The Oregon Trail

This letter to a friend is written by a farmer’s wife travelling with her husband and children along the Oregon Trail in mid-1840s.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Oregon Trail specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Dear Jane, Blessed be the hour when I can see you again, for the way seems endless and the barriers insurmountable. When we lost our farm[1], I was looking to our trip as to a journey to the Promised Land, but now the everyday hardships are challenging this faith. However, John tells me to stay strong and so I do. During the three months on the road, I have seen more than ever before, so in case you and Paul decide to undertake this trip, the following advice may be of use to you. For your journey, it is vital to buy a good tent and a nice sturdy wagon to move all the belongings and supplies. I would rather recommend a prairie schooner, which is much lighter than a normal Conestoga wagon and driv en by oxen. They move slower than mules, but are much cheaper (as they can easily find food for themselves) and not so likely to be stolen by the Indians [2]. As for provisions, make sure you have enough flour, salt, sugar, tea and coffee, dried beans and fruit, corn and rice. I would not advice to take anything perishable, as it is more a burden than a benefit on this trip; but if you have extra dried goods, you can always change them for travel clothes and moccasins in the mountains[3]. Meat is not a problem here, as wild fowl and game are abundant here, so rifles and ammunition will never be extra. Do not forget to reserve a good sheet-iron stove for your journey as well, since wood is scarce here and a stove is very convenient. As a setting-out point, I would rather advice St. Joseph, since you can avoid crossing several streams which can be very high (several of our fellow-travelers even drowned in them, which was a sad and dramatic occurrence for their families)[4]. The routin e at our camp starts before sunrise, and we travel most part of the day. One of the biggest discomforts is caused by violent windstorms that scatter our tents and wagons and set the cattle stampeding wildly into the unknown. To protect us somehow from the devastation of the storms, our men have invented a simple yet ingenious trick: as soon as the first signs of storm appear, we group the wagons in small circles with oxen chained inside the circles[5].Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One day we were confused by the thunder-like sounds and a heavy dark cloud approaching us, which we first took for a sand-storm. As the cloud drew nearer, we felt the ground trembling and recognized thousands of buffalos rushing past. Happily, they were left on the other side of the stream and did not ruin the camp; otherwise I doubt I would be writing these lines now. Another danger lurks inside the camp i tself: I would have never expected it, but I witness many people, especially little children, getting trampled down by the wagons in the general confusion. That is why I always take care my little ones are in a plain view and never let them go too far away from our wagon. There is another reason for it: although the Indians we have met so far appear to be peaceful, I would not trust these daubed savages anyway, hearing the rumors of their cruelty. It is late now, and tomorrow is another early start, so I cease my writing for a while and hope that this letter brings composure to you. I hope for the best and send blessings to your family. Love, Mary. Bibliography Federal Writers’ Project. Oregon Trail: The Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. Murietta, CA: US History Publishers, 1939. Print. Hill, William E. The Oregon Trail, Yesterday and Today. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Press, 1986. Print. Olson, Stephen P. The Oregon Trail: A Primary Source History of the Route to the American We st. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003. Print. Footnotes Olson, Stephen P. The Oregon Trail: A Primary Source History of the Route to the American West. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 32. Federal Writers’ Project. Oregon Trail: The Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. Murietta, CA: US History Publishers, 1939. Print. P. 220. Ibid., pp. 221–222. Federal Writers’ Project. Oregon Trail: The Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. Murietta, CA: US History Publishers, 1939. Print. P. 222. Hill, William E. The Oregon Trail, Yesterday and Today. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Press, 1986. Print. P.  53 This essay on The Oregon Trail was written and submitted by user Dum Dum Dugan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Write a Sample Statement for Comparison and Contrast Essay

How to Write a Sample Statement for Comparison and Contrast EssayWhen writing a sample thesis statement for comparison and contrast essay, you may encounter situations that may challenge your ability to write well. This is especially true if you are dealing with an expert of the type, for example, you are writing dissertations on generalists, specialists, or industry leaders. Theses are written in advance for students who are preparing for an entrance exam. If you want to make it easier, you can use this sample thesis statement for comparison and contrast essay for much the same reasons that you would use a statement to prepare for the exam.Consider how you can make your analysis more sophisticated by identifying trends setters. Any good essay starts with a few sentences about the research you have undertaken. When writing sample thesis statements for comparison and contrast essay, you should not worry too much about how complex this essay actually is. The focus of your analysis shou ld be on identifying trends setters.One generalist is just as easy as another, so you should not worry about whether one is a generalist or specialist. The key factor is what kind of expertise the student is learning. A statement should focus on four general areas: what is the field? What kind of students do you expect to read your thesis? How has the student prepared for the field exam?The most common argument for a particular academic field is that it is made up of people who are experts in their own fields. For example, students studying engineering could be expected to research the history of the field and identify more trends setters in the past, how the field evolved, and whether there are new trends setters emerging from the current trends setters. Students studying psychology might want to compare studies on children and adults and whether they are more susceptible to peer pressure, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. All of these would be examples of trends setters an d their effects on their students. Many people who study in many different fields might also be expected to write a generalist thesis because they are expected to be able to understand and relate to others in their field. This means that a sample thesis statement for comparison and contrast essay must be able to get across both sides of the argument without becoming overly technical. This will allow the student to be more engaging in the essay. A statement for the opposite side of the argument will be more demanding.Another approach would be to avoid directly relating students to the field. Rather, focus on what they know and how their knowledge is relevant to their thesis topic. It is possible that they may understand things that you do not yet understand. This is a subtle difference, but one that is important to the study of trends setters.Finally, think about what is in the best interest of the student. Some students are expected to include their own interests when writing a thes is statement for comparison and contrast essay. Other students are not expected to, so be sure to do your best to emphasize the student's strengths.In general, every graduate student is different and some are more suited to a high school level research, while others are better suited to a university-level thesis, even if they come from a degree program. However, all students should learn about trends setters, so that they can think about how they will deal with them in their own work. In a world where anything is possible, writing a sample thesis statement for comparison and contrast essay will help students understand how to think about and work with trends setters.

Slavery As A Cruel Institution Essays - Slavery In The United States

Slavery as a Cruel Institution Cruelty can be defined as an inhumane action done to an individual or group of people that causes either physical or mental harm. Slavery, at its very core, was a cruel and inhumane institution. From the idea behind it to the way that it was enforced, it degraded the lives of human beings and forbade the basic liberties that every man deserves under the Constitution of the United States. Three major areas where cruelty was especially prevalent were in the slaves working conditions, living conditions, and loss of fundamental freedoms. Working conditions for slaves were about as bad as can possibly be imagined. Slaves worked from dawn till dusk and sometimes even longer. Solomon Northrup describes his experience as a slave on his Louisiana plantation: The hands are required to be in the cotton field as soon as it is light in the morning and with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given them at noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon, they are not permitted a moment idle until it is too dark to see, and when the moon is full, they often times labor till the middle of the night (Northrup 15). The slaves lived in constant fear of punishment while at work, and it was that fear that drove them to obey. Northrup continues to say that, No matter how fatigued and weary he may bea slave never approaches the gin-house with his basket of cotton but with fear. If it falls short in weightif he has not performed the full task appointed him, he knows he must suffer (10). He goes on to explain that after weighing, follow the whippings (10). This was not the end of the workday for a common slave though. Each slave had his or her own respective chores to do. One feeds the mules, another the swineanother cuts the wood, and so forth (Northrop 11). Then there were jobs to do in the slaves quarters, jobs that were necessary for their basic needs and survival: Finally, at a late hour, they reach the quarters, sleepy and overcome with the long days toil. Then a fire must be kindled in the cabin, the corn ground in the small hand-mill, and supper, and dinner for the next day in the field prepared (Northrup 12). The slaves got very little sleep because, an hour before day light the horn is blown, and it was an offense invariably followed by flogging, to be found at the quarters after daybreak (Northrup 14). Then the fears and labors of another day begin; and until its close there is no such thing as rest (Northrup 14). After an extremely difficult day of labor, the cruelty continued when the slaves returned to housing that could be described as inadequate at best. Jacob Stroyer, one of fifteen children, was born on a plantation in South Carolina in 1849. He relates the conditions that his family lived in: Most of the cabins in the time of slavery were built so as to contain two families; some had partitions, while others had none. When there were no partitions each family would fit up its own part as it could; sometimes they got old boards and nailed them up, stuffing the cracks with rags; when they could not get boards they hung up old clothes (Stroyer 14). Families were forced to live under less than ideal conditions, and sleeping was a challenge: When the family increased the children all slept together, both boys and girls, until one got married; then a part of another cabin was assigned to that one, but the rest would have to remain with their mother and father, as in childhood, unless they could get with some of their relatives or friends who had small families, or unless they were sold (Stroyer 14). The hot summer months made it impossible to sleep indoors so, when it was too warm for them to sleep comfortably, they all slept under trees until it grew too cold (Stroyer 16). Francis Henderson was another slave who, after escaping from a slave plantation outside of Washington, D.C. at the age of 19, described living conditions on his plantation: Our houses were but log huts- - the tops