Journal 8/8

Choose one of the following people and document your experiences, in first person, as someone living in the 19th century:

• A female pioneer on the Oregon Trail
• A Mormon pioneer in Utah
• A gold miner in California
• A Shoshoni Indian in Wyoming when Europeans arrived
• A White slave owner in Mexican Texas
• A Mexican Tejano or Tejana in American Texas
• A soldier at the Alamo during the battle
• A Native American displaced into Oklahoma

Write a 350- to 700-word journal entry, either as a story or an explanation, that includes the following:

• Describe the social, economic, and political forces of the times.
• Describe the U.S. acquisition of the territory, where you live and discuss the effects of the acquisition on your life. (For example, if you chose to be a Mormon pioneer, discuss the United States' acquisition of the Utah territory, and discuss its effect on people living in the territory at the time.)