The U. S. Used harsh, but appropriate, measures to civilize the inhabitants of the west. After reading lecture notes and readings in the books, Vive come to conclude that I am a bit biased on this statement, because coming from a race that is a minority and the acts they had to endure is simply immortal and I would have to disagree on calling their measures appropriate. Yet, on the other hand, had it not been for the trials and tribulations they had to go through, perhaps we wouldn’t be the country we are today and that’s how it is these days, the survival of the fittest, where the strong arrive and come out on top.
But for the most part, actions that were taken on behalf of the United States were at times beyond harsh and I know there had to be other ways to civilize the west without all the violence. For example, as the U. S. Continued to move westward, Mexican Americans were one of the citizens that were forced to transition into what the U. S. Saw as the correct way of life. Unlike the Indians, the Mexican Americans were citizens and were unable to be ran off their land. The Mexican Americans wanted to be a part of the new lattice structures of their new “homeland” but found themselves being ignored and without say.
Instead of trying to prove a point and be heard, it only made their situation worse. Knowing what they were getting themselves into and tired of being at the bottom of the political chain, in 1859 a wealthy landowner from Brownsville named Juan Cartoon decided to declare war, known as Ocarina’s Rebellion. Mexicans tried to seek respect and with war comes the death of people; this would be the beginning of the Civil war, the first of many wars for the Mexican Americans which ere fought for equality in the new land. So instead of the U. S. Owing off on the Mexicans and going to war, I feel they could have came to an agreement where both can live as one, but it was never enough for the U. S. , it was either all or nothing. Another culture, I believe had it the worse, would have to be the Indians. They did not have a choice, it was either abide by our way of living or be dealt with. The Americans saw a way of life totally different from those of the Indians. Indians saw a way of living as fair trade and the land as mother earth, which is to be shared amongst each other. U. S. Was a consumer society and interested in profits and capitalism.
U. S. Considered the American Dream to be all about money and Indians believed that money would lead to greed. As the U. S. Continued across the west, anywhere Indians were found, they were pushed off their land with nowhere to turn. During this time, is when I believe appropriate measures were not taken, one of the civil war generals, Philip Shedding believed that, “the only good Indian is a dead Indian. ” The U. S. Was willing to use all forces necessary to civilize the west at all sots, even taking the lives of those who opposed the American way.
But the U. S. Did not let up, they continued taking the land and leaving the Indians no option but to surrender like the Navajo, and for those who didn’t… They were left helpless with no Charlotte Palomar Exam 1 By Char-Funniest food. The U. S. Even went to the extremes of slaughtering buffalo Just so that the Indians wouldn’t use them, for they played a big part in the Indian life. There was no boundary for the U. S. , with all the injustice being done to the Indians the only option hey had was to be forced to a reservation in the worst areas possible.
But the U. S. Did this as an attempt for the Indians to surrender their ways, or starve to death. Not only were the Indians starving but were mistreated and even sexually abused if they were to speak their native tongue. Another example of unnecessary force for civilization was constantly mistreating those that continued to keep their culture alive. The purpose was to break the chain of any connections between them and their past. They wanted to eliminate their past existence and mold them into the American melting pot, where English was the only ay.
Anyone that begged to differ would be destroyed. So harsh force, I’d have to totally agree, now was it necessary… ‘ think not. But… Had the Americans not acted the way they did, who knows where we’d be today. We get to live in the land of the free because the Americans never let up. Mexicans were one of the few that were able to keep their culture alive and yet adapt to the American Way. Although some cultures were unable to do the same, the United States had the mentality was to be number one, which is the mentality we still have to day but to a certain extent.
