Donner Party

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the Donner Party, one of the great survival stories in the expansive history of the American taming of the West. According to the paper, the Donner Party resorted to cannibalism as a means of survival. The paper discusses how research has shown that these stories of cannibalism, which have caused a painful black mark on the Donner family name, may be completely false as they pertain to the Donners themselves.

Outline:
Donner: The Name of Tragedy
A Media Firestorm Erupts
Cannibalism Accepted as Fact
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"For a century and a half, the American public has essentially labeled the Donner Party, and, by extension the Donner family, as cannibals. The sensationalized media reports that first emerged after the rescue of the Donner Party became widely accepted with time, although they were based mostly on unreliable first-person reports and gossip (Donner cannibalism, 2006). In fact, Eliza Poor Donner Houghton, a member of the party, recalls how Donner Party members would read supposed first-person accounts in newspapers and become shocked with how remarkably accurate information was interspersed with wild fabrications and innuendo (Houghton, 1911). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bailey, Eric (2006). "No proof found of Donner cannibalism." Los Angeles Times. Jan. 13, 2006.
• Burns, Ric (1997). "American Experience: The Donner Party." Retrieved Oct. 9, 2006 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/donner/maps/index.html
• Distressing news (1847). The California Star. Feb 13, 1847. Retrieved Oct. 10, 2006 from http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/donner.html.
• "Donner cannibalism remains unproven" (2006). Retrieved Oct. 10, 2006 from http://www.uoregon.edu/newsstory.php?a=1.12.06-Donner.html.
• Houghton, Elizabeth Poor Donner (2005). "The expedition of the Donner Party." Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish, Montana.

More papers on Donner Party:

• Analytical Essay # 5301 : "Ordeal by Hunger"
• Essay # 25224 : "The Misjudgment at Hasting's Cutoff"
• Essay # 44689 : "Cannibalism Along the Oregon Trail"

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