimony of her Native American family roots.
Thomas Jefferson viewed western expansion as an opportunity to open trade with Indians of the west and find a water route to the Pacific ocean. Jefferson was fascinated with the discovery of the west and wanted to map out the new acquired territory before any European nation could claim it as their own. Not only was Jefferson interested in the territory, he wanted to build relations with the Indian tribes of the west and help them develop their agricultural methods and way of life. He sought to expand America to the west as a way to benefit both the Americans and the Native Americans. Jefferson wanted to learn from the Natives of the west, as well as influencing their way of living in efforts to build a working relationship between the
Drago 1 Dominick Drago Mr. Dart U.S. History 28 October 2015 Thomas Jefferson and Western Expansion Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743, grew up in Virginia on a plantation called Shadwell located in Albemarle County. It is clear to see why Jefferson was inspired to explore western land. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a well known explorer and surveyor of Virginia. Peter and his good friend Joshua Frye explored the mountains of Virginia and Maryland, and eventually produced the first map of Virginia created by surveying the land.
Throughout the seventeenth century, conflict between Europeans and Native Americans was rampant and constant. As more and more Europeans migrated to America, violence became increasingly consistent. This seemingly institutionalized pattern of conflict begs a question: Was conflict between Europeans and Native Americans inevitable? Kevin Kenny and Cynthia J. Van Zandt take opposing sides on the issue. Kevin Kenny asserts that William Penn’s vision for cordial relations with local Native Americans was destined for failure due to European colonists’ demands for privately owned land.
In 1877, The United States was on the rise of the industrialization; America rapidly expanded, immigrants moved to the “melting pot,” and the nation became economically advanced. In July of 1776, the thirteen American colonies declared their independence and the nation was the “ United States of America.” The Americans wanted to be free form Great Britain because they wanted sovereignty and did not want allegiance with Britain. In 1803, the U.S. first purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for fifteen million dollars, which doubled the size of the land. The expansion happened quickly and allowed the nation to grow in power because America had more resources.
During the pre-civil war time period— also known as the antebellum years— America experienced a widespread transformation for the sake of its economy. With the booming belief of the Manifest Destiny, America’s constant desire for westward expansion caused disputes between the North and the South regarding the establishment of free states and slave states, which led to certain compromises such as the Missouri Compromise. After the Market Revolution, the North and South used its new gained land to create different means of economic gains; the North became industrialized through manufacturing, while the South became an agricultural industry dependent on cotton. However, as America’s boundaries expanded, tensions between the North and South grew, often leading to compromises in bloodshed. The drastic differences between the two groups eventually transformed America into a divided nation of sectionalism economically, politically, and socially.
Jose Romo History 101 Wednesday breakout session Primary Source paper #2 Question # 1 October 28th, 2015 "There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice" Charles de Montesquieu. These words by Montesquieu seem to fit not only the American Revolution but also the Cherokee Removal. The actions of some of the Cherokee people that refused to give up their ancestral land may support the “uncivilized barbaric savages” claims of the Americans of European ancestry; however, the primary source documents in "The Cherokee Removal" demonstrate a different interpretation of the Cherokee people and their struggles as well as vindicate their actions. First, the primary source documents in "The
Forced Founder’s, written by Woody Holton, sheds new light on one of the best-known events in American History. Holton challenges the traditional narrative of the great land-owning elite leading the revolutionary war. He does not believe it was one single factor but in fact, a web of influences that pushed Virginia into the war of independence. Holton’s main argument consists of the idea that the Indians, merchants, slaves, and debtors helped propel free Virginians into the independence movement. Virginia’s gentry were joining their peers in declaring independence from Britain in response to grassroots rebellions against their own rule.
As the Shawnees were attempting to reunite in the Ohio Valley, they found themselves displaced and had to defend their territory from western expansion. The Shawnees placed all their trust in the British, which didn’t turn out positive for them, for when the British ceded all lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, which endangered the lives of the Natives. “For the
Manifest Destiny and the Westward Expansion was made so that the Americans could expand as far as the Pacific Ocean. All though this was a benefit for the Americans, it caused the Native Americans and the Mexicans to deal with a lot of hardship. There were many political, economic, and social reasons for Manifest Destiny, but these reasons did not always have positive outcomes. The Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny negatively impacted the economic vision of America.
A 15 month long war between the settlers and the Native Americans had just ended in 1676. It wiped out nearly a third of New England’s towns, obliterated its economy, and killed nearly 10% of the adult male population. The “war” was known as King Philip’s War. King Philip was the Native American’s “leader”. And during 1698, the English king and queen, William and Mary, started a war with France in the American Colonies.