American+19th+Century+Hero+Essay+kt10

What is your definition of a hero? My definition of being a hero is, in my opinion, anyone that people look up to and see as a good person and that has the qualities of being a leader. I believe this and back up my theory because heroes are not chosen by anyone, they are chosen by only one person: you. The person that I am referring to is Jedediah Strong Smith. Smith is a hero because he was able to lead and explore the Rocky Mountain-Nevada area. I will prove to you in this essay that Smith was, and still is a hero, which, as described above, is anyone that people look up to and see as a good person and that has the qualities of being a leader.

Jedediah Smith was born on January 6, 1799, and was presumed dead on May 27, 1831. Smith is from Bainbridge, New York. The people that Smith helped were a lot of white settlers by opening up the land of present-day Nevada and California. These actions were important because if he didn't do these things then places like California and Oregon might not be populated today. I these states had not been populated, then there may be a problem with over-populationon the Eastern seaboard because the settlers would not have anywhere to go; they would be stuck in the same place.

The first main accomplishment that I will be telling you about is his trip to Oregon. This meets my definition of a hero because in his ventures across the land he led many many people to the western states of the country, and that is a part of my definition of a hero. Also because he was brave when he got attacked by a bear because when the bear fled and his men asked if he wanted stitches, and he said that he wanted them stiched together loosely, so his face, ear, and rib-area were left very scarred. This impacted the people's lives by them being able to populate the western half of the country.

Smith had made yet a second trip to California, but this time it played out a little bit differently. This time he took along two women and 18 men. During the venture,ten of the men that Smith took along with him were killed, and the two women that came along were taken by the Mojave. He was arrested, and was released after with the governor under the impression that Smith would leave and never return. Smith, however, stayed for several months hunting food. After this, Smith returned to headquarters. This impacted the people's lives because they couldn't return to California. Instead, Smith was moving forward with his fur buisness.

Smith's legacy is one that will be remembered forever. He was able to traverse across the Rocky Mountains and explore what is now California, Nevada, and Oregon. I think that his legacy benefits us all because he was able to open up the western states andlet the American people populate the area.

Some advice that they would have for kids today is to never wander into a territory that you were clearly advised not to return to. For example, never go to the place you were forbidden to go to a second time after once being told not to. When he was going to California he was advised never to return, but he did anyways.