Oregon Trail free essay sample

What I know Women didn’t have it very easy on the Oregon Trial. They had many chores/jobs they had to get done. And those jobs were no walk in the park. They were hard, laborious, and dirty jobs. They were also often â€Å"handed† these jobs. Women were often taken granted for. In the men’s minds, they were trivial, but that was far from true. If women hadn’t gone on the Oregon Trail, it probably wouldn’t have gotten that far. Women and girls play a big rule in Women and girls had to adjust to very rough conditions. Part II: What I want to know I would like to know why were women treated lesser than men? How did women adjust so quickly and â€Å"silently†. I want to find out if women ever were thanked for the things that they did on the Oregon Trail. Furthermore, I would also like to know why women were given the jobs they got. We will write a custom essay sample on Oregon Trail or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition to that, I would like to find out how much time for women to learn how to do their jobs. And lastly, I want to know why women let themselves â€Å"suffer silently†. Part III: The Search Women had many jobs, that weren’t very easy. They had to cook, long hours hunched over the fire, often times making something for their family to eat out of nothing. Their long dresses could catch fire and hurt them. Now, that would be bad considering they had to walk about 15 miles the next day. The next job was that they had to clean. The trails were dirt, so could you imagine how much dust would collect in the wagon after a day’s walking? A whole bunch and the women had to clean (or dust) all of that dust. Women also had to do the laundry, which was a problem. It was a problem because most of the time there were no streams or rivers; and another thing that women had to do was unpack and repack all the things on the wagon so hey could cross rivers and such. And on top of all that, Women weren’t allowed to complain, despite the hard circumstances that they were put under. But the Oregon Trail was a good thing to. Before heading west, all women would do was sit around at their house doing nothing more than visiting, needlework, and the occasional gardening (Pioneers West Women). By the year 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad was done, 350,000+ pioneers had taken the trip on the Oregon Trail. Several of these people were women and most of the women were accompanied with children (Pioneers West Women). Many men just told their wives that they were going to go start a new life in Oregon (or one of the other places that the pioneers went to) (Pioneers West Women). In other families, women had a big influence on whether or not they went on the Oregon Trail (Pioneers West Women). Many women kept diaries or journals explaining their life on the trail, they would write in them when they had some â€Å"downtime† (CJonline. com). Education-wise, men usually left it to the women. But some of them couldn’t read, so they couldn’t read the Bible to them (or any book for that matter). Even before starting the Oregon Trail journey, the wagon had to be packed. That task usually fell to the women, (naturally,). Packing the wagon usually started with making a list of the most basic things. This, for the women, was the first hardship. They found out that personal items didn’t mean as much as the necessities and that they couldn’t take them with. The things that were deemed unneeded were sold off to help pay for the trip west. Most women on the Oregon Trail weren’t â€Å"women†. Girls had to grow up fast, and if they didn’t, they were forced to. Girls as young as 14 were married and either convinced their husbands to go on the Oregon Trail, were forced to, or agreed to. Towards the end of the Trail, women had left more than just furniture to heavy to keep. Often times, they had to bury their children (Pioneers West Women). Women had many children on the trail to help with chores and things like that. Women did have to burry more than one of their children, though. Women adjusted very well to the conditions of the Trail, though. They faced the hardships with courage. Even agreeing to go on the Oregon Trail was considered courage. Women had a very prominent effect on the Oregon Trail, which will not be forgotten. They were probably what made the journey successful. Because think about it, what would happen if women hadn’t gone? There probably wouldn’t be any â€Å"home†-made meals, and it would just be rolls with bacon or something. Men probably wouldn’t have done very well on the other side, too. The affect that women had on the trail was bigger than you could imagine, and I think that we just overlook them most of the time. Women who convinced their husbands to go on the Oregon Trail journey were very courageous. They were courageous because they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into, and still wanted to go anyway. Now, in my opinion, that is true courage. Pioneer women, in my opinion too, were probably the most courageous people that I know of. They went on the Oregon Trail even though they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into; and knowing that the end result would be worth it. Women’s jobs on the Oregon Trail weren’t easy. Women were often given the unpleasant jobs, but they persevered. They made it through the rough terrain and dusty Oregon Trail. Part VI: What would the Oregon Trial been like without women? If women hadn’t gone on the Oregon Trail, it probably would’ve been unsuccessful. This would’ve been the outcome because women did all the cooking, cleaning, took care of the children, and all the while, stayed out of the men’s way. These jobs were a women’s to do because not many men would’ve had the patience or time to do the things that women had to do. Also, most men didn’t know how o cook, and with that being said, they would’ve had to have packed the wagon with more non-perishable food. Next, the cleaning issue would have to be dealt with. There was a lot of dust on the trail and dusting was an almost every day thing. All in all, it would’ve been a complete and utter disaster if women hadn’t gone on the Oregon Trail.