Westward Expansion Project by Anh Nguyen https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p Made with good vibes en-us 2022-02-07 23:12:31 UTC 2022-02-09 00:25:11 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f1fa-1f1f2.png In my opinion, it was not destiny to move west because we didn't need it, countless people died, and the way we gained land was dishonorable. anhnguyen48 https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2034255901 2022-02-07 23:15:58 UTC https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2034255901 Reason #3 - The land we gained while moving west was either stolen or bought by bloodshed. anhnguyen48 https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2034257562 Finally, the Americans sought to obtain land that was their “destiny” through means that were both unethical and oppressive. They offered Mexico $30 million dollars in exchange for Texas’s freedom and for the border to be set at the Rio Grande. When Mexico declined, the US declared war on Mexico over a questionable claim where supposedly, Mexican soldiers had crossed into US territory and killed 11 people. They then decimated Mexico in the war in multiple battles. In the end, they won the war. From the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, they claimed Texas's independence and border, Nevada, Arizona, California, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Not only did they take over half of Mexico’s land, but in the land they claimed, they disrespected the original settlers and local holy places. This trend of disrespecting the people who settle near them continued when the US created a policy that would legalize the relocation of the Native Americans by force, a policy that would stand for over 100 years. As seen with this evidence, the growth of America’s land was built upon not destiny, but through war and cowardly theft. 


]]> 2022-02-07 23:17:45 UTC https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2034257562 Reason #1 - We didn't need to- It was a waste of money. anhnguyen48 https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2036355709      It wasn't destiny for the people of the United States to move west because we already had enough land. Most people moved west because of the prospect of money or a better climate. The biggest example would be the California gold rush where thousands of people, greedy for gold, flocked to California. However, when the rush was over, they went back east by the thousands, leaving abandoned ghost towns. Additionally, we didn’t need the land we took since we were already having trouble populating the land we got from the Louisiana Purchase. For example, Illinois was part of the Louisiana Purchase, bought in 1803. However, it didn’t have enough people to become a state until 1818 when it was ratified as an official state. Taking more land when we didn't need it was not due to destiny, but in an overconfident country.

]]> 2022-02-08 19:34:04 UTC https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2036355709 Reason #2 - Thousands of people died for America to fully expand. anhnguyen48 https://padlet.com/anhnguyen48/lc7bpe2bp9sjwm8p/wish/2036720231 Because so many people died, I don't think that the westward expansion was destiny. In the Battle at the Alamo, over 1,500 Mexican soldiers and 187 Texan soldiers were killed. During this whole time period, whole tribes of Native Americans were wiped out due to disease or violence from settlers. Later on, 20,000 Americans died on the way west, which is about 10 deaths for every mile. The way west was rough and dangerous. One unlucky family was called the Donner Party, and they ended up eating each other to survive. In my opinion, if it was truly America's destiny to expand, it wouldn't have involved the deaths and destruction of so many people.

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