Answer:
The mountains impede trade because they are too high and vast to easily transport
1. The people in wagons/horseback with regular clothing are the groups moving west. With them, they bring death/destruction.
2. They may be moving west for better job opportunities, freedom, or to explore.
3. The Native Americans and animals like bears/buffalo were already in the West. They are forced to flee, fight for their land, or even die.
4. The figure in the center of the painting is Lady Liberty. She may represent America as a whole + the way they brought their ideals, hopes, and technology to the West along with them.
5. John Gast likely did not believe that US expansion in the 1800s was justifiable b/c in this painting of his, he portrays some of the negative effects that American expansion had on several groups in the West. There is a pile of animal bones symbolizing death, and other animals, as well as Native Indians, can be seen running away from the people moving west, showing how American expansion caused many to leave their homes.
The goal of the writers of the Lecompton Constitution is humanitarian aid to slaves. It was proposed for the state of Kansas in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka constitution and other free state advocates. The constitution protected the slave holder rights, enshrined slavery and allowed voters the choice of allowing more slaves to enter the territory.
