The Donner GroupThe Donner Group encountered one of the most significant difficulties a traveling party could imagine. This historic disaster involves eighty-one inexperienced emigrants who traveled in hopes of reaching the land known today as California. Forty-seven of these travelers experienced a series of unfortunate events due to numerous contributing factors (PBS). The most horrible and deceptive factor of all was the human mind and its insistent need to discover and submit everything, whether within its reach or not, in the shortest and quickest way possible (A&E ). The aspect of taking the shortest path that led to the inevitable downfall, and in some cases, death, of the Donner Party. The number of tragedies involving travelers who ran out of food, experienced bad weather, or were even attacked by Native Americans were endless, but this is a story like no other. It is one of the greatest calamities of all time, but few of us know the full story. Their determination to survive hardship is ultimately greater than the social taboos that took place during this period (Bell). In April 1846, there lived eight families from Springfield, Illinois, simply looking to find a new place to live far beyond the Rocky Mountains. Totaling approximately forty-seven participants, ranging in age from newborns to senior citizens, the excursion set their wagons west on an expedition that would write them into the history books (Goldman). James Reed, a businessman who hoped to prosper in California, organized the trip. He wanted to find a temperate climate that would alleviate his wife's physical difficulties (PBS). ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬George Donner, a sixty-year-old farmer, was chosen, as the wagon t...... middle of paper.... . .reservation even with the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which swore for reconciliation between Native Americans and white settlers. Manifest Destiny, the resettlement of the West, brought a significant change in the antiquity of the United States of America (PBS). Works Cited “American Experience: The Most Watched Historical Television Series.” PBS. PBS, March 20, 2014. Web. March 20, 2014. .Bell, Rachel. “Historical Perspective.” All about cannibalism: the ancient taboo of modern times. Crime Library, nd Web. March 20, 2014. .Goldman, Laurence R. “Cannibalism.” Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2003 ed. Np: Gale Group, 2002.Encyclopedia.com. Internet. March 20, 2014. .The History Channel. “Donner Party.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. March 18. 2014.