​Curriculum Event: Louisiana Territory

​In the early 1800s, American’s first opportunity for expansion was a large territory of land, west of the Mississippi River, known as the Louisiana Territory. America desperately wanted to own this valuable and vast piece of land; however, this land was originally owned by France. The French ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte, wanted to settle this land with farmers who would raise crops for slaves in the French-owned islands of the Caribbean. New Orleans, a part of the Louisiana Territory, was essential to American farmers because it offered them the ability to get their crops to the market as a result of its location on the water. If Napoleon closed New Orleans, American farmers would not be able to get their goods to the market and ship them to different locations around the world. President Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to France with an offer to buy New Orleans for $7.5 million. While he was on his way, Napoleon changed his mind about his plans for New Orleans after a slave revolt in the Caribbean. As a result, France no longer needed the Louisiana Territory and New Orleans, so the United States was able to buy the territory for just $15 million (2 to 3 cents an acre). 

Connection to Opportunity

​The Louisiana Territory has many connections to the American Ideal of opportunity; the newly acquired land was an extremely vast territory, which provided opportunity for individuals and families to settle and explore the land and make lives for themselves, which helped them to adopt the frontier spirit of independence and curiosity. These new American settlers would be provided with the opportunity to pioneer new methods of farming and they would be exposed to a new lifestyle. Furthermore, the Louisiana Purchase opened up new opportunities for expansion even further west, which sparked the interest and curiosity of many people, including Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who were among the people who became curious about the new lands that laid west. ​

Modern Day Example: Rebuilding after an Earthquake in Nepal

​Meet Maya Gurung, she will be eleven years old soon and only recently made it to kindergarten. Nevertheless, it is an achievement she has come this far. Maya is one of six children in a family that lives off the land and livestock in Kashi Gaon, a village in Nepal’s mountainous Gorkha District. Maya helped her mother with cooking, cleaning, and fetching firewood and water. Maya was destined to get married at a young age and live and grow within her birthplace. 

 But a year ago, on April 25, Maya’s life was changed forever when the Earth violently shook for a devastating sixty seconds. Maya’s left leg was crushed and there was no way it could have been saved. A second earthquake rattled Nepal yet again, only a few days later. Maya’s life changed again, in a way no one ever expected – she was given a rare chance at a second life. Nearly 9,000 people died in Nepal in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and the 7.3 aftershock. Recovery after the devastating quakes has been slow – century old buildings and temples lay in ruins, rubble remains in many areas, and thousands live under makeshift shelters. Maya lay, confined to a bed with thick bandages covering her wound, in a Kathmandu hospital, frightened, traumatized and howling in pain. Now, a year later, Maya lives in a large house on the outskirts of the city, embracing the new beginning that has arisen from the disaster – a new beginning. 

Connection to Ideal

​Out of the disaster that fell upon Maya at 11:56 on April 25 came myriad opportunities for Maya to begin a new life. Jwalant Gurung, 40, who grew up in Kathmandu and earned an MBA from the University of Washington, organized a fundraising climb to further rural education in places like Kashi Gaon. He believes in the power of education and has grown up watching his parents provide opportunities for families to improve their lives through education. When the earthquake hit, Jwalant ran for his life and made it safely back to Kathmandu, where he immediately began helping earthquake victims. Jwalant spotted Maya, missing her left leg, walking with her family, and wanted to help. Jwalant connected Maya with an orthopedic surgeon who would take care of her leg. In the weeks that followed Maya settled into Jwalant’s home and was fitted with a prosthetic. Maya had little knowledge and skills; she didn’t speak any English or even Neapli – she communicated in the Gurung dialect. Jwalant enrolled Maya at Angel’s Kingdom to give her the opportunity to learn and grow – eventually to be able to find her place in society once again. Throughout the past year – as Jwalant claims – Maya has changed from a scared little girl that he ran into on a rugged mountainside.

 Underneath her fragile façade, he sees a quiet strength. From the time of disaster and despair, came a chance for one little Nepali girl, a chance to learn, grow, to lead a full life that may have been denied her had she remained secluded in her village, mired in a life of poverty. The earthquake a year ago threatened Maya with lifelong misery, and the second tremor created a twist so fortuitous that it made hope possible amid destruction and despair. Although Maya is just one example of the hope and possibilities that lay on the other side of devastation, there are hundreds of other people who have been provided with similar opportunities after the “Great Earthquake of 2015” – the chances to rebuild and lead a new life. ​