Question

3.5 assessment westward movement
possible points: 5
did the benefits of westward movement out weigh the costs? use information from the lessons to provide evidence and reasoning to support your answer.
(cer)
0 / 10000 word limit

Explanation:

This is a CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) question about U.S. Westward Movement. First, a clear claim is stated, then evidence from historical records is provided, followed by reasoning linking evidence to the claim.

1. Claim: The benefits of westward movement outweighed the costs for the expanding U.S. nation, though they came at a severe, irreversible cost to Indigenous peoples.
2. Evidence 1: Westward movement enabled access to vast fertile land (e.g., the Great Plains), leading to a boom in agricultural production; by 1900, U.S. wheat output increased by over 300% compared to 1850, becoming a top global food exporter.
3. Evidence 2: The acquisition of western territories (via treaties, purchases like the Louisiana Purchase, and annexation) doubled the size of the U.S., expanding access to natural resources like gold, silver, and timber that fueled industrialization in the 19th century.
4. Evidence 3: For Indigenous nations, costs included forced displacement (e.g., the Trail of Tears, where 4,000 Cherokee died during relocation), loss of 99% of their ancestral lands by 1900, and destruction of traditional ways of life.
5. Reasoning: For the U.S. as a growing industrial and political power, the economic and territorial gains laid the foundation for its status as a global superpower. However, this progress was built on the systematic erasure of Indigenous communities, a cost that cannot be dismissed but is distinct from the national-level benefits that shaped the country's trajectory.

Answer:

The benefits of westward movement outweighed the costs for the development of the United States as a nation, though this came at an immense, uncompensated cost to Indigenous peoples.

• Claim: National benefits of westward movement exceeded costs, while Indigenous costs were catastrophic.
• Evidence:

1. Agricultural and economic growth: U.S. wheat production surged 300% 1850-1900, making it a top global food exporter.
2. Territorial expansion: The U.S. doubled in size via purchases/annexation, gaining critical natural resources for industrialization.
3. Indigenous harm: 4,000 Cherokee died in the Trail of Tears; Indigenous nations lost 99% of ancestral lands by 1900.

• Reasoning: The territorial and economic gains enabled the U.S. to become a global superpower, while Indigenous communities suffered irreversible cultural and population loss. For the U.S. nation-state, the strategic and economic benefits were transformative, even as the human cost to Indigenous peoples remains a profound historical injustice.