Essay Sample: Was The Westward Expansion Justified

As The United States became overpopulated, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory with the goal of acquiring land for the country. This led to the Westward Expansion which caused an increase of goods, services, and wealth, but did not favor the Native Americans. Westward Expansion was not justified because the Natives were forced off their land, the Native Americans were constantly attacked in battle, and many Natives were dying and found on the road.

The first reason why the Westward Expansion was not justified was because the Natives were running for their lives and were being forced to go into the hills by the United States. According to Document 2, it states "My people, some of them have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food; no one knows where they are-perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead."This piece of evidence is important because it shows how it is not fair that the Native Americans were getting killed and some tried to escape but with nothing to survive with like food or blankets to cover up with. This would lead to the Natives population decreasing and only a small number of people existing. Therefore, the Westward Expansion was not justified because it forced the Natives to leave their land. 

The second reason why the Westward Expansion was not justified is because the settlers took advantage of the Natives and constantly in battle. According to Document 6, it states "We had no friends who would plead our cause before the law councils. It seemed to me that some of the white men in Wallowa [a valley in Oregon] were doing these things on purpose to get up a war. They knew we were not strong enough to fight them. I labored hard to avoid trouble and bloodshed.” This piece of evidence is important because the United States took advantage of the Native Americans even when the Natives tried to avoid trouble. This would lead to the Native American trying to escape from death but still dying along the way of escaping since they have no food nor something to warm up with since it is really cold. Therefore, the Westward Expansion was not justified because the settlers took advantage of the Natives knowing they could defend themselves, or they weren't strong enough.

The third reason why the Westward Expansion was not justified is because many Native Americans were killed. According to Document 9, it states "We found the road literally filled with a procession for nearly three miles in length…The sick and feeble were carried in wagons…multitudes go on foot--even aged females apparently nearly ready to drop in the grave, were traveling with heavy burdens…on the sometimes frozen ground…with no covering for feet…" This piece of evidence is important because many of the Native Americans were sick and dying along the way of trying to escape. This would lead to the diseases spreading more and malnutrition happening which caused the Natives to die. Therefore, the Westward Expansion was not justified since many Native Americans were dying and their population was decreasing.

Many people would argue that the Westward Expansion was justified because it gave the United States more territory and they needed to get rid of the Native Americans so they created the Indian Removal Act of 1830. According to Document 10, it states "That it shall and may be lawful for the President of the United States to cause so much of any territory belonging to the United States, west of the river Mississippi, not included in any state or organized territory, and to which the Indian title has been extinguished, as he may judge necessary, to be divided into a suitable number of districts, for the reception of such tribes or nations of Indians as may choose to exchange the lands where they now reside, and remove there;" This piece of information is important because it gave the United States the right to gain more opportunities and acquire more territories. This would lead to the settlers moving westward and many Natives being forced to escape. However, the Westward Expansion was not justified because the Native American population was decreasing very fast. According to Document 9, a graph shows that the Native American population was decreasing and the non-Indian population was increasing. This piece of evidence is important because it shows how much the Westward Expansion impacted the Native population by decreasing. This would lead to the Native population decreasing even more because of the diseases going on like small pox, yellow fever, and typhus. Therefore, the Native American population was decreasing since almost 15,000 people died because of the Trail of Tears that was caused by the Westward Expansion.

​​Since the United States became overpopulated, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory to obtain land for the country. This directed to the Westward Expansion which caused proliferation in goods, services, and wealth, but did not favor the Native Americans since they were forced to change lifestyles and move into reservations. The Westward Expansion was not justified because the Natives were forced off their land, the Native Americans were constantly attacked in battle, and many Natives were dying and found on the road.