ZD.+Part-Time+Indian





This is the worksheet we are working on concerning the West. The war on the Native-Americans, the development of the west spearheaded by the railroads, and the final destruction of the Native-American tribes as sovereign nations are all important events that relate directly to our and other peoples' lives today. The concept of Manifest Destiny, that Americans are a special and exceptional people, blessed with a representative-type government based on fundamental freedoms, are destined to spread our superior way of life to anyone who we consider to have a less advanced political and cultural system. As you might guess, this idea is still alive and well in America.



This painting was done by John Gast in 1872, just three years prior to the defeat of Custer at the Little Big Horn. Identify as many different symbols as you can that would be part of the idea of "manifest destiny" as we discussed in class.