Westward expansion in the US started mainly because of money. The west became a home for agriculture. Mining, a new money maker, first started there. The two industries drew people to work either in them, or in the towns where these workers resided. However, all this wouldn’t have been possible without the recently developed railroads. Railroads could transport product and people in a fraction of the time old wagon trains could. This new technology was what really made western expansion possible. It wasn’t all flawless though. Indians were forced to move and assimilate as the white man quickly took over their homes. The US justified this with Manifest Destiny, the idea that it was their god given right to expand west. Manifest Destiny gave
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The idea was that they would no longer be surrounded by people of their old culture, thus never adopting it. This was done by putting all the children in boarding schools. In Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, one of the protagonists, Charles, is put through the system. He was ripped away from his people’s culture and forced adopt and learn the white man’s way of life. The boarding schools raised indians to be typical american citizens. They cut off the future of native american culture by taking away the children. In the movie Charles was also forced to cut his hair. This physically stripped him of his indian routes. Indeed, in native american culture, hair is seen as an extension of one’s self and their thoughts. To have this removed was a very symbolic and cruel gesture by the government. Taking children out of a people is the best way to end their culture. It removes the future, and results in it dying out. The US government knew this, and because of the sense of entitlement Manifest Destiny gave them, they went through with it. They also knew they would need to have the same …show more content…
Religion was a big part of people’s lives in the 18 hundreds. Everyone in America had one, and for the most part they were all fairly similar. They all had a single god at least, and most of them had Jesus. Because of this, the US government couldn’t let native americans practice their religions if they were to be assimilated. They’re religions included many gods, ceremonies, and ideas that were unheard of in the bible. In Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, indians accepting christianity comes up when Sitting Bull sees the reservation for the first time. Those who used to be his people were being forced to attend church. The deputy also informed him that he would have to as well. This was a huge insult to Sitting Bull and he resisted it. Native american religion was woven tightly into their way of life. It manifested itself in the way they gathered food, the way they ran their tribes, and the way they led their lives. In fact, all these things were changed when the indians were forced into christianity. For the first time in native american culture, all men were equal. Chief Sitting Bull was no longer allowed to lead his people. In an emotional scene in the movie, one sees a sign that says “every man is a chief.” The new concept broke the people who really needed the leadership during the reshaping of their lives. One of the hardest changes was that they were required to farm their land for
The idea was that they would no longer be surrounded by people of their old culture, thus never adopting it. This was done by putting all the children in boarding schools. In Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, one of the protagonists, Charles, is put through the system. He was ripped away from his people’s culture and forced adopt and learn the white man’s way of life. The boarding schools raised indians to be typical american citizens. They cut off the future of native american culture by taking away the children. In the movie Charles was also forced to cut his hair. This physically stripped him of his indian routes. Indeed, in native american culture, hair is seen as an extension of one’s self and their thoughts. To have this removed was a very symbolic and cruel gesture by the government. Taking children out of a people is the best way to end their culture. It removes the future, and results in it dying out. The US government knew this, and because of the sense of entitlement Manifest Destiny gave them, they went through with it. They also knew they would need to have the same …show more content…
Religion was a big part of people’s lives in the 18 hundreds. Everyone in America had one, and for the most part they were all fairly similar. They all had a single god at least, and most of them had Jesus. Because of this, the US government couldn’t let native americans practice their religions if they were to be assimilated. They’re religions included many gods, ceremonies, and ideas that were unheard of in the bible. In Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, indians accepting christianity comes up when Sitting Bull sees the reservation for the first time. Those who used to be his people were being forced to attend church. The deputy also informed him that he would have to as well. This was a huge insult to Sitting Bull and he resisted it. Native american religion was woven tightly into their way of life. It manifested itself in the way they gathered food, the way they ran their tribes, and the way they led their lives. In fact, all these things were changed when the indians were forced into christianity. For the first time in native american culture, all men were equal. Chief Sitting Bull was no longer allowed to lead his people. In an emotional scene in the movie, one sees a sign that says “every man is a chief.” The new concept broke the people who really needed the leadership during the reshaping of their lives. One of the hardest changes was that they were required to farm their land for