Guidebook in Hastings’ “The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California”

Excerpts from the Paper

Guidebook in Hastings' "The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California"
Lansford Hastings lived from 1819-1870. Trained as a lawyer, Hastings led overland wagon trains in the mid-1840’s. He published The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, a seminal guidebook in the development of the American west. Hastings attempted to persuade Oregon-bound emigrants to go to California instead of Oregon because it removed about 300 miles from the journey. This became his claim to fame, and this route became known as the Hastings cut-off. Unfortunately, the Donner party was persuaded by Hastings and became the worst disaster in wagon train history. Hastings was a confederate supporter, and at the end of the American Civil war, Hastings devised a...

..... in the 1830’s but rapidly declined around 1856. This party was worried about both extremes of Republicans (who were pro-immigration) and Democrats (who were pro-slavery). Though the Order of the Star Spangled Banner Declined after the election of 1856, they had little victories in some Northern States.
All of these parties helped to shape America in different ways. These parties go to show democracy in action in America during the time of the Civil War, and also showing how fluid parties and ideologies became based on different issues. Though two of these parties are not around today, all four play a part in helping shape America.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History (2nd ed). USA: Matrix Publishing Services, 2009.