...on Appomattox, it rose on the American West, beckoning millions with it’s seemingly endless potential. The final Frontier would blossom following the Civil War, as advents in technology would encouraged expansion on an unprecedented scale. This masse of hopefuls entering these untamed lands would shape the fabric of the west, and as a result define and promote the growth of multiple institutions. The expansion of the west proved vital for development in American culture, infrastructure, and resource gathering. Set in the late 19th century, this expansion would not only establish the notion of the American West, but also the complex institutions spawned by it. A convergence of cultures generated a new society of multiplicity,...
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...The Woman, The Myth, The Legend: Mae West—American Woman Abstract Born Mary Jane West in 1893, Mae was a strong, vivacious woman whose career spanned vaudeville, the small stage, The Great White Way and the silver screen. She is known for her over-accentuated figure and use of double entendres. Born the daughter of a prize fighter and immigrant, she grew up in the city of New York. She was doted on, as well as encouraged, by her mother, Tillie. She began performing at the age of four and was soon on stage where she came to life. She rarely attended school; getting her education on the stage instead. She became sexually active at a young age and learned to use her sexuality in her acts. After a number of years on stage and touring with various troupes, Mae began composing her own material. With the help of a writer, she produced a number of plays, many of which never made it to production. She always insisted on having control over her parts and lines, sometimes infuriating directors. Night After Night, her first movie, was her first foray in Hollywood and had her rewriting the entire role from its original version. The writer and director were against it, but Mae convinced studio heads to test both versions. They all agreed that Mae’s revisions were the way to go. While not a starring role, she stole the show as the hatcheck girl says to her, “Goodness, what beautiful diamonds,” Mae responds, “Goodness had nothing to do with it!” Mae continued making movies with constant...
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...Slavery and the American West is a masterpiece by Michael A. Morrison. The book was published on August 1997. It tries to appraise the territorial issue and it's relationship with the civil war and its origin. It is a logical chronicle of diplomatic happenings during the 1840s and 1850s and how it changed the political scenario of America. It outlines the upright dissension of the slavery expansion. The author opines a number of subject matter in his book. By referring to Jacksonian Politics, he talks about the western settlement. Later he writes about the split into two party system and the contribution of territorial issue to it. Though the territorial issue and slavery gave way to the Civil War, it was not the direct cause of it. He provides information about the brief thoughts of the cause of Civil War. The early twentieth scholars viewed slavery as the sole cause of Civil War. Likewise, the Progressive Historians had the view that the improper distribution of property and the hostility between...
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...The American West was promoted by the federal government to Americans who had hopes of creating a new life by passing the Homestead Act in 1862 (Schultz 2014). What the Homestead Act offered settlers was the award of 160 acres of land for anyone who would occupy it for five years and by 1890 over 2 million residents had established farms in the West. The Northern government officials, which were in control of Congress in 1862, were in favor of settling the Western territories, so along with promoters they glamorized the idea to where it was more appealing. Who the Homestead Act attracted were new immigrants, African Americans, and Northerners who wanted to avoid industrialization from their hometowns (Schultz 2014). Consequently, for the ones who abandoned the venture, corporations were waiting to buy the land for their own projects which were known as the bonanza farms which employed low-paid laborers to work them....
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...question is essentially that the differing beliefs on land between the Native Americans and white settlers was what eventually led to the destruction of the Plains Indians’ way of life. To come to a conclusion on this, the factor of land beliefs will have to be analysed and considered. But to compare and make a fair judgement, I will also be examining other factors also. These will include the railroads, US government and the US army. I shall then come to conclusion based on the analysis in my assessment. As it is the subject of the hypothesis for this question, I shall start with analysing the impact of beliefs of land. The primary Belief on land of the Plains Indians was that no body owned it, and that everything belonged to the Great Spirit. The white Americans however believed that land was owned by whoever took it first, or who bought it off the owner. This led to conflicts and therefore partially led to the destruction of the Native American way of life. The white Americans quickly claimed land and would move the Plains Indians around as they saw fit, usually affected by where gold had recently been discovered. This culminated in putting the Native Americans on reservations. In many of the agreements and treaties signed over land the settlers would claim never to go back on their promises “as long as grass grew” and “the mountains stood”. Breaking the promises would have shown the Native Americans that the settlers thought little of their intelligence, and also would instil...
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...School is generally regarded as the first theoretical contribution of American Studies to scholarly interpretations of the past. Richard Slotkin is part of a group called “Old West” historians who ascribe to the Myth-and-Symbol School when interpreting American history. This thought-process stresses a collection of popular sentiments of the Frontier era in order to create an environment that has some structure. A result of this approach is that it allows continuity to the reader when studying the frontier. For instance, Slotkin notices in his analysis of “The Adventures of Col, Daniel Boone that: “Filson creates a character who becomes the archetypal hero of the American frontier, copied by imitators and plagiarists and appearing innumerable times under other names and in other guises -- in literature, the popular arts, and folklore -- as the man who made the wilderness safe for democracy” (Slotkin 268-69) This shows how his character became an archetype to himself and all other frontiersmen. Because of this, the circumstances may change in the frontier, but its actors do not. As Slotkin describes the character of he furthers this argument and identifies “the most distinctive trait of Boone’s character was his love for the wild land” (Slotkin 298). While this approach is valuable due to minimal historical documentation, its methodology is intrinsically too simple to be taken seriously. Additionally, “Old West” perspectives usually only interpret the traces of the “white imperialist”...
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...June Tozzi US History 1302 Robert Kennedy 2-14-14 The Wild West? The Old West frontier represents a land filled with opportunity, growth and new beginnings. Although new beginnings seemed like a blessing the opportunity came with harsh vices such as climate change, little resources, and little government influence. The West has been portrayed as frontier filled with violence and anarchy, but many young historians have come to challenge the glamorization of the Wild West stating that it was not as violent as the rest of the country as previously depicted. Though Robert Dykstra clarifies how low body count could skew homicide rates that illustrate high levels of violence in Dodge City, one city alone cannot discard the ferocity created between young transient males, crimes erupted between gangs, conflict and atrocities amongst Native Americans Professor David T. Courtright preserves the idea that the frontier was indeed very violent. Professor Courtright helps define the vague use of the West with the distinctions illustrated by Walter Nugent who defines two forms of frontiers. Type one was a frontier of farming and had a core of nuclear families, and the second focused on the industrial industries, such as mining, with a population almost entirely of young males. He agrees that type one frontiers had little violence due to the fact that they were family-based and elderly community. However, the counterpart type two frontiers where exponentially...
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...western frontier in American history in 1893? a. The western frontier made the United States different from Europe. Correct Why did the U.S. government decide to move Indians to reservations around the mid nineteenth century? c. The government's policy of pushing the Indians further west to make way for white settlement no longer worked because there was no land left to push the Indians further west. Correct Why did the Indians sign the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which ceded some of their land to allow passage of wagon trains? d. They hoped to preserve their culture and way of life in the face of white settlement of the West. Correct What was the Comstock Load? b. The richest vein of silver ore found on the North American continent. Correct Which is the largest ethnic group in the western mining district of the U. S. in the late nineteenth century? a. Chinese Correct The Chinese men were hard workers but anti-Chinese prejudice barred them from work in which jobs? b. Mining jobs Correct What was the purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? c. To limit and decrease the number of Chinese immigrants to the United States. Correct Which two factors helped stimulate the land rush in the trans-Mississippi West? c. The Homestead Act of 1862 and he building of the transcontinental from the Mississippi River to the California coast. Correct What did the Homestead Act of 1862 promise to people who settled in the trans Mississippi West? b. 160 acres of free...
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...His works led to the use of social history as the underlying grounds for all socio-economic and political progress in the history of America. When Turner died, history departments were teaching frontier history based on his approach. For a long time, the history of America has been largely tied to the colonization history of the Great west. The presence of free land and the settlement of Americans to the west explain the progress of America. American institutions have been required to change with the increase of the diversity and population of people and facilitate the transformation from backward political and economic ways to civilization. Development in some nations has only taken place in some areas, but in America, development has been widespread. However, there is a frontier line still facing primitive conditions along the western part. Nevertheless, the history of America is not based on the western coast but the great west. Some primitive conditions such as slavery were related to the western frontier expansion. The frontier as Frederick Jackson Turner, according to, was the transformation from primitivism to civilization. The American frontier is the birth of Americanization. This was the start of liberation from Europe to the independence of the nation. In the seventeenth century, the...
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...caliber rifle and manage to split the card, while adding more holes to it? It sounds like a difficult task for anyone to accomplish, but in the 1800’s, one woman was able to outdo all other cowboys and make a name for herself. B. Many people don’t associate women sharp shooters and exhibition shooters with the American West, but one name in particular stands out, and that is Phoebe Ann “Annie” Mosey C. Although you may think of the American West as nothing but cowboys and rodeos, there are also women who deserve recognition for their hard work and amazing talent. D. If we can take a look at a quite talented female and learn from her growth and experiences during this time, then we can consider not stereotyping the Wild West. E. We are going to be looking at the life of Phoebe Ann “Annie” Mosey and her upbringing to becoming one of the best female shooters to have walked this earth. There are a few main topics that are best used to describe Annie and they are: (1)Careful; (2) Dedicated; and (3) loving II. Body A. Courageous B. Dedication C. Loving III. Conclusion A.We have looked at Annie Oakleys upbringing in the American West and have a better idea of how life was back in that era. B. Annie Oakley was a great sharpshooter and exhibition shooter, she was a loving girl to her friends and family, she was very supportive and loving, and very dedicated to what she loved to do. C. I agree that women do not get the same rewards as...
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...True Women of the West To see a women’s true worth is deeper then beauty. If she does not document her story, then who will tell it in its full truth? Throughout history a woman’s story was lost. As a society we have glamorized history of women who were called, Red Light Women, Soiled Doves, and Painted ladies. History books leave out many details of what these women lives were really like. Today’s equal rights activist, Roma Thompson, takes a different approach in bringing awareness about todays current equal rights issues. Roma has spent the last three decades designing costumes and doing research on important women in Colorado history, to present to groups, all over the western United States. Thompson’s passion of the rough life of a working girl in the Wild West, opened her eyes to the ugly true of the battle of equal right’s that women have endured throughout history. Every women in history had a story, from the parlor women, to the Madam’s, and history’s leading women activist. Even though, women still struggle to be equal in today’s society, Roma feels that educating on the women in the past, will bring awareness to the true worth and importance of women in the world. Thompson creatively transports her audience back in time to the early 1900s, starting with the painted ladies and madams, and leads into women who inspired her the most. Brothels could be found in all different areas—mining towns, cow towns, logging camps, large cities, cattle-shipping centers, end-of-track...
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...physical form of mankind, derived from an untamed animal state, is one that has continued to redefine and develop over time. In order to recognize this theory, one must be willing to accept that at the very nature of mankind, is a type of carnal instinct – a bestial component that forces out man’s desire for reason, compassion, and affection. Through his incorporation of animalistic imagery within The Blue Hotel, Stephen Crane unveils the barbaric nature of the townspeople in Fort Romper, which is hitherto masked beneath a fallacious image of civilization and humanity. The romanticized image of the “Old West,” made popular through the adventure and danger of late nineteenth century dime novels as well as the sex appeal and grit of contemporary actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, is replicated through Crane’s Nebraskan town, Fort Romper. Complete with all the typical “wild-west” necessities - a saloon, a cowboy, a bar fight, and a poker game, Fort Romper embraces the clichéd societal image of uncivilized America; however, those who dwell in this small western town refuse to acknowledge its defining structural characteristics - violence and deceit, and thus “[pretend] to [be] civilized . . . by imitating an Eastern model” (Church 99). The community members attempt to “affirm a benign climate that has . . . the superficial appearance of peacefulness and . . . stability;” and just like the townspeople, the author also attempts to disguise the actual nature of the community through...
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...Martha Jane Cannary AKA Calamity Jane By Julie Nikkola November 27, 2010 Martha Jane Cannary was born May 1, 1852 in Princeton Missouri on a small farm to Robert and Charlotte Cannary. Martha was the oldest of six children; she had two brothers and three sisters. Martha Jane received no formal education, but was considered literate. When Martha Jane was 13 her father decided to re-locate the family to Virginia City, Montana, by way of wagon train that was heading from Missouri to Montana. The wagon train took the Overland Trail, taking approximately five months to reach Virginia City, Montana. According to information on the Lakewood Public Library site the trek was often daunting. “Many times in crossing the mountains, the conditions of the trail were so bad that we frequently had to lower the wagons over ledges by hand with ropes, for they were so rough and rugged that horses were of no use” (Women in History 2010). Along with this they had to ford streams because many streams were noted for quicksand meaning horses could be lost along the way if they weren’t careful. Martha Jane spent most of her time with the men on the wagon train hunting. In her autobiography Martha Jane states “In fact I was at all times with the men when there was excitement and adventures to be had.”(Burk, M. cir. 1900). Charlotte Cannary, Martha Jane’s mother, helped supplement the family income by taking in washing from nearby mining camps. Charlotte Cannary died...
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...eastern culture begins to change the dime store novel version of the Old West. The marshal, Jack, is concerned that the town’s folks will be angry that he did not include them in his wedding celebration, typical of small Old West towns where everybody knew each other and their business. The symbolism associated with the private wedding, the bride’s new fancy clothes, Jack’s “new black clothes,” and the “watch” show how Jack is growing up and away from the Old West’s ways. Scratchy, the drunk, displays both the Old West’s wild attitudes and eastern clothing trends, showing how the two cultures are intersecting. In “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky,” setting exhibits a major role in symbolizing the changes taking place as the East flows into the Old West. The historical significance of the train to the settling of the West brings to life the images of the East meeting West in Crane’s tale. Trains helped civilize the West by bringing commerce and creating towns along their routes. Transportation that was more comfortable and safe brought increasing numbers of women to the towns, which began to tame the West. Trains also brought eastern culture and people across the plains to the Wild West. The refinement of the train foreshadows the domestication of the West, “the environment of the new estate”(341). In part one, Crane describes the progress of the train across the plains bringing civilization to the Wild West and creating the allusion of the new culture moving westward. Crane describes...
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...The Day the Cowboys Quit, is a highly acclaimed novel written by Elmer Kelton. The book is set in 1883 in the rigid Texas panhandle. Kelton explores many different themes within the novel but primarily focuses on the changing dynamic both socially and politically and of the West and the fight of good vs evil. The book focuses on High Hitchcock, who was a cowboy that at the time of the Canadian River Cowboy Strike of 1883. Hitchcock was furious that cowboys were portrayed as arrogant men that rode their horse and shot guns all day. When in reality they were hardworking men "and some had never owned a gun" The main conflict of the book revolves around Big ranchers, new comers, trying to take control over more of the west and taking it from...
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