I was so glad to receive a letter from Mother last week! I am well, but sadly some of my friends here aren’t so lucky. There have been so many frightening accidents and lives lost. Only a few days ago, a young man suffered great injuries from working on a broken machine. The workers had let the management know that the machine was faulty. But they paid no attention to the workers’ complaints. Yesterday, I received my wages. I get a dollar a week now in addition to board. I will send the money home so that you can rest for a bit from working on the farm. I hope to hear from you soon.
The Oregon trail pointed the way for the United States to expand westward to achieve its “Manifest Destiny” and the goal of Manifest Destiny was territorial expansion of the United States.
