Westward Expansion

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Westward Expansion
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Table of Contents

• Manifest Destiny

• The Gold Rush

• Frontier Life

• Native Americans

• The Myth of the West

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Manifest Destiny

• Expansion to the Pacific
• Seen as obvious and inevitable
• Not necessarily a religious idea
• Spread of democracy and European-American
  lifestyle
• Exterminate or convert Native Americans
• Tame the western landscape

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Manifest Destiny
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• What do you think the woman in this picture
  represents?

• What is she doing?

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• What are these people doing, and why do you think
  they are in the picture?

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• What does this part of the picture show?
• What is its significance?

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• Who else is being forced westward?
• What is happening here?

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• Why do you think this bear was included in this
  part of the picture?

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• Can you tell what is going on here?

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• Why do you think the artist painted this picture?

• What is the larger message he was trying to
  convey about Manifest Destiny?

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The California Gold Rush

• Sutters Mill1848
• 49ers
• Little law and order
• Supporting businesses
• Growth of towns and cities

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The California Gold Rush
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• What is the title of this source?

• What different elements make up this source?

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• What do you think this scene depicts? Is it meant
  to be realistic?

• Heres a hint The opening paragraph here quotes
  a man as saying, I am a miner who wandered from
  Away Down East, and came to sojourn in a
  strange land and See the Elephant.

What might see the elephant have referred to?
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• What is going on in this scene? Does it look like
  a scene from a mining camp? Why or why not?

• Why might the artist have included this scene?

• Hint This paragraph warns miners not to take
  thy money, nor thy gold dust, nor thy good name,
  to the gaming table in vain.

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• What do you think might be going on in this
  scene? (Hint The sign on the far right tent
  says, Store.)

Listen as your teacher reads you this passage
from the text that describes the scene shown here.

• What does the passage tell miners not to do?
• Why do you think it gives these instructions?

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• What is going on in this picture?
• What does this scene indicate about the
  recommended course of action for a miner in the
  face of danger?

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• What does this scene imply about miners daily
  lives?
• Did they have many luxuries?
• What types of domestic activities did they have
  to do?

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• What are the men doing in this scene?
• What does this picture indicate about how miners
  often spent their free time and money?

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• Although the Miners Pioneer Ten Commandments
  was written in 1853, this version of it (with the
  drawings) wasnt created until 1887well after
  the Gold Rush had ended.

Why might the 1887 version have been created, and
who do you think the intended audience for it
was?
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Frontier Life

• Homestead Act of 1862
• Great Plains settlement
• Sod houses

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Frontier Life
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This picture shows a typical pioneer house on the
Great Plains.

• What does the house appear to be made of?
• Does it seem to be in good shape?

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• Do you think this family would have been
  comfortable living in this house?

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• What does the landscape in this picture look like?

• What do you think it might have been like to farm
  here?

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What do you see in the foreground?

• What does this tell you about the distance
  between the house and the farm?
• What does it tell you about the conditions of the
  soil?

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• What is this?
• Why do you think it might have been located here?

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• Look at the familys attire.
• Do you think they dressed this way every day?
• How formal do their clothes look considering
  their occupation?

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• Who do you think might have taken this
  photograph, and why?

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Native Americans

• Indian wars
• Treaties
• Reservations
• Perceptions of Native Americans

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Native Americans
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• Who does the snake represent in this political
  cartoon? How can you tell?

• Why do you think the cartoonist chose a snake for
  this representation?

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• Who is in the snakes grasp? What is the snake
  doing?

• What is the meaning of this representation?
  (Hint what do the words on the snakes body say?)

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• Who is this? What is he doing?

• What is his relationship to the Native
  American/snake? (Hint look at the sign on the
  tree.)

• What do you think his actions represent?

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• What does this piece of paper say?

• What does the book next to it say?

• Why do you think the cartoonist included these in
  the picture?

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This cartoon is titled The Nations Ward.

• What does this mean?
• Why do you think the cartoonist drew this
  cartoon? What message was the artist trying to
  convey?

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Native Americans
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• The professional photographer Edward S. Curtis
  took this photograph around 1908. During his
  career, Curtis photographed hundreds of images of
  Native Americans.

Why do you think he might have focused his career
on this subject?
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• This photograph is titled Arikara Medicine
  CeremonyThe Ducks.

What appears to be happening in the photo?
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• Why do you think Curtis chose this scene to
  photograph?

• What might he have found interesting about it?

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The Myth of the West

• Romantic fascination
• Media portrayal
• Buffalo Bill
• Realities of life in the West

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The Myth of the West
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This 1899 handbill advertises Buffalo Bills
traveling show.

• What does the subtitle say? What does it imply
  about the show?

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Describe Buffalo Bills appearance and stature.

• How effectively do you think this picture of him
  might have portrayed the image of the cowboy that
  the show was trying to convey?

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• What is going on in the center of the picture?

• What do you think this scene is attempting to
  represent?

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• What is happening in the upper left-hand corner
  of the picture?
• What does this scene portray about Native
  American culture as Buffalo Bill might have
  wanted audiences to understand it?

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• How does this part of the poster portray the
  American West and Native Americans?

• How do you think potential audiences at the time
  would have responded to this?

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• Why do you think Buffalo Bills mythologized
  version of the West appealed so strongly to
  audiences?

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