Choose one of the following people and document your experiences, in first person, as someone living in the first half of 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 1100-word journal entry, either as a story or an explanation, that includes the following:

A description of the social, economic, and political forces of the times

A description of the acquisition of the territory where you live by the United States and a discussion of 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.