Native american displacement
Summary
A common ideology espoused my most Americans during the 19th century was the idea that in order to expand their civilized settlements, Americans needed to remove all "uncivilized elements" of the frontier before settling there. The iconic image of the Manifest Destiny, "Columbia", portrays Native Americans as barbaric and animal like, thus causing many Americans to believe that the relocation of Native tribes was essential for the progression of society. Americans at the time also believed that native tribes were illiterate and uneducated, despite the fact that the literacy rate of the Cherokee nation up through the Civil War was higher than that of the South. Expansionists wanted to introduce Anglo-Saxon institutions (both intellectual, political, and technological) to such areas. Clearly, this idea of Native American displacement directly contradicts the founding ideas of American society and politics-- the idea of democracy, equality for all. If everyone was to be equal, than why were Native Americans being treated so poorly? Expansionists argued that in order to "save these poor Indian people," they needed to re-locate them out, beyond the frontier, due to the fact that they did not fit in the East. There, the argument states, they can "do their Indian thing unmolested. This is the only possible way to save them."
Connection to thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statement because it portrays some of the horrid effects that the expansion of the frontier had on American society. It portrays he damage and injustice inflicted upon the Native Americans, just because they didn't fit the white Americans definition of a "civilized population." It is important to note, however, that not all Americans espoused such a cruel and undemocratic ideology-- many rose to protest practices that encouraged Native American displacement. Henry David Thoreau, a prominent transcendentalist writer of the mid-19th century, expressed in his writings his opposition to the Mexican-American War, which would result in land acquisition and therefore Native displacement. Another well-known writer of the 1800s, Helen Hunt Jackson, wrote the book A Century of Dishonor, which portrayed the injustices Americans have inflicted upon Natives. But overall, the main ideology of Americans during the 19th century was pro-Native American removal. Native American displacement also impacted the evolution and progression of American technology, as Americans sought to replace the barbaric native institutions with new, American technology.
A common ideology espoused my most Americans during the 19th century was the idea that in order to expand their civilized settlements, Americans needed to remove all "uncivilized elements" of the frontier before settling there. The iconic image of the Manifest Destiny, "Columbia", portrays Native Americans as barbaric and animal like, thus causing many Americans to believe that the relocation of Native tribes was essential for the progression of society. Americans at the time also believed that native tribes were illiterate and uneducated, despite the fact that the literacy rate of the Cherokee nation up through the Civil War was higher than that of the South. Expansionists wanted to introduce Anglo-Saxon institutions (both intellectual, political, and technological) to such areas. Clearly, this idea of Native American displacement directly contradicts the founding ideas of American society and politics-- the idea of democracy, equality for all. If everyone was to be equal, than why were Native Americans being treated so poorly? Expansionists argued that in order to "save these poor Indian people," they needed to re-locate them out, beyond the frontier, due to the fact that they did not fit in the East. There, the argument states, they can "do their Indian thing unmolested. This is the only possible way to save them."
Connection to thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statement because it portrays some of the horrid effects that the expansion of the frontier had on American society. It portrays he damage and injustice inflicted upon the Native Americans, just because they didn't fit the white Americans definition of a "civilized population." It is important to note, however, that not all Americans espoused such a cruel and undemocratic ideology-- many rose to protest practices that encouraged Native American displacement. Henry David Thoreau, a prominent transcendentalist writer of the mid-19th century, expressed in his writings his opposition to the Mexican-American War, which would result in land acquisition and therefore Native displacement. Another well-known writer of the 1800s, Helen Hunt Jackson, wrote the book A Century of Dishonor, which portrayed the injustices Americans have inflicted upon Natives. But overall, the main ideology of Americans during the 19th century was pro-Native American removal. Native American displacement also impacted the evolution and progression of American technology, as Americans sought to replace the barbaric native institutions with new, American technology.