Donner Party
By. Edwin Mann III
Donner Party Informational Essay
When throughout history (focus on westward expansion) has the cost of enlarging a nation overridden the value of human life? What extent would you go to for more land? Many people have died from Western expansion. Like the tragic story of the Donner Party. Many people died in the Donner party many people got murdered too. This was all because of western expansion. People will go through many things just to get more land. People have done things unimaginable do to western expansion.
The extent that people went to for more land is unimaginable. The Donner party had to go through many obstacles to get to there destination. They had to go through the Great Salt Lake Desert which caused them to run out of water and most of their oxen and cattle had fled out into another part of the desert. George Donner cut his hand before they had overcome the worst part of their journey. Once they had reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains it was to late for them because that was the worst winter the Sierra Mountains have ever went through. When they were on the mountain they got a total of 8 ft of snow which cause the rest of their cattle and oxen they had were buried in the snow. They soon had run out of food. They didn’t eat for a few days so someone brought up the idea of eating the dead, so they did. But nevertheless the had soon run out of people to eat. Then after a few days another group that had left the Donner party called the Forlorn Hope decided to shoot the two Indians (that had been very weak) for food. Soon after that the Donner party had been rescued... Well what was left of it. Only 46 out of the 87 people in the Donner party had survived and this was all because of western expansion.
This shows what people will do for land. People would risk their lives they would also risk their families lives. The Whole Donner family died and the Reeds and the other family all lived. But one family never did eat another human and that was the Reeds. The Donner's did and the people that were traveling with them. This whole journey was a struggle for the Donner party because when they were in the mountains it was the most snow they have had there till this day. So what would you do for more land?
Donner Party
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