The Frontier and American Expansion

REFLECTION ONE

Topic: The Frontier and American Expansion

Rationale: American studies scholar Amy Kaplan says, “Nationhood and manhood have long been intimately related in American history through the dynamic of territorial expansion.” Much of this territorial expansion took place on the American Western frontier, and conflict with Native Americans played a large part in forging “the ideology of white masculinity.”

After the Europeans arrived in the Americas, the words “savage” and “Indian” became very closely linked. Early stereotypes of Native Americans as savage and inferior became a persistent theme in the American consciousness and affirmed Euro-American superiority over Native Americans.

Ideologies of white supremacy justified colonization and westward expansion, and informed legal systems that allowed the US to exercise political, social, and economic power over its inhabitants. America’s rise to power through expansion and empire-building was synonymous with the displacement and poor treatment of native inhabitants. Believing themselves superior culturally and racially, white Americans justified their efforts to assimilate and Americanize Native Americans throughout the nineteenth century.

PROMPT: What does it mean to “kill the Indian” and “save the man”? How does that statement reflect US policy towards American Indian populations from 1860-1890, and what parallels can you draw between the treatment of Native Americans at the time and race relations today?

You are required to use the attached document in your argument. You may use outside documents for your argument. Your response will be uploaded through SafeAssign in eCampus to check for plagiarism. Any portion of your response that does not follow the directions and guidelines regarding writing, grammar, mechanics, plagiarism, or fails to answer the question will result in a zero for this assignment.

Your response should be a minimum of 650 words, Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1 inch margins, and no other heading than your first and last name. Remember, all papers are uploaded in DOC format. No other format will be accepted.

You are required to cite all quotes and sources in MLA format. This does not count toward your minimum total length. These citations need to be included in the text and in a works cited sheet (which is a separate sheet at the end of your response). If you do not know how to craft a works cited page, please visit the Brookhaven library. Noodle Tools is available for you to use via the library website.

Please understand that you are required to answer the questions asked. This includes college level writing and editing. There should be no first person anywhere in your response, as you were not there to witness these events.

If you have questions, ASK before the night it is due. I am available to assist you, and the history tutors are available to assist you. Do not wait until it is too late to attempt completion.

Your reflection must meet the minimum criteria in order to be considered for a grade. If you choose to not meet any of the above criteria, you will not earn credit for the assignment. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE (“REFLECTION ONE”) TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK.