Chapter 17: The Transformation of the Trans-Mississippi West

       Reading about the transformation of the West made me rethink about all that I learned about the West as a child. I remember reading the series Little House on the Prairie as a child and all I can remember about their settlement to the west was that it was difficult at first but they eventually made it as a family. Reading this chapter on the west actually portrays a different story. Those who traveled to the west to become rich eventually realized that they were not just going to get rich without putting in work. At one point in the reading the authors wrote that family’s often put in “sixty-eight hours of backbreaking work a week”. It must have been difficult for these families to adjust to working so hard after leaving their homes.

            Another thing that was heartbreaking to read about in this chapter was the section about the treatment of the Spanish Speaking Americas. It must have been hard for them to adjust after the Mexican-American War, but it must have been harder for them to realize that they no longer fit in anywhere. These Spanish-Speaking Americans knew that they didn’t belong in Mexico because Mexico was defeated and had their lands taken away, they also didn’t belong in the U.S because they didn’t fit into the Anglo-American dreams. It was sad reading about how these Mexican American men were forced to take low-waging jobs. Some of these men must have had respectable jobs while they were in Mexico, but after the war they were probably left with nothing.