Manifest Destiny, or The Origin of the Oregon Trail

Introduction

Hi everyone! The Magical Mythtress is back again, this time with a look at the westward expansion of the United States. Readers of a certain age may remember playing The Oregon Trail during school—or, if you’re like me, buying the game and playing it ad nauseam, even to this very day. But what were the consequences of this expansion? Why did Americans feel the need to go west?

Westward Expansion in the United States (1840s–1860s): Causes and Effects

By the mid-1800s, the United States grew quickly as settlers moved west across the continent. This period is known as westward expansion, and it changed the country in many ways. While many pioneers hoped to find land, wealth, and new opportunities, their movement west had major effects on the Native Americans who already lived there.

In this article, we’ll explore why Americans moved west, what life was like for pioneers, and how westward expansion affected Native American tribes and the environment.

What Was Manifest Destiny?

One of the main reasons Americans moved west was the idea of Manifest Destiny. This belief held that the United States was meant to expand across the North American continent.

This idea became popular during the presidency of James K. Polk, who supported expansion into western territories. His views were influenced by the Monroe Doctrine, written in 1823 by John Quincy Adams.

The Monroe Doctrine warned European nations not to colonize land in the Americas. Adams wrote that the American continents should no longer be considered open for future colonization by European powers.

When Polk became president in 1845, he used similar ideas in his inaugural address. He believed that the United States had the right to grow and add new territories. At the time, many Americans did not view expansion as colonization. Instead, they believed they were simply adding new states into the country.

Polk strongly supported the annexation of Texas, arguing that the Republic of Texas had the right to join the United States. He argued that foreign nations should not interfere with this decision.

For many Americans who believed in Manifest Destiny, expansion west was not only justified—it was inevitable.

The Pioneer Journey West

The height of westward expansion took place between 1840 and 1860. Thousands of settlers traveled west in wagon trains along routes like the Oregon Trail.

Much of what we know about these journeys comes from the pioneers’ journals. One example is William Henry Hart, who kept a record of his travels in 1852.

Hart wrote about many parts of the journey, including his wagon train’s encounters with Native Americans. In one entry, he described arriving at a creek where around fifty Native Americans were gathered. His group crossed without trouble, though he wrote that those Native Americans had recently fought with other emigrants.

These journals show that interactions between pioneers and Native Americans were complex. Some encounters were peaceful, while others were violent or tense.

Native American Life Before Expansion

One of the tribes affected by westward expansion was the Sioux Nation, also known as the Dah-Ko-Tah Nation.

Newspapers from the 1800s described the Sioux population as about fifteen thousand people, living in different bands ranging from fifty to a thousand members. These articles also described parts of Sioux culture, including their care for children, their use of plants and roots for medicine, and their belief in a Great Spirit.

At the time, the Sioux lived across a wide region west of the Mississippi River, stretching toward the Missouri River and beyond. Based on these descriptions and Hart’s journal, it is possible that some of the Native Americans Hart encountered early in his journey were Sioux.

The Importance of the Buffalo

The American bison—often called buffalo—played a vital role in life on the Great Plains.

Both pioneers and Native Americans used buffalo chips (dried buffalo dung) as fuel for fires while camping. According to historian Gregory M. Franzwa, emigrants on the plains often gathered buffalo chips because they burned hot and slowly.

Where there were buffalo chips, there were usually bison nearby. In fact, bison herds were once so large that wagon trains sometimes fired guns just to keep the animals from trampling their wagons.

However, large-scale hunting by settlers led to a major decline in the buffalo population. This had serious effects on Native American tribes, who relied on buffalo for many parts of daily life:

– Food made from buffalo meat

– Clothing made from buffalo hides

– Shelter made from buffalo skins

As the buffalo population shrank, it became harder for Native American communities to survive using their traditional way of life.

Land Loss and Native American Reservations

Another long-term result of westward expansion was the loss of Native American land.

By 1883, a map created by P. T. Brodie and Hiram Brice showed Native American reservations across the United States. These reservations were only a small part of the land Native Americans had once controlled.

Many tribes were forced to leave their ancestral homes so settlers could move into the area.

New States Added to the United States

Westward expansion also led to the creation of new states. At the start of the 1840s, the United States had 26 states.

By 1860, seven more states had joined the Union:

– Florida (1845)

– Texas (1845)

– Iowa (1846)

– Wisconsin (1848)

– California (1850)

– Minnesota (1858)

– Oregon (1859)

Most of these states were formed from western territories that became populated during the expansion period.

Final Thoughts

I chose this topic because, growing up in the 1990s, I spent a lot of time playing The Oregon Trail on the computer—and I still play it sometimes today.

Learning more about the real history behind the game helped me better understand the complex relationships between pioneers and Native Americans. Newspaper articles from the 1840s and journals from pioneers in the 1850s show how Native Americans were viewed during this time.

Future research could explore other interactions between Native Americans and newcomers, such as the work of missionaries. One example is the Whitman Mission massacre in November 1847, when members of the Cayuse Tribe killed missionaries at the mission.

Westward expansion helped shape the modern United States, but it also led to major cultural and environmental changes whose effects are still felt today.

Works Cited

Adams, J. (1823). Monroe Doctrine. Message to Congress. 

Polk, J. (1845). Inaugural Address of James Knox Polk. Speech, Washington, D.C. 

The Niles National Register. (1849). THE SIOUX, OR DAH-KO-TAH NATION., p. 27. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=h9j&AN=44951058&site=ehost-live&scope=site&kw=true&acc=false&lpId=divl28&ppId=divp11&twPV=null&xOff=0&yOff=55&zm=3&fs=null&rot=0&docMapOpen=true&pageMapOpen=true

Saturday Rambler. (1847). THE SIOUX INDIANS., p. 002. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=h9j&AN=64348058&site=ehost-live&scope=site&kw=true&acc=false&lpId=divl47&ppId=divp2&twPV=null&xOff=1285&yOff=2327&zm=4&fs=false&rot=0&docMapOpen=true&pageMapOpen=true

Franzwa, G. M. (1993). The Great Migration. American History Illustrated, 28(2), 28. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=9304200567&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Hart, W. (1852). Diary of William Henry Hart. Overland Trails Diaries; Transcontinental Migration Archive;, 1. Retrieved from https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/Diaries/id/7259

Traditional Uses of the Buffalo. Retrieved from http://www.nationalmammal.org/pdf/traditional-uses-of-the-buffalo.pdf

Brodie, P., & Brice, H. (1883). Map showing Indian reservations with the limits of the United States : 1883. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701g.ct002649/