Chief Joseph
Dylan Lewis: Chief Joseph
Why I moved west?
I was already in the west, I was born in Wallowa Valley which is known as Oregon today. My father helped President Washington build a reservation for Nez Percé, which lead to my birth in Wallowa Valley. But then gold rush began in my hometown, which lead to General Oliver O. Howard's threat to remove my tribe to Idaho.
My impact on Westward Expansion.
My impact on westward expansion was huge, after white men took over 6 million acres of my homeland, I created a band of 700 men only 200 of those men were warriors. We have conflict with General Oliver O. Howard's plan to remove my band and any other non registered Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho, we fought over 2,000 U.S soldiers and Indian auxiliaries in four major battles, my war buddy was Looking Glass, we lead the army until we had to forfeit because Looking Glass died along with Toohoolhoolzote and many other chiefs, which lead to a non-Nez Percé camp. In the end the U.S army took over our homeland Wallowa Valley and renamed it Oregon.
Chief Joseph, Toohoolhoolzote, Looking Glass
Definition of Manifest Destiny
I did not believe in Manifest Destiny, I didn't agree with the fact of english men taking over my land that I worked on since I was a child. I agree with Chief Joseph because its not right to take over someone else's property because you're bigger and stronger.
Challenges that I faced
I faced some deadly challenges like cold weather, no blankets, no food and fighting off whites. A lot of my people are missing and some are even dead. Looking Glass, Toohoolhoolzote, and my brother Olikut died on the journey. We are left with just 87 out of 200 warriors. My children are missing. My people and I are 40 miles from the Canadian border, we are to tired, exhausted, cold and hungry to continue to fight.
Where I setteled in the west
I settled at Colville Indian Reservation in Washington, I lived at Colville Indian Reservation for 19 years before I died of a broken heart.
Life at Colville Indian Reservation
Life at the reservation was depressing. I missed my brother, my wife and my kids. It makes me angry to think about my children lost on the trail freezing, starving, and dehydrated. I was heartbroken, I was so depressed I suffered Heart Broke syndrome.
We have to forfeit.
"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our Chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta Hool Hool Shute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are - perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."- Chief Joseph
Dreams will stay dreams
I hoped to defeat General Howard's treaty law, which was to take away my ancestors land for gold rush reason and to remove my tribe to a Indian reservation in Idaho, but to keep living in Wallowa Valley and to keep my ancestors land was to win War Nez Perce.
Works Cited Web
PBS, Chief Joseph. Arlington: THE WEST FILM PROJECT, 2001. Website. <https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/chiefjoseph.htm>
Works Cited Book
Russell Freedman, Indian Chiefs. New York: Holiday House, 1987. Print.