An insight into the facts and myths of the "Wild West" as seen in "The Way to the West" by Elliott West and "The AmericanWest: The Modern Vision" by Patricia Janis Broder.
1,677 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 54.95
Abstract This paper gives an historical insight into the history of what has become known as the "Wild West" by the review of two books, "The Way to the West" by Elliott West and "The AmericanWest: The Modern Vision" by Patricia Janis Broder. It examines how both authors present us with an explanation of the incursions of the white settlers into what was then the West and the process through which the West became a place where people could live out their dreams. It examines the shift from traditional hunting and gathering strategies of the American Indians to the agrarian nature of the settlers and the economics of making a living in the West. Both books also look at the myths about the West that have grown out of the facts.
From the Paper "It has become fashionable in recent years to scoff at the myth of the West and to replace this myth with history. This is in large measure what West has set out to do. He is intent on telling a real story about a real place, and in particular in telling an environmental story about the fragility of the Plains, with their uncertain and limited rainfall. Looking at a part of the country that was once the West ? Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming ? West looks very carefully at the historical record of the place, at what lured families from the East, what made them stay or move on, what made them succeed or fail."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of the AmericanWest in fiction and history. Specifically it discusses to what extent the U.S. West has been a place of opportunity for all. The paper concludes that in reality, the AmericanWest was a land of opportunity for many, but for others, it was simply a place of hard work, little gain, oblivion, and despair.
From the Paper "In conclusion, many emigrants found exactly what they were looking for when they headed west. They found wealth, opportunity, and a new life. Even those who did not discover gold often found success in the West in the form of business, industry, and innovation that helped them become pillars of the community. Eventually, families were reunited and the West became settled, citified, and "home." For others, they only found despair, defeat, and suffering in the West. Some died without ever seeing their families again, others attempted to farm fallow land, and still others never found the gold and the pot at the end of the rainbow they were so desperately seeking. The West was not the same for everyone who traveled there, but it is still so romanticized in fiction and history that it still retains some of that rainbow-glow in the minds of many Americans. As Johnson states at the end of her narrative, "There is so much that we have not yet learned from the Gold Rush. If we can remember it differently, perhaps we can use that memory to different ends" (Johnson 344)."
Abstract This paper looks at the book "The AmericanWest as Living Space" by Wallace Stegner. It discusses certain aspects of the land and how it is perceived by men. It examines such issues as aridity and compares eastern and western America. It question why the AmericanWest has to be analyzed as a Living Space.
Abstract This paper believes that by the manner of his research, his bias and facts, Abbey correctly demonstrates a problem with pollution in the AmericanWest.
Abstract Limerick's book is a work of synthesis designed to suggest a new, comprehensive ground on which the history of the AmericanWest, often fragmented into many different branches, can be approached afresh. The paper discusses Limerick's view that, contrary to popular thinking based on the ideas by Frederick Jackson Turner that the American Frontier closed officially in 1890, the 'settling of the west' experience was not an exclusively European domain. The book reminds the reader of the Indians, Hispanics, Asians and women whose involvement in the Western history was not a minor matter.
From the Paper "As Limerick notes in discussing current events that may have an impact on further shaping the West, every historian operates from a presentist context and it was a mistake for historians to ignore the fact that Turner's presentism exerted a particularly limiting force on his thesis. If historians today look at the continuities and common themes of Western history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, rather than adhering to the artificial 1890 watershed imposed by Turner's thesis, they will certainly, even if they do not accept every aspect of Limerick's own thesis, develop a means of viewing Western history in a comprehensive fashion."
Tags: savage, wilderness, cattlemen, Native, American
Abstract This paper will discuss the book "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the AmericanWest" and seek to understand author Stephen Ambrose's view on these brave men and their trip to the new west. By realizing the historical methods of writing that he uses, we can see how other historians can get value from this book. By understanding his straightforward style, we can see how he holds the reader's attention.
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the AmericanWest," by Dee Brown. Specifically, it evaluates and synthesizes the strengths of Native Americans in the face of adversity. It looks at how the book illustrates just a bit of what the Native Americans had to endure as whites took over their lands and their lives; it is a testament to their strengths, character, and pain.
From the Paper ""Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is a complex and complete history of Native Americans from their own point of view, rather than the point of view of white historians. Author Brown's style of writing engrosses the reader but sometimes can be a bit overwhelming, and the length of the book (over 500 pages) may put some readers off. However, Brown includes more than just history in his narrative, he includes Native American writings, folklore, and myths that help make the book more interesting and more appropriate as a history. Throughout the book, he illustrates how the Native American tribes were thriving and vital societies that lived off the land and understood the complex natural world and man's interaction with it."
Abstract This novel is set in both the Wild AmericanWest of the 1870's and the Hollywood of the roaring 1920's. This novel provides insights into the way our notions of history are shaped in the modern age of film.
Tags: LITERATURE / AMERICAN LITERATURE, the englishman's boy
Abstract This paper analyzes how the development of the American Fur Company impacted the fur trade and the American frontier west. The paper discusses how the fur trading industry, via the American Fur Company established by John Jacob Astor, was an important economic way of life and trade opportunity for settlers and fur trappers eager to build settlements in the Americanwest. The paper shows how without the fur trade, the West would not have beheld the profitability incentive for expansion beyond the Appalachian mountain chain.
Outline:
Introduction
The International Fur Trade and the AmericanWest The American Fur Trade
The Expansion and Development of the American Fur Company
Interconnecting Alliances in the Fur Trade
Conclusion
From the Paper "The economic affect that fur trading had on the American west can be found through supply and demand. The demand for furs in Europe was growing in the early 19th century, since many of the furs were slowly diminishing due to over hunting. John Jacob Astor and his American Fur Company played a major role in determining how fur trade would become an American dominated economy, which helped to propel a massively successful impetus for pioneer settlers to settle on lands in the west. Many of the pioneers that sought to live a new life as settlers in the west, took advantage of this opportunity to make incredible profits from the many beaver found west of the Appalachians. According to Hine (2000), the economic value of the fur trade made it possible for pioneers to develop a strong economy in the wild American frontier."
Abstract This paper explores the topic of women in the AmericanWest during the westward movement. Specifically, it offers historic evidence to support the position that the westward movement did indeed transform the traditional roles of American women, just as it transformed the AmericanWest. Women traveling west during the westward movement created opportunities for themselves, became active in business and politics, and created new and exciting lives for themselves. These women transformed how America looked at women and how women looked at themselves, which was probably the most important transformation of all.
From the Paper "Initially, the only inhabitants of the Western United States were Native American tribes scattered throughout the region, and the occasional trapper or mountain man there to trap furs for his livelihood. The West was empty, untapped, and waiting for westward expansion, and there were plenty of Easterners ready to travel west for new opportunities. However, after gold was discovered in California in 1848, the trip west took on new meaning. Now, going west could mean riches beyond the wildest dreams, and thousands of immigrants headed west to seek their fortunes in the gold mines of California. This was the time when women began to head west in much larger numbers, and this was the time when women's roles truly began to transform themselves."
Abstract This paper examines how the subject of female artists working in the AmericanWest has often been overlooked due to pervasive Western male stereotypes, which include popular media overlays of cowboys, male hero icons, and male activities. It looks at how the environment of the AmericanWest has been the inspiration for many American female artists and, in particular, landscape photographer Laura Gilpin and contemporary artist Agnes Pelton. It shows how both artists use the unique vibrant landscape and the peoples of the AmericanWest as their subject matter and how, while they differ in their approaches, technique, and underlying philosophy, both artists create unique works of art that explore the outer and inner depth and beauty of the region.
From the Paper "Agnes Pelton is a more contemporary artist working in a different medium and style to Laura Gilpin and with different artistic objectives. However, the two artists are similar in their use of the unique qualities and artistic attributes of the landscape and natural qualities of the West as a source of inspiration. Pelton initially painted in the conventional representational style but later developed a unique abstract style of her own, which included landscapes. These landscapes differ from the work of Gilpin in that they explore the interior and Spiritual qualities that are manifested through her paintings."
A description of West German attempts to open political and economic relations with Eastern Europe brought about by the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
1,240 words (approx. 5 pages), 2 sources, 2001, $ 42.95
Abstract This paper deals with the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The author examines the historical relationship between West Germany and the former Soviet Union from the Cold War period. The paper discusses the opening of economic ties between West Germany and the rest of Western Europe.
From the paper:
"The war in Vietnam greatly increased US government spending on weapons and other supplies, the demand for which American industry could not fully meet. To fill the rest of the orders, the US turned to the other Western industrialized countries, in many cases West Germany and Japan. This increased spending helped jumpstart the economies of these countries, moving both West Germany and Japan from debtor to creditor nations as they achieved large trade surpluses. As it grew more powerful economically, West Germany took a more independent path politically."
Tags: cold, invasion, oestpolitik, states, union, united, war, west, industrialization, money, finance, reform, control
Abstract This paper reviews the importance of the economic basis for fur trading in the new Americanwest, as it allowed a profitable supply of furs that wealthy Europeans sought after. With this growing demand for furs, pioneers and fur trappers became interested in finding and selling these furs for immense profits. Furthermore, after the near extinction of the beavers west of the Mississippi it became clear that fur traders had a great deal of knowledge about the terrain and landscape of the unexplored west.
From the Paper "This historical study will examine the impact of the fur trade on the American frontier west. The economic demand for furs in the "New World" were highly sought after luxury commodities, which gave pioneers an incentive to move west. By actively collecting and trapping furs over the great expanse of frontier land, pioneers and fur traders could effectively build settlements through high profits. In essence, the fur trading industry was an important economic way of life for settlers eager to build the American west. The economic affect that fur trading had on the American west can be found through supply and demand. The demand for furs in Europe was growing in the early 19th century, since many of the furs were slowly diminishing due to over hunting."
Abstract This paper discusses how the notion of nihilism, proposed by Cornel West in "Race Matters", relates to black male students in middle grades. The paper looks at relevant topics discussed by West including affirmative action, black sexuality and the crisis in black leadership.
From the Paper "Professor Cornel West, in his treatise on modern-day American race relations, entitled "Race Matters", addresses a number of issues of importance to black America. Covering a range of topics including affirmative action, black sexuality and the crisis in black leadership, West's discussion presents a gloomy assessment of efforts within recent decades to overcome institutional obstacles to black achievement, such as the legacy of slavery and the persistence of white racism. West's first chapter introduces his theory of nihilism in contemporary African American life and how this malaise of the..."
Tags: Cornel West, inner-city, black students, achievement motivation
Abstract This paper contains a detailed description of Benjamin West's painting, "Death on the Pale Horse,The Opening of the First Five Seals," and explains how he drew on contemporary conceptions of the sublime and combined it with both Christian imagery of the Apocalypse and pagan myth in a frenzy of movement. The writer explains that West had worked on variations of "Death on the Pale Horse" in smaller paintings and sketches from 1796. The writer also discusses how West's interest in the subject matter of the Apocalypse came and went repeatedly over the last thirty years of his life, and the indubitable effect on his work of the wars that plagued America and Europe during this time. The writer concludes that "Death on the Pale Horse" was a work which evolved with the painter and the times he lived in, portraying many of his inner emotions regarding the wars of his times and the Apocalypse. This paper includes figures.
From the Paper "The painting, a panoramic view of a battle scene, exhibits some of West's finest imagery and clearly and convincingly depicts all the emotion of a horrifying scene. On the left, scenes of killing by sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence erupt in a fury of violence. On the right side of the canvas, the white, red, and black horses unleashed in the first three seals erupt forth from the thunderous central scene. On the white horse to the right, Christ is wearing a golden crown and carrying a bow while gazing into the heavens at the figures robed in white. The portrayal of Christ in the painting instills a little optimism of salvation in the midst of the Apocalypse, this was the first inclusion of hope by West in this subject. In the upper left hand corner where a slight amount of light penetrates the darkened sky, an eagle is seen attacking a heron."
Tags: terribilita, American Style, chiaroscuro Neo-Classical Revelations religious Waterloo artist
