Nicolas

Sawicky Take Home Exam #1 Historians and History The definition of the American West has been up for debate ever since

Frederick Jackson Turners Frontier thesis was delivered in 1893. Turners strongest challenger is Patty Limerick. She argues against the whole idea of the frontier and explains that the American West was instead filled with multiple cases of conquest and the mixing of culture. This debate can be further examined with the historical episodes of the Overland Trail, Hawaii, and the Mexican War. The Overland Trail is an all-encompassing name for the Mormon Trail, Santa

Fe Trail, and the famous Oregon Trail. The Mormon Trail was the medium for all the persecuted Mormons to relocate to the Utah Territory. They then proceeded to form their own country, named the State of Deseret, until eventually becoming part of the Union (Dec. 15). The Oregon Trail was another one of these traveling routes for pioneers looking for a new life. Every year, a few thousand people would make the trip from Missouri to Oregon (Dec. 15). Starting in 1849, this migration jumped to 25,000 people a year, largely due to the discovery of gold in California. These trails provided a safe route to the western edge of North America. Turners version of the West is defiantly evident for this episode in the history of the West. It is all focused on white Americans traveling through a nearly empty terrain in search of free land, something Turner discussed heavily in his interpretation of the West. The story of Hawaii is another great example of the history of the American

West. Americans first made contact with Christian missionaries. Most of the island

nation converted to Christianity and took up many other American customs. Although still a Monarchy, the power of the Island quickly fell into the hands of the affluent white landowners that had converted the Island into a profitable sugar exporter. Hawaii eventually became part of the United States, but it was against the will of it people and their Queen (pg. 192). This chapter in Western American history clearly supports the argument of Limerick and her belief that the West was full of conquering of native people and the mixing of the two cultures. You can plainly see that Hawaii was not an uninhabited land that was for the taking, but a fully functioning country that Americans took advantage of. The Mexican-American War has a very important place in American history.

This bloody campaign started when the American army stationed itself on the Rio Grande River. Mexico believed that the Americans were invading Mexico, since they saw the border at the Nueces River, which was north of the Rio Grande. Mexico attacked and America claimed Mexico as the aggressors. The United States then invaded Mexico and stopped short of nearly conquering the whole nation. America was able to then win vast amounts of land from Mexico and add to its ever-growing territory. Along with this land, American inherited a long-standing Mexican culture in the region that lasts even today. This incident is more proof that the American west was not just the civilizing of a barbaric land, but filled with conquest and the mixing of cultures.

Empires, Destines Manifest? Manifest Destiny is a very interesting term that had been in use for a large

portion of American history. This idiom, coined by John OSullivan, designates the belief that the United States of America had the divine right to expand across the North American continent (pg. 169). Many believed: With God on our side, America will be able to civilize and democratize the West. This included converting the natives to Christianity and introducing them to the American way of life. In reality, Manifest Destiny was just a faade. Americans hide behind God so

that their conquest of the Native American and Mexican land would be viewed in a better light. One of the main reasons for this push westward was the Jacksonian belief that if America was going to maintain democratic, it must continue to expand and offer free land to its citizens (pg. 170). With the belief that God was on their side, many Americans moved westward helped pioneer the expansion of America. In comparison, Europe powers like Spain also thought they were doing Gods

work. One of the first things Spain did in a newly conquered territory would be to disperse missionaries and teach the heathens about Catholicism. The Spanish also announced that they were teaching the natives western culture. They taught them farming techniques and even introduced them to metal tools (Dec. 15). These ideals are very similar to the America idealism of Manifest Destiny. In reality, Europeans countries like Spain were using the natives to progress

their empire. First and foremost, the Spanish were in places like Mexico to add land to their empire. With this land, came many excellent perks. The Spanish were able to

find riches like silver and gold to send back to their homeland. Another great reason for the conquering of the weaker nations of the Americas was the reality that they had easy access to cheap labor so that they could produce raw materials and send them back home as well. A great example of the Spanish methods is the story of Junipero Serra. This Spanish friar was the head of the Alta California missions during the late 1700s. He not only caused one of the worst virgin soil epidemics, bringing the population from 72,000 to 18,000 in a decade, but he also forced labor upon the natives (Dec. 15). The Spanish view him as a great holy man who helped civilize thousands. The native Mexican people view him, as an evil tyrant who used religion to force his will upon the peaceful native people in the name of Spain. Even the European actualities of empirical expansion fall into line with what the United States of America did during its push for the continent of North America. From the above evidence, it is plainly clear that both Europe and the United

States of America said one thing, and did another. They both used God as a shield against anyone that would oppose their actions in the Americas. In reality, they both wanted to expand their empire and reap the benefits of the land, even going as far as to make the natives prisoners on their own land. It is fairly ironic that the people they were trying to hide their true motives from, were in fact the other power who was doing the same thing.