Settling Of The West Analysis

The topic of government and economy within the west has intrigued historians for decades. Many questions have been raised in regards to the ethics involved when settling the west, and how our country would differ if those series of events were handled disparately. When the settling of the west occurred, the ideology of the settlers was along the lines of: “ride forth my son and stake your claim for God has determined it”, otherwise known as manifest destiny. This mindset is the reason the west is what it is today, and the government involved with the settling of the west had everything to do with it. When the idea of manifest destiny arose, settlers were driven by both an unseen and unknown entity. We still see this mindset in today’s society in the form of the …show more content…
While many see this as strictly people-driven, this thought process has largely to do with the government and economy that allows for this. The conquering of the west begins with the familiar story of slavery and oppression of Native peoples. The Spanish embarked on a conquest mission looking for gold and riches when they arrived in what is now New Mexico. They were displeased when all they found was barren desert and some turquoise with no riches in sight. The desert was something to be reckoned with, providing little to no substantial food and thus making tensions greater for the Spanish. Despite this, in 1513 King Ferdinand commissioned Palacios Rubios to write The Requerimiento, which