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Westward Expansion Research Paper

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Westward Expansion Research Paper
Westward Expansion The westward expansion of the United States can be argued for progress, greed and racism. It can be argued for progress because in order for the United States to grow and prosper as a country, they needed more land, the only way to get more land to expand and explore. Although the United States were willing to do anything to expand, this meant they were willing to kill anyone in their way if they did not compromise with the United States; this is when greed and racism take part. The westward expansion can be argued with greed and racism because the United States brutally massacred many Native Americans and tribes who would not compromise with the United States, massacres such as the Sand Creek Massacre where the …show more content…
Many do not know of the United States other “unholy” side. For example, while the United States continued to move westward they brutally killed anyone in their way. Whether it be women and children or even a whole tribe of Native Americans. An example of this brutality would be the battle at Wounded Knee where the United Sates massacred men, women and children with no remorse. Cited from whiteamerica.us, states that, “Genocide of the Indians was never the policy of the US army or government.” The source of this statement alone favors the United States. An act that completely shows the United States greed is the Dawes Act. This act was passed by Henry Dawes in 1887 and it ended any Indian ownership of land but on the other hand gave them a small piece of land to “stimulate” themselves. As well as the document by Lewis Henry Morgan: The Destiny of the Indian (1851) states “Civilization is aggressive, as well as progressive-a positive state of society, attacking every obstacle, overwhelming ever lesser agency, and searching out and filling up every crevice, both in the moral and physical world.” This statement also shows the United States’ greed because it is saying that in order for “well progressive a-positive state of society” they must “attack” every “obstacle”. This obstacle really meant any obstacle because the United States did not care who were in their way of

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