Journal Entry 1869: Hard To Travel West

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States federal government was trying promote westward expansion in the United States of America. They tried to do this in many ways and the methods that they used drastically changed and shaped the country. The United States federal government was trying very hard in the late 1800s and early 1900s to expand the country westward and their actions had many major impacts on the United States of America. Some of their actions include: relocating the indigenous Native Americans, passing the Homestead Act, and greatly promoting the construction of railroads. All of these efforts greatly altered the country and the lives of the Native Americans and the United States citizens.

The Transcontinental Railroad and the Interstate Highway System were not only the two biggest contributions in the history of transportation in the United States but are tremendously similar to each other in how they were built. Both systems were built in times of extremely desperate need of a way of transportation across the country which made them such big advantages to American society. The two systems have been majorly significant tools in the history the United States as well as modern day life.

The Westward Expansion all started when America made the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. There were many benefits from the purchase for the US that the French didn’t realize before they sold it. The purchase gave the US access to the Mississippi river which allowed for expansion of river trade to the North and South from the center of the US. The port city of New Orleans was bought by the US and its prosperity benefited the US greatly. The US sent Lewis and Clark west to investigate the land they purchased. After their exploration, many people started to take interest in moving West. There were many different reasons why people moved, including a search for a fresh start at life, a chance at starting an economic success through agriculture and

Transportation vastly improved in the early 1800s. As production increased, people needed faster and easier ways to transport their product. In the early 1800s, the steam locomotive was a huge advancement. “In the early 1800s, pioneers like George Stephenson developed steam-powered locomotives to pull carriages along iron rails” (202). This was a big advancement because a railroad track did not have to follow a river. The tracks could be placed wherever. People could travel further and faster than ever before. “Other inventors applied steam power to improve shipping. In 1807, an American, Robert Fulton, used Watt’s steam engine to power the Clermont up the Hudson River in New York”(202). This was a huge victory at the time. It traveled at

“The Oregon Trail,” written by Francis Parkman is a description of the experiences traveling into the unknown depths of the American west in 1846. The story is told from the first person point of view of Parkman, a scholar from Boston who embarks on the great expedition of traveling into the west in hopes of studying the lives of the Native Americans. His journey is also one of the first detailed descriptions of the beauty and the bounty of a largely uninhabited North American territory. But one of the most critical elements of the story was Parkman’s encounters and recruitment of members to his band of travelers who ultimately play a major role in the success of the western journey.

In the mid 18th century settlers moved to the west. Their move brought them more opportunities and a better lifestyle on the frontier. Such as the transcontinental Railroad. The railroad was spread out all over the U.S. in order to build this railroad they had to clear all of the buffalo out of the way of the path, so the white people started to kill the buffalo. Without the buffalo the indians would die.

In what ways did the American West of the late nineteenth century represent a contrast to the East? In what ways did the two regions resemble each other?

She describes the journey as, “all who lived to make this trip, or had parents who made it, will long remember it, as a bitter memory” (Whitmire). The three accounts show that either if you lived through the dangerous trek or not, you still witnessed and felt the grief and misery the Cherokees went through. The effects that Andrew Jackson had on the Cherokees, were brutal, and unnecessary taking place in the bitter cold providing an abundance of death for the

The westward expansion of of the U.S. began to happen around the 1800s. during that time the social opportunities increased since many people moved to the west because the government was paying them or giving them free land. The political opportunities did not increased as much since most of the people moving westwards were poor or immigrants and only white males had the right to participate in those events. The economic opportunities increased for the people who moved westward because of the gold rush and the opportu tires that were provided.

“The amount of deaths along the Oregon Trail was drastic, and it is estimated that five percent of migrants died on the journey, about 15,000 deaths in total” (Alchin). Pioneers suffered from many issues while on their journey. Due to the many obstacles they would have to overcome. The pioneers traveling on the trails faced the most difficulty trying to survive and thrive in the West due to resources, weather, and disease.

The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.

For some, it was destiny to move west. Although there were many conflicts and disagreements between ourselves and others, it was destiny to move west because of overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities.

There were both positive and negative components of westward expansion from 1800 to 1875. By the late of 1800s, the land of the United States was mostly purchased. In seventy five years, the United States continuously expanded westward, which was encouraged by the idea of Manifest Destiny. New land in the United States led to more economic, social, and political opportunities. Gaining more land also led to disputes between the states and wars with other countries. Between 1800 and 1875, America continuously expanded westward through the acquisition of new land; there were both favorable and unfavorable consequences and outcomes of westward expansion.

Well...I was 6 when Child Protective Services came to get us. I lived with my mom and my three sisters, the youngest was Donna she was 5 & Lizzy was 7 and Mary was 10. I remember most of my family lived in the same neighborhood like my two Aunts and my uncle and grandpa and grandma. There was an occasional gunshot, sometimes there was a fire truck rushing down our street . We lived on top of a hill at 1015 Norwich in Grand Rapids. I still remember every detail of the house we lived in.

When considering the entities involved with death and dying, the first place that came to my mind was the funeral home. When someone in your life passes away, you likely find yourself at the funeral home or at least becoming aware of funeral arrangements soon after the death. This is the route I went with and decided to visit Reigle Funeral Home for my field trip assignment. The Reigle location that I traveled to was on Pierson Road in Flushing, Michigan. Upon arrival, myself and another classmate were given a warm welcome and soon began our interview with funeral director, Jillian Rutherford. Reigle Funeral Home is a public entity, and to my surprise, is corporately owned. It was not until after my trip that I tried to